Overview
1. Why CSUEB?
2. How was the study?
3. How was life on campus?
4. Studying, campus life – is that all?
1. Why CSUEB?
There are two good reasons for this:
Because the Bay Area and California as a whole trigger such a great fascination when viewed from a distance that it can almost be described as a myth. So why not live and study there and experience everything for yourself? When do you have the chance again?
Because the CSUEB is one of the few “affordable” universities in the USA!
For the first two weeks, studying meant: class crashing! In other words, you have attended all of the courses that are personally eligible for you and you enter yourself on the attendance lists and hope that as many American students as possible will de-register from these courses so that there is still space for yourself! Because it is by no means a matter of course that such a place will become free, you should definitely not be too fixed, but consider all courses that you can somehow introduce at your home university. As a master’s student, it was particularly difficult for me, because at my home university I was only able to offer courses in the 4th Bachelor’s year (4000 courses) and graduate courses (5000-7000 courses). And since the CSUEB had very high standards for admission to the graduate courses (“Same conditions as for Americans”, ie GMAT and other (unattainable) prerequisites) only the 4000 courses remained for me. In the end, I attended seven different courses in the first two weeks, in four there were still places available at the end and I registered for ACC4911 Ethics, Regulation, and Financial Statement Fraud, FIN4375 International Business Finance and MGMT4500 Business Government, and Society.
I can recommend the courses for a variety of reasons: All courses were designed to be interesting, the lecturers were very good. According to act-test-centers, Prof. Paul’s MGMT4500 should be emphasized, who managed to not teach business ethics head-on, but interactive and lively, with many anecdotes! The performance review in all subjects did not just consist of a (hammer) exam at the end of the semester, but was spread over several pillars: In ACC4911 three multiple-choice exams had to be written, homework counted around 15% of the overall grade, in FIN4375 they counted best three out of four (easy) exams and a project work and in MGMT4500 there was a mid-term case, a final paper, a group work with a presentation and a few homework. So whoever has more talents than just being able to learn by heart, your skills are better reflected in your grades than at many German universities! Overall, I spent more hours on a course than in Germany, but the workload is evenly distributed over the entire semester, which I found very pleasant! JIn addition, you had an assignment almost every two days that you could celebrate with the other students
Conclusion: Those who are not too picky about their courses have no problem with class crashing! That is why it is best to be a Bachelor student if you choose the CSUEB! If you still have problems, you can also contact the student council! They can sort out almost everything and in the end you have a place in what is actually a full course. Of course I hope that the CSUEB will reconsider this practice! But when you have your courses, studying is fun!
Oh yes: And don’t buy books too hastily, especially not on campus! You can find the cheapest offers on the Internet and if you urgently need a book, there is a cheaper bookstore in a small row of shops above the campus, where there is also a subway!
3. How was life on campus?
I lived in the I-House and can only recommend everyone to do the same! This is the only way you can take part in the countless spontaneous parties, spontaneously meet friends for a coffee or go to the sport (tennis and the brand new, insanely large fitness center are recommended!) And you avoid taxi rides at a late hour.
The I-House is very spartan, you not only need your own duvet covers, but also blankets and pillows and also cutlery, plates and glasses you have to get yourself! The I-House really only has a microwave and a refrigerator! So I only had a couple of cornflakes and a couple of emergency cans of chicken soup (to keep me hungry at night) in my apartment and was usually in the Dining Commons. As long as there was still something new to discover there, one enjoyed eating. But over time, over-fried meat, crumple white bread, permanently fried food and the long queues at the only food stand where there was “reasonable” could take away the pleasure of eating. That’s why I recommend everyone
And that’s my only criticism of the fees for accommodation & food: I-House spartan, food in the DC is very average, BUT YOU LIVE ON THE CAMPUS! And that’s worth a lot!
Tip: If you can cook, you should just get some American friends who live on campus (in less Spartan apartments) and conjure up something delicious for them on their stove! You will never have eaten anything delicious, you create an impression, you get full yourself and this creates a perfect win-win situation!
4. Studying, campus life – is that all?
No! San Francisco (insider tip: explore by bike and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, see well-known (European) bands in small clubs), NBA and NFL games, college football in Stanford and Berkeley, the Silicon Valley (look Check out the Google Campus at lunchtime or drop by Tesla), Half-Moon-Bay, Highway No. 1, Santa Cruz (on my birthday we rented a beach house right by the sea, almost without neighbors, with grill & fireplace), the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz (definitely go to the Giant Dipper !!!), Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles (Disney Music Hall, Hollywood), San Diego, countless outlet malls (I liked Camarillo best), Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park, Del Mar (coastal town near San Diego), Redwood National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Helicopter tours, parachute jumps and countless delicious sushi restaurants are worth more than just a trip! So arrive earlier and leave later, skip a lecture and go on road trips!
