First of all, I have to say that it was the hottest 4 months and the hottest semester that I’ve experienced so far. There were many beautiful things but also a little less beautiful things that I will try to describe.
In the beginning it was a bit difficult and, above all, expensive. Get a rental car, look for an apartment and stay overnight in hostels, which I personally found sometimes really disgusting. But once those initial problems were resolved, it was a super relaxed and exciting life in San Diego.
However, life in San Diego is relatively expensive, from food to rent, so the five of us lived in a 3 bedroom apartment and the room distribution rotates monthly. Nevertheless, the rent for us was very high compared to Germany, but we had a pool, jacuzzi and 2 tennis courts at our facility. The location was also relatively good. Lived right next to Qualqom Stadium. 2 trolley stations away from the university. In our immediate vicinity was everything that you needed (supermarket, 7 11, burrito shops and all fast food shops). One thing I can really recommend to every German student is that you should look for American roomies. We were all German and accordingly we only spoke German and that’s not the point of a semester abroad, is it?
Some of the people I’ve met have tried to bridge their semester without a car, but I can’t advise anyone because the original packaging in San Diego is just not good and you definitely need a car, so don’t even try and catch up with you right away Automobile. It is up to you whether you buy a car or rent one for 4 months. Both have advantages and disadvantages such as selling the car at the end, repairs and insurance, but you can get some money back when you sell it. Check existingcountries to see more reviews from current students.
The university itself was just awesome. A large, beautiful campus with everything a student’s heart desires. From bibs to food courts to fitness studio and concert / basketball hall. I particularly liked the Spanish architecture on campus.
What I can recommend to everyone are the Aztecs’ basketball games in the Cox Arena. The atmosphere there is just awesome and the team is much better than the football team. A must-see.
The special thing about SUN Diego was of course the good weather. We had great weather all the time, it rained maybe 3 times, so water sports courses are also highly recommended. I especially liked wakeboarding, but the choice of sports courses is very large.
The other courses at the university weren’t particularly challenging for me. But I think it depends on the subject. The good things were definitely the small classes and that you write midterms and don’t have to learn everything at once for a final exam. It would only be stressful with trips when midterms were involved, but it’s all a question of good planning.
Round trips are definitely to be made. What you definitely have to see is San Francisco, Las Vegas, LA and the Grand Canyon.
Anyone who is a party animal is definitely in very good hands in San Diego. There is a cool place for everyone to celebrate. Whether it is the chilled PB, or the classy and expensive downtown or Fratparties (men’s paradise) in the college area. So from Tuesday to Saturday always a party that you can crash.
Something that wasn’t so good is definitely the cost. Rent and living were really expensive in comparison. It also seemed to me as if it made no difference whether you buy the groceries and cook them at home or get something from the fast food store. But every burger and junk food wasn’t really great either. Another disadvantage was that the ALI students were really disadvantaged. We had to “chase” courses, which is really tedious and sometimes unfair, although we pay most of the tuition fees and we also had to pay more for everything else (water sports courses, gym, etc.) than everyone else.
All in all, it’s a great time to spend there. You can gain a lot of new experiences and get to know another world.
