There have been quite a few reports about Cal State Fullerton. I will also tell you a little bit about my adventure and concentrate on a few things that I asked myself at the time, but which were not easily answered. But let’s start from the beginning.
Preparation
I started researching this around December and got loads of information and answers from MicroEDU. Thanks again for that! It was clear to me that I wanted to go to California, and I would also like to be relatively central, so that I can reach all places in a few hours. Due to the relatively low tuition fees, the location and the offer, I decided on the CSUF relatively quickly and filled out the application documents. I still needed a DAAD certificate for this, which I got issued free of charge by our university (well, it’s worth asking, TOEFL & Co. often cost more than 100 €). After about four weeks the acceptance came and the California Dream slowly became a reality. In terms of visa, I can recommend, like everyone else, to inquire in good time, but that is also in the advice from MicroEDU. Read more student reviews on Jibin123.
What interested me at the time was above all the financing, do I get BAföG and if so, how much? I always got a wide variety of answers to this question and didn’t really know what was going on, so here is my answer to such questions: If you get BAföG in Germany, the foreign BAföG will not be a problem either. I got around € 360 a month. But the more interesting thing is: As soon as you get even a single euro, you will be supported with € 4,600 in tuition fees! These 4,600 are NOT included in the € 360! This means that you get a monthly amount (which already includes the € 1,000 flat-rate flight fee) and then you have to send various receipts to the office on site and then you get the € 4,600 and an insurance surcharge. So you can say that the BAföG office supports you the whole adventure with a good 7,000 €! That’s a nice thing!
In terms of preparation, the BAföG and the visa were actually the two big points, so we could start.
Flight and arrival
So I packed my things and ended up at LAX from Düsseldorf via Atlanta. Once there, I met two colleagues with whom I had previously connected via Facebook. We rented a car at the counter and then drove to the hostel first. (If you have to, book a room in good time!)
The next few days were then mainly used for all organizations.
Apartment search
As you know, there are many ways to live there. We had already discussed renting an apartment with four people. However, in Germany it is almost impossible to make something clear beforehand. So don’t worry, everything is much easier on site.
So we rented the Homestead Apartments. In the end we were 5 people and each shared a room. The housing prices in OC are amazing, let me tell you that! You have to expect AT LEAST 500 € rent and then you usually do not have your own room and meals are not included. But 500 is the absolute minimum!
The homesteads themselves are generally fine. The apartments look a bit cheap and they would certainly not survive an earthquake, but you can endure it there for six months. The advantage was also close to the university, 5 minutes by bike. Also right across from the Target and not far from Brian’s Bar.
Speaking of bicycles: At Wal-Mart (and pretty much all stores in the USA) you have an incredibly accommodating right of return, sometimes 90 days! Most of them don’t care how “used” the goods look… a rascal who thinks badly!: D
Courses
I was one of those guys who crashed all four courses. And that actually worked out well for everyone. I think a lot has been said about the courses themselves. I would also give the tip to either look at books to see whether you can get an e-book or whether borrowing from Amazon might also bring something. Books are very expensive there.
Automobile
A must-have, no question about it! I think this is a question of money and willingness to take risks, but this is:
If you rent a car: Congratulations, financially you are probably doing very well: D But you have the security on your side.
If you buy a car: be careful. Don’t be blinded by swanky carts, don’t buy an A6 just because it’s cheap – there is often a reason for that! Look around for Toyota and Co. and if it is possible, do a check at a workshop beforehand or take someone with who actually knows about it!
Travel and leisure
Time goes by so incredibly quickly! Sometimes the moment comes when you think “Oh, I’ll do that another time, there’s still enough time…” No! Do it right now! The best thing to do is to tear down the larger plans right before the semester, on the one hand you will still be warm everywhere (in the case of the semester) and on the other hand you will not have any university worries. Because you won’t have little to do during the semester! So use the time and take as much with you as you can get!
Conclusion
Fullerton is nice. The university is great. California is a dream! I could imagine a life there without hesitation. The beaches alone are amazing. Fullerton is not in itself the huge metropolis, but that doesn’t matter! I will definitely come back to CA whether it’s vacation, internship or something else. California remains a second home for me!
