I started planning my semester abroad about a year in advance. I can highly recommend the support of College Contact. You get information about the required application documents, which are then checked by College Contact and then sent to the university. Due to the early application, the acceptance of the university was in my mailbox before Christmas. Then in the new year I booked my flight and took care of credit cards. I can recommend a Visa card from the DKB. This enables you to withdraw money from foreign ATMs free of charge. Even if the machine charges a fee, this will be refunded to the DKB after the receipt has been sent. To pay without a foreign transaction fee, I also had a Visa card from the Consors Bank, however, this also introduced the said fee in December. Regarding health insurance, it is mandatory to take out university health insurance for around $ 600. Despite the high costs, you are not even reimbursed for dental costs. That’s why I also took out insurance from Hanse Merkur for the entire time, which fortunately I didn’t have to use. In May I applied for my visa at the embassy in Munich. Furthermore, I have ten business administration courses from the university at my German university in advance. In the end, the only thing missing was the right accommodation – but more on that later. Furthermore, I have ten business administration courses from the university at my German university in advance. In the end, the only thing missing was the right accommodation – but more on that later. Furthermore, I have ten business administration courses from the university at my German university in advance. In the end, the only thing missing was the right accommodation – but more on that later.
Financing
According to EJIAXING, the CSUF tuition fees are currently $ 5622. Added to this is health insurance of around $ 600. The Hanse Merkur insurance struck at around 300 euros, but the ADAC has a cheaper version (but with fewer benefits). You should expect around 1000 euros for the flight and around $ 300 for the visa. For a living you should expect $ 1500- $ 2000 per month (if you do well but still plan a bigger trip every month).
In order to finance this, you should definitely submit the laborious BAföG abroad application. Even if you do not get a domestic BAföG, a grant can arise here, since the tuition fees are included in the calculation.
Living
I found my first room about 4 weeks before arrival via the Facebook group “CSUF Roommate needed database”. Roommates.com (paid) and craigslist.com are also helpful. The room was in a private house about a 15-minute walk to the university’s business building. (Cost: $ 650 warm). Unfortunately, while my room was fine, the common areas were old and filthy. The situation with my American roommates was becoming increasingly difficult. It can be said that I caught a messie household. I tried to come to terms with the dirt somehow, but at some point the situation became intolerable. It was becoming increasingly clear that my American roommates were not only messies, but also annoying (volume) and even scary (behavior). I could write a book about my time there. In November I moved into an apartment complex, which requires a 25-minute walk to the business building. Both the apartment and the outdoor area with a pool were very nice there.
All in all, you can be lucky or unlucky if you look for your room from Germany and don’t get to know the people personally in advance.
Studying
I really enjoyed my studies at CSUF. The campus with its almost 40,000 students is huge and always offers a change from everyday student life. For around $ 20 a month you can visit the very well-equipped gym with an outdoor pool. In addition to many fast food options, there is also an all-you-can-eat cafeteria. Before 11 a.m. you only have to pay around $ 7 dollars and you can eat until you leave the cafeteria.
Furthermore, the International Office organizes events such as a Halloween party throughout the semester.
For little money you can visit the events of the Arts Department, for example theater performances like “A Christmas Carol”.
Before I get to my courses, a little tip about class crashing, which was definitely the most nerve-wracking part of the course. Experience has shown that internationals at the CSUF do not get all four of the required courses in advance. Therefore, the lecture of the desired course must be attended, a signature must be requested from the professor and a stamp must then be collected from the department. But this often doesn’t work. If you absolutely need a course, write the professor an email before the lecture, or even better: visit him in the office and ask for a free place. My professors were always very nice and helpful; the relationship with them is much more personal than in Germany.
My courses
Principles of Marketing – Prof. Harry Anicich
This course teaches the basics of marketing. A book consisting of 400 pages is required for this. Prof. Anicich deals with the chapters in the lecture and tells funny and instructive stories from his professional life. There are four exams and a paper, which can be a maximum of 30 pages long, to be written. For the exams you should definitely read the approx. 100 pages of the book carefully. This is the only way to get a very good grade. Prof. Anicich is very nice and helpful, so this course is definitely recommended.
Consumer Behavior – Prof. Katrin Harich
Prof. Harich is one of the best professors I have ever met. She comes from Germany, but has been teaching at the CSUF for 25 years. The course consists of two exams, which are not easy, and a group presentation. However, Prof. Harich offers extra credit assignments. It is highly recommended that you edit them thoroughly. Depending on how the class is doing, these are very important and can significantly improve the grade. This means that with a lot of commitment it is possible to get a very good grade. If you are interested in this subject, you should definitely try to get a place in your course.
Entertainment Business – Prof. Harold Fraser
This course is also highly recommended. Prof. Fraser teaches in stages on the business aspects of various entertainment areas such as movies, music, sports or theme parks. The course consists of three exams, of which the second is the most difficult. With commitment, however, very good grades can also be achieved here. Furthermore, a six-page paper has to be written. Prof. Fraser was always extremely nice and helpful.
Professional Selling – Prof. Olga Di Franco
This course was not at the top of my wish-list, which was mainly due to the bad reviews of the professor at ratemyprofessor.com. Unfortunately, due to failed class crashing attempts, I had no choice. A very good grade can also be achieved here, but this course is generally not recommended at all. Prof. Di Franco was nice and helpful, but consistently unprepared and – you could almost say – unprofessional. The grading is not very transparent. Apart from a few basic knowledge of the CRM program SalesForce and some interesting guest speakers, I didn’t learn anything in this course.
All in all, I found the course by no means less time-consuming compared to Germany, but still a bit easier.
Life
In my opinion, Fullerton’s location is ideal for a semester abroad. Many famous beaches are not far by car, and neither is Anaheim, for example for a visit to Disneyland. Furthermore, it is only around 45 minutes to the airport. With this starting point, trips to San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon are a must. Anyone visiting the Grand Canyon should definitely plan another two hours’ drive and pay a visit to Antelope Canyon.
We used the Fall Break to fly to Texas and visit Dallas and Austin. I booked my flight as an open jaw and was able to spend a few days in Miami before I went home.
Fullerton itself has everything you need to live. Supermarkets and shopping centers are not far from the university. You can celebrate in downtown, but be careful: only passports or American ID documents are accepted. However, as an international you can also apply for a Californian identity card at the DMV (costs: approx. $ 30).
