University: California State University Fullerton
City: Fullerton
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
I completed my semester abroad at California State University in the winter semester of 2009. Overall, I am very happy to have studied there and can recommend everyone to have this experience. Check existingcountries.com to see California State University Fullerton Review 2.
Contact College made the application process a lot easier. The agency team was able to answer all of my questions, including less intelligent ones, especially when preparing for my stay. I was even able to apply for the visa in Vienna. Which was really useful because I’m studying in Austria. The processing procedure didn’t take longer than a few days.
The start of the university was a bit confusing, because despite the application you are not actually enrolled in the courses. In addition, some courses were canceled due to the financial situation. I was lucky and got all my courses. Others don’t. This is certainly a factor to consider if you want to study there. Because there is no guarantee that you will actually be able to take a certain course. In order to be de facto enrolled, a signature from the faculty and the lecturer is required. This means that you introduce yourself to the lecturers. In general, I think the faculty-student relationship is a big part of the experience. In my opinion, this relationship is more distant in Germany and Austria. In the USA it is part of the process to seek contact with the lecturer and there it can also happen that you are sitting in the lecturer’s office because of homework and he suddenly shows you photos of his wife and sons. The International Office was obviously trying to cope with the influx of dissatisfied students, but in some cases they could not do much.
As far as the workload is concerned, I have to say that I also get homework at my university and was not reminded of our school days like others. Many lecturers write small exams (so-called quizzes) on a weekly basis, others do not. Nevertheless, you have the time to write a bachelor thesis, go to parties, go shopping and/or explore California.
Of course, studying in the USA costs more than it does here. However, compared to other universities in the USA, the CSUF is rather cheap. But the university also offers something for that. Compared to our colleges, you’ll find a campus that resembles a small town with a gym, Starbucks, football stadium, palm trees and much more. Unfortunately, you have to pay an extra $25 for the gym. But that is quite profitable, because you will find a super modern center there. The library is also very well equipped and has extremely good databases.
In terms of insurance, there were minor hurdles to overcome. In the end, I had to take out insurance from the university because my insurance company in Germany could not or would not sign the ready-made forms from the university.
I lived in University Village. This “dormitory” cannot be compared with the dormitories that we know of. There are individual residential units, ranging from deluxe single apartments to 4-person apartments, a cafeteria and a pool. You can rent a bike there, which makes getting around the campus a lot easier. The food there is not typically American, but rather Mexican, and students are offered two meals a day, Monday through Friday. However, you also have the opportunity to cook in your own kitchen. You meet a large number of international students there – mainly Germans this semester. But there are also many Americans living there, most of whom are first-year students and are experiencing their first “living-alone-away-from-parents” in the UV.
Somewhat uncomfortable or overpriced are the costs that you have to pay to move in earlier. Nevertheless, I personally think that the so-called University Village is the ideal place to live to get to know so many different people and their cultures.
Fullerton is located in Greater LA, in Orange County near New Port and Laguna. The location is actually ideal for exploring California. Because you attend about 4 lectures on average and can arrange your timetable relatively freely, you have enough time to travel further afield. For example, we went to San Francisco and Las Vegas. But there is also a lot to see in the immediate vicinity. However, you need a car, which you can also rent if necessary, in order to be able to really move around in California. You can use the bus system there for free with your student ID, but the bus system doesn’t work really well.
All in all, I think that the people you meet there make this semester a unique experience.
Conclusion:
CSUF is the largest state university in California and, with its size and facilities, offers its students an unparalleled degree: I would: do it again and again.
