University: California State University Fullerton

City: Fullerton

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Field of study: business administration

Study type: semester abroad

Hello

So you don’t even know where to start with the many impressions. I’ll try to be a bit structured.

First of all, a big thank you to MicroEdu, they are doing a great job. My questions were always answered quickly and professionally by e-mail. I can highly recommend MicroEdu to anyone interested in a semester abroad. Check jibin123.com to see Semester Abroad In California State University Chico.

In my report, I limit myself solely to my impressions in the USA and at California State University Fullerton. As mentioned above, MicroEdu is the ideal contact for everything organizational in advance.

From August to December 2014, I completed a semester abroad at the university mentioned above. To do this, I booked a return flight in Germany, so I was relatively tied up and couldn’t stay in the USA for too long after the end of the semester, for example. I would recommend everyone to keep the return flight open to remain flexible. A tip: A flight with Condor from Frankfurt to Las Vegas – Las Vegas to Frankfurt is very cheap and non-stop! From Las Vegas you can rent a car very cheaply, drive down to Los Angeles / Fullerton from the numerous rental companies and return the rental car there. At the airport in Los Angeles you have the option of taking the shuttle to Fullerton or directly with your own rental car, Check24 was a very good website that I used for car rental. Much cheaper than hiring a vehicle locally (never do this)! I drove from Los Angeles Airport to Fullerton (about 45 minutes drive) with my own rental car.

I had bought a Master Card Gold from Naspa for the USA, so I could easily pay in the USA with it and never had to pay a fee for it. The credit card also includes some insurance, so great! This actually costs EUR 60.00 per year, but it is free of charge from an annual turnover of EUR 6,000.00 and in the USA you will definitely make this turnover, if only because of the tuition fees. It is best to get a second credit card. I can’t give any tips here because I haven’t had a second one. Credit cards may be declined for two consecutive days due to car rental deposits when changing rental companies. A second credit card helps a lot, if one is rejected, there is still option B. I spent a lot of money on rental cars, but in the USA, especially in Fullerton, a car is a MUST!!! You can’t get anywhere without a car, everything is very far from each other. If I were to do another semester abroad, I would buy a vehicle. Be careful when buying a car, select reputable car dealers who can also provide evidence of the vehicle. My roomate had a very bad experience here.

It is best to take care of accommodation in advance. Best of all from Germany!!! I didn’t do this and it was incredibly difficult to find something in August 2014 when I started university. At this time everyone is looking for a place to stay. In addition, accommodation in California is generally very expensive. I didn’t stay in the Univeristy Village as it was way too expensive for me. While two meals are included, I don’t think that justifies a price tag of close to $1,000.00. Also, I don’t always want to eat at the university or spend my free time there. When it comes to looking for an apartment, Facebook with its numerous groups is a good choice. You can get the links from MicroEdu or they will be added. The International Office at the university will also help you find accommodation or try to do so. I was lucky to have found a place to stay so late. Rent was $2,000.00. Since there were four of us, this was perfectly fine (2 bed/ 2 bathroom apt.). Also, the accommodation was not very far from the university. If you don’t want to buy a car, you can also get a bike, with such long distances you’re doing something good for your health! Wal-Mart has pretty good bikes, and I think you can return them for three months. I would not rely on public transport.

University was exhausting. Very different from the system in Germany. A total of four courses must be taken in order to be considered a full-time student. The crashing course is easy, I have already had three courses from the start (when applying, a wish list with a total of 10 courses must be submitted in order). I “dropped” one and was able to enroll in two others without any problems. In each of these courses I had to do cases, homework, quizzes, group work and presentations. Furthermore, in most courses you have exams, not just one but mostly three… I best divide the courses:

• ECON 335 The International Eonomy (Dr Nasser Duella)

To recommend!
– simplest course, relaxed professor
– homeworks (4 pieces)
– a presentation (3min)
– two exams (midterm+final)

• ECON 420 Money And Banking (Fang Zhang)

Not really recommended!
– not difficult, but work-intensive, professor who reads the slides as hard as
nails – problem sets/homeworks (6 pieces)
– three exams (midterm+midterm+final)
– extra credits (will be distributed again and again during the semester, so a kind of Compulsory attendance, as these are included in the grades)

• MGMT 422 Operations Planning And Control (Paul Choi)

To recommend! If you are interested in SCM, you will feel at home here!
– demanding of the exams, professor who really has a clue about his subject
– quiz (1 piece)
– cases, incl. presentations (2 pieces)
– three exams (midterm+miderm+final)

• MKTG 379 Marketing Research Methods (Dr. Ray Benedicktus)

Not really recommended!
Labour-intensive, professor who really has an idea of ​​his subject, but cannot really convey it, especially not the SPSS part in his class
– no exams, but a lot of homeworks (case analysis 6 pieces/ Harvard Business School simulation homeworks, SPSS homeworks, Extra Credit Homeworks)
– a presentation as part of the case analysis

I certainly don’t mean to belittle CSUF, but I do want to point out that it was really labor intensive. The business department has a very good reputation. This is good for everyone who studies there, but on the other hand you are not only there for the semester abroad because of the university. But don’t worry, despite the stress there was still time for many excursions. You have to have good time management to keep the weekends free. The weekend always begins on Thursday.

A few interesting links regarding the CSUF that you could read:

http: //www.cbsnews.com/news/grade-inflation-colleges-with-the-easiest-and-hardest-grades/

http: //business.fullerton.edu/graduateprograms/

In terms of excursions, Fullerton is the ideal starting point. Los Angeles with Venice Beach is nearby. Long Beach can also be reached very quickly. I can recommend Bolsa Chicka Beach (Huntington Beach), few people, very quiet and relaxing. You can be in San Diego in two hours. From there you can also visit Mexico. However, there isn’t too much to see in Tijuana… but it’s worth a visit! Simply the comparison between the USA and Mexico is already enormous. A must is of course San Francisco, use Highway 1 to drive along the beach. You also have to visit Las Vegas. It’s pretty good to party there. Visit the Grand Canyon National Park from Las Vegas!!! Fullerton itself is rather quiet, and the university is not a party university either. Fullerton Downtown is good for going out. Every Wednesday you can go to Bryans Bar, where the students meet. Many from Germany. Since you get “very tasty beer” for $1, this ensures the guaranteed crash and KO the next morning.

I would recommend the semester abroad to everyone! To see another culture, even prejudices. to dismantle Enjoying the California weather. As I said, the university was less partying, more learning. Quite good for employers, but at the expense of their own free time. Everyone needs to know for themselves what is important to them for the semester abroad. I would estimate about $15,000 for the cost. That’s pretty easy to live with for the 4-5 months!

I hope this report has been of some help to some of you!