I spent my master’s semester abroad from September to December 2014 at the CSU East Bay. In advance I can say (like most of the other reviewers) that a semester abroad is definitely worth it, especially in California! Everyone has to decide for themselves whether the CSUEB is the right university for this.
It was clear to me from the start that I would like to spend a semester abroad during my Masters. Since I live in Münster myself and the MicroEDU office is only two streets away from my flat share, I went to an information event on the subject of “Semester abroad in the USA” organized by MicroEDU in January 2014. The advice from Kristin, Anja and Co. was really good, I was able to turn to them with any question and all of my documents. During the consultation, I was able to orientate myself directly on an overview list of which universities in the USA are suitable for me in the master’s business administration (for the bachelor’s there are (unfortunately) many more options). Since fellow students of mine have already been to the CSUEB or my home university recognizes many CSUEB courses and the fees are comparatively low,
It was important to coordinate my courses with my department in advance, so really pay attention to the specifications of your universities!
In July I had my embassy appointment, which I got in Berlin within two days. The interview lasted less than two minutes. In August I joined some Facebook groups on the subject of “Apartments CSUEB”. There I found my future roommate (also a German) within a week. Before that, I tried to find a room in an international / American flat share, but unfortunately I had to stay for a year, which I unfortunately couldn’t do with my three months / one quarter.
Accommodation – very happy with City View
My roommate and I relied on the positive experiences from other field reports and got in touch with the City View Apartments. We quickly rented a beautiful 1 bed / 1 bath apartment with a terrace. Communication went smoothly and we also felt that we were in good hands during our stay. It is important to know in advance that there are no furnished apartments in City View, furniture must be organized privately. We used Cort’s furniture rental service for this. This was not the cheapest, but a very stress-free option, as the new, beautiful furniture was delivered and set up the day before we moved in and picked up again on our last day by arrangement.
I found living in City View very practical, as the university was within walking distance. In addition, the facility has 3 pools, barbecue facilities, a fitness area, etc. We spontaneously extended our 3-month contract by 22 days, this was no problem from City View, we got the deposit back in full and we even received the rent that had already been paid also a part back.
Tip: If you move out and your home utensils have not been sold or have left over packaged food, there are some donation facilities in Hayward / San Francisco that are happy to receive any donation!
Beginning of the semester – In the end, you usually get the courses you want
As you can read in other experience reports, the class crashing phase is very nerve-wracking. Contrary to other information (waiting in front of the office from four o’clock at night to be far in front in the queue…) we decided to register for the courses by email, which went smoothly. I got the three courses I wanted without any problems (MGMT 7700 Global Supply Chain Management, 6215 Corporate Financial Management and FIN 7700 International Business Finance).
For information: the 7000 courses are business diploma courses that you can enroll in in advance. These are courses that are only taken by internationals. Plus, these courses are only $ 1000, so the cost is different from the standard fees.
The level was really not difficult, but time-consuming.
Excursions – explore as much as possible !!!
What I can only recommend is renting / buying a car. My roommate and I decided to rent a car on the ADAC website. As a member you get the cars cheaper and you don’t get any nasty surprises like with some American rentals, where some fees still come on top.
According to anycountyprivateschools, three months are hardly enough to explore the many beautiful corners of California. So my roommate and I used every weekend. The days over Thanksgiving are particularly good for a road trip on Highway 1 to LA: When the weather is nice, the most beautiful section is from Monterey (whale watching!) Via Carmel and Big Sur to San Luis Obispo.
A horse ride in Yosemite National Park is also recommended. A thousand other great destinations can be found in every travel guide.
I was also very enthusiastic about San Francisco, which can be reached by train, the “BART”, directly from Hayward (tip: buy the ClipperCard directly from Walgreens). You can see so much there, the city is simply beautiful. At night, Uber and Lyft, private taxi companies that are cheaper than normal taxis, are particularly useful.
Conclusion
I had three wonderful months! But you have to know how you imagine your semester in the USA. For me, San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the USA, but it is especially time-consuming to get there without a car / from City View. So it might be a consideration for you to look for accommodation in San Fran. The CSUEB itself is not a university with typical student life, there are too many foreign students and commuters there. The weather is not like in Southern California either, so rain / fog are also part of it. So if you want sun and partying with American students, you might be better off going to Hawaii / San Diego / Santa Barbara. However, who z. For example, if you have a limited selection of universities due to the requirements of your home university, the CSUEB is an excellent choice – you will not regret it.
