University: California State University Fullerton

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Field of study: Business Administration, Marketing

Study type: semester abroad

Organization of the semester abroad and choice of university, application process and preparation

Unfortunately, my university in Germany only has one partner university in California and there was only room for one student from our university. It was always clear to me that I really wanted to do a semester abroad in Los Angeles. My father did his semester abroad in New York and told me as a child that it was the best time of my studies. I can only confirm this today. Check jibin123.com to see Semester Abroad In Vancouver Island University.

I was drawn to Los Angeles because I had been there a year earlier and had fallen madly in love with the city. I had already started looking for suitable universities myself, but I was really lost. However, a friend recommended MicroEdu to make the semester abroad a reality. So I got in touch with MicroEdu. I wrote about how I would like to go to LA and that my college also only recognizes AACSB accredited colleges for credit towards my courses. As a result, MicroEdu recommended California State University Fullerton to me. I looked at the university’s website and was immediately impressed. MicroEdu had all the application documents for mesent and all the questions I had were answered. I would like to give a special thank you to Ms. Heinz at MicroEdu for her incredible and ongoing help and support. There were no costs for me for advice and help, since MicroEdu is not paid for by the students but by the universities. Without the help of MicroEdu I would not have been able to organize my semester abroad, apply correctly and choose the right courses. Thank you MicroEdu for making this wonderful time possible.

Apartment Search

Various housing complexes were suggested to me in former experience reports from MicroEdu and in the documents from the university. Among them was the University Village. The description sounded very good. Above all, there was the possibility of having your own bathroom and the possibility of booking a meal twice a day, for five days a week. That was the right decision. The food is very good, there was a salad buffet every day and fresh fruit such as fresh pineapple, watermelon etc., of course meat such as chicken, beef and pork and vegetables. There were also freshly baked cookies, brownies and chocolate cake every day. It was super tasty, a time saver for me and also really cheap considering the food prices for healthy foods in the US. It was great to live there, not least because of the pool. I thought it was nice to have two roommates.

The first days and on-site support

After arriving in Los Angeles around midnight, I spent the first night in a hotel near the airport. The next day I picked up my pre-booked rental car and drove to Fullerton where I had an appointment with the facility manager to collect the keys to the furnished apartment. After moving into the beautiful and spacious apartment in a three-person shared flat, I went shopping to get groceries, drinks and everything else I needed. In the next few days I also got some decorations (from IKEA) to make the room even more comfortable. It is highly recommended to have a car at the beginning of the semester.In hindsight I can say that I should have rented or bought a car for the whole semester, because otherwise you are always dependent on others or you don’t get anywhere. Before the start of the semester, there are big information events at the university where you have to be there. I was lucky as I didn’t find it as difficult to get my selected courses as some of my fellow students. I previously had a learning agreement with my professors in Germanycompleted, which I can only recommend to each of you, and had 9 courses that could be attended. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a course that I originally wanted to take. In hindsight, I think the replacement course was probably even better for me. The office is available for questions and problems relating to the university. The staff is very nice and helpful.

University

The campus area is huge, very beautiful and well maintained. There are many different buildings. I personally liked the business building best. However, it is a bit negative that it takes almost half an hour to walk from the University Village to the business building. The route goes almost exclusively through the university campus, which gives an idea of ​​the size of the area. Of course, some residential complexes are also closer to the university buildings.

Studies and courses

I have taken courses in International Business and Management, Global Marketing, Strategic Internet Marketing and Motion Picture Production. With a lot of effort, I got good grades. However, I can say for myself that it is not true that studying in the USA would be much easier than here. It was a lot more work for me, because I had to hand in a term paper or write a test in almost every course, sometimes weekly. You write at least 3 major exams per course. What I actually found very positive is that you don’t just get to know the theory, but also goes far beyond theory in many courses and actually learns to apply it. This is particularly true of Strategic Internet Marketing. The lecturers are very friendly and more helpful than in Germany. Also guest speakers, for example from Disney in my Global Marketing course, brought us closer to the practical problems and their solutions, it was very interesting.

Leisure

There is a wide range of leisure activities at the university, which you should look through. There is so much to see and do in LA and the surrounding area that the time spent abroad will never be enough, unfortunately.

My absolute favorite place in LA at night is to be at the Griffith Observatory and see the beautiful city with all its lights twinkling. There are cheap tickets for Universal Studios, you should definitely have been there once. There are even annual tickets for around $75, so you can go there as often as you want, preferably during the week. We also recommend spending a long weekend in Las Vegas or San Diego, which can be reached within a few hours. Las Vegas is also not far from the Grand Canyon.

Another thing you should do in Los Angeles is go to a baseball game, movie premiere, concert, music festival or TV show. Seeing your idols live and catching a picture with them is nowhere easier. It was a great experience.

Conclusion

I would like to go back to Los Angeles immediately and do another semester abroad. It was a very nice time in California. The people there are very friendly and helpful and communicative.

I’ve found new friends, surpassed myself, experienced a lot, seen beautiful things and made wonderful memories. I can only recommend everyone to do a semester abroad. I would visit California State University Fullerton in Los Angeles again at any time and of course I would highly recommend it. The organization of my study abroad through MicroEdu was just perfect !