CSULB Reviews (9)

Application

I started planning a year before my semester abroad. I found out about your website through my own internet research and got in touch with the team straight away. Emails would be replied to me very quickly at any time and I always had the feeling that they went out of their way to be completely satisfied. Without your website, the entire application process would have been very, very time-consuming and I am glad that the entire service is provided free of charge.

Visa

I drove a very long way to Berlin for my visa. It is stressful to take care of all the documents. You can find out which documents are important via the homepage of the American embassy or through your website. In my case, however, it turned out that I didn’t need everything. But in any case it is safe, because if something should be missing, then the nice lady on site can go straight to the ceiling. And nobody likes to be bitched in front of everyone. But if you have everything, then it is no problem to get a visa.

Apartment hunting in Long Beach

Unfortunately, I can’t write that much about looking for an apartment. I already had contact from Germany to a German student who arrived in Long Beach 14 days before me.
It then happened that I moved into the house in which he only wanted to live for the transition period. In the end we had a really great house for 5 Germans (3 boys, 2 girls). Living together with Germans is of course not particularly beneficial for the language, but when it comes to fun, we didn’t lack anything.
Price information: I paid $ 500 for half a room. The other rooms cost us $ 700 (2 rooms, 1 bathroom) and $ 800 (private bathroom). This gives you a small overview of the costs of living.

Studying in Long Beach

California State University Long Beach is a super beautiful university with lots of green spaces and a very wide range of courses. The ALI (American Language Institute) is responsible for all international students on site. Satoko’s team will take care of you with full commitment. In often very desperate situations, they were always there to help.
For all students who wanted to take courses in the business area, the first 3 weeks were just pure stress. We had to beg for every course we wanted, but often the professors couldn’t do anything because the courses were packed to the brim before we even arrived. And there were also waiting lists with the names of American students who were no longer able to take part in these courses. In the end, the university didn’t even know that we existed as “Open University” students.

I have to say, however, that this was not your website’s mistake. There was such a strong, unpredictable rush for business courses in our semester. I took a course in engineering that I got into without any problems. Check liuxers to see more reviews from current students.

The effort required for his courses is much more than in Germany. Something is asked almost every week. Homework, projects, exams, quizzes, etc.! But you get used to it and the required readings are nowhere near as demanding! Above all, there is still time to enjoy his free time in Long Beach.

If you have lectures in different institutions, you can expect a lot of walking because, as I said, the campus is huge. There are of course plenty of places to eat on campus. But since I only lived 2 blocks from the university, I drove home straight away after the lectures.

Free time in Long Beach

I was in Long Beach 8 days before Orientation Week and I can only recommend it to everyone. The time before university was really great. We did something every day (LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Malibu, beach and shopping). During my stay abroad, I was also in Las Vegas twice, which of course has to be experienced. Plus in Six Flags, San Diego, at the Lakers, LA Galaxy, Anaheim Ducks and especially over New Year’s Eve in San Francisco. Drive 100% to San Francisco. That was my absolute highlight. Be sure to visit Alcatraz and do the audio tour, which is also available in German.

In addition, the ALI employee Chris offers surf courses every weekend. Take this chance.

Cost / food

It’s horrifying how expensive normal food is in America. And the selection isn’t exactly great either. There is hardly any decent cheese, and when it does, it costs $ 6. I only found ham or salami cheaply in one shop. So if you like to cook yourself, your costs are correspondingly high. Living healthy costs in America. Fast food and cola are of course totally cheap.
In my opinion, the costs for a meal in a restaurant are comparable to those in Germany, but of course the service is a lot better. Soft drink refill is a great thing. However, you shouldn’t forget the tip.

Conclusion

I can recommend everyone to spend a semester abroad in Long Beach. Great weather, great location, great university. I got to know a lot of people and I definitely developed further as a person. My relationship at that time broke up, but in return I got to know and love someone new!

Physics & Astronomy - California State University, Long Beach