Application
In my opinion, the application process for the CSUMB was relatively easy. Thanks to the good documents from MicroEDU, I knew how to fill out the application form and what else to enclose. As with most universities in the USA, you have to enclose the TOEFL results. After I sent the application to the USA via MicroEDU, it took me a long time before I received a confirmation from the school and my l 20. You need this form to apply for a visa. I would therefore recommend that you gather all of your documents and apply as early as possible. This way you can buy yourself more time for the visa application.
Courses
My home university specified how many units I had to do at CSUMB this semester so that the semester would be credited to me. All courses offered per semester are listed on the school’s website. After you have been accepted by the university, you can enroll for it. I had some difficulties with this, as I still needed a so-called permission number for certain courses and some courses filled up very quickly. Therefore, from home I could only enroll for 12 units instead of the 15 units required for me. The university then offered the opportunity to change courses in the first two weeks. This was relatively easy and so I was finally able to attend four business courses that interested me and were accepted by my home university. Like many other international students, I also attended the Monterey Bay Adventure Sports course. Here we tried various sports in the area. This course is certainly highly recommended for people who like to be outside and want to see something of their surroundings.
Accommodation
According to iamaccepted, the CSUMB offers its students a variety of accommodation options that must be applied for online. As more students were accepted for the fall semester 2014 than ever before, there were some problems with the accommodation. For example, I first decided to live on the main campus. According to the description, there is no kitchen in the rooms for two or three people on the Main Campus, so you have to buy a meal plan as well. With the room on the main campus it didn’t work out due to lack of space and like many other international students I had to go to the East Campus. Then I didn’t hear from school and until I arrived at university I didn’t know where and with whom I would be living this semester.
Finally, I shared an apartment on the East Campus with three other international students. The East Campus is about 15 minutes by bike from the Main Campus. Bicycles can be rented at the university for a semester, or you can buy a cheap one. There are also buses that run relatively regularly from the East Campus to the Main Campus during class times and that can be used free of charge with a student ID.
The apartments consist of a single room, double room, kitchen, bathroom, living room, garage, laundry room and either a terrace or a balcony. The apartments are actually only for three people. It is important to mention that the apartments are not furnished except for the bare minimum: bed, desk with chair, kitchen table with chairs and a sofa. Things like bed linen, shower curtains, pots, cutlery etc. have to be bought for one semester.
Still, I was happy to live on the East Campus and not on the Main Campus. Although there are a lot of rules regarding guests, parties, etc. here too, you still had a certain amount of freedom.
Leisure
At the university there are very different clubs and associations that you can join. The university also has a swimming pool and a fitness center. The fitness equipment is not the newest, but you can actually find everything you need to train. On Friday I often took part in the university’s bike tours. These tours are organized by the university’s cycle center and you drive in a group to Fort Ord, which starts right next to the university campus. Another plus point for the university is its proximity to the beach. Fort Ord Dunes State Park and its beaches are 5-10 minutes away by bike.
There is a lot to see in the vicinity of the university. Monterey is a tranquil tourist town that is pretty, but apart from the aquarium, it doesn’t really have many sights to offer. On a free day you can take a trip to Carmel, Santa Cruz or the Big Sur. It should be mentioned here that you can get to all these places by bus and it is free for students. Unfortunately, the buses only run once an hour and it takes a relatively long time. For example, it takes almost an hour to get from the East Campus to Monterey by bus, although it is actually not far away.
Due to the relatively good location in California, you also have the opportunity to visit San Francisco, Los Angeles or a national park for several days.
