Organization
The organization of my semester abroad was due to the help and easy communication with MicroEDU a slight matter. MicroEDU was able to answer just about any question about the university abroad and provide me with additional information. This advice made the application process for the university abroad easy for me. In the course of the semester, I personally had no further inquiries, as I received very good help on site at the CSU Los Angeles. Nevertheless, I received some emails from MicroEDU, which, however, remained within the scope of normality.
Studies
During my stay, the on-site study showed both positive and negative sides. However, the positive experiences predominate. The campus is kept relatively compact compared to my home university in Hamburg. Nevertheless, the campus offers everything you need for a wonderful stay abroad. From enchanting palm trees and large green areas, a sports field with various sports fields and some dining options in the food court, as a student you have many different alternatives to have a nice everyday life. Also the different faculties or offices have always helped us students very well and were able to give us an answer to any problem, even apart from university topics. According to Abbreviation Finder, CSUL is the abbreviation of California State University Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
In addition to the university, there is also the city of Los Angeles. Downtown can be reached from the university in around 10 minutes by car. Of course, only if the well-known and very common “LA traffic” doesn’t get in the way. This point is by far the most negative point for studying downtown. Short stretches, which can normally be reached in around 10 minutes, can also take 30-40 minutes. This is a daily problem that you should definitely plan for while traveling. Not only the heavy local traffic, but also the resulting loudness at night is another negative aspect. In general, the traffic is very chaotic and takes getting used to. This statement is also reflected in public transport, which takes significantly longer than a car or Uber ride. If you don’t have your own car,
Nevertheless, the city of Los Angeles offers an enormous amount of leisure activities. Within the first few days, I quickly noticed that the city offers something new to explore every day. Be it from countless museums, entertainment or sports events or to various dining options. Los Angeles can never get boring. I especially liked the different dining options. Be it Mexican, Asian, Italian or American, Los Angeles offers just about every culinary cuisine.
A little tip: the restaurants (no chains) or food trucks, which were not so visually attractive from the outside, ultimately turned out to be the most delicious. The Mexican cuisine with tacos or burritos, which small families sold every day at the roadside in the evening at a really fair price, was of course unbeatable. In general, California State University is located in an urban area that is very much influenced by Latin American culture. So don’t be surprised if someone speaks to you in Spanish or if people mix the official language with Spanish. This statement is also reflected on campus, where the majority of students and employees are of Latin American origin. In general, it can be said that the city of Los Angeles is characterized by very different, if not populated by every imaginable culture in the world. For this reason, the different parts of the city are not at all comparable and each one is exciting and special for itself.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the semester abroad is one of the best experiences that you can do during your studies. It can enrich a person in many areas of life. Apart from the typical educational skills such as better language skills or new knowledge in the subject area at the end of the semester, everyday life in a new culture is anything but boring. Especially in a metropolis like Los Angeles you get to know many cultures in everyday life. Of course, at the beginning of the adventure you experience many ups and downs, as you make many unconscious comparisons to your own culture and experience some culture shocks. Yet it is precisely these experiences that are most valuable for my own life story. If you really want to have a lot of fun and tell a lot of stories after your return, then Los Angeles and California is exactly the right place for a semester abroad.
