
California State University Fullerton Student Review
Since a semester abroad was compulsory for my studies, I looked around for opportunities very early on. It was clear to me from the start that I would go to the USA and so I came across MicroEDU relatively quickly. However, since I was initially unsure of exactly where to go and what to watch out for, I attended a consultation from MicroEDU. Here I was informed about basic things that I would not have considered beforehand. After I made up my mind that I wanted to go to California, everything happened relatively quickly. It was clear to me that I wanted to spend a semester in the USA and not just a quarter, so the choice became narrower. Then when I decided to go to California State University, I was supported by MicroEDU in every way with applications or questions about visas, accommodation or anything else. Shortly afterwards I received the confirmation and I was able to apply for the visa and book the flight.
Cal State Fullerton
The university is about half an hour south of Los Angeles by car and Newport Beach is relatively easy to reach by car. The university has about 38,000 students. As for the internationality, I have to say that I got to know students from Korea, Sweden, France, Colombia and many other countries. However, the majority of the international students are from Korea. As for the university itself, according to the Dean of Marketing, it has the largest business school in California and is one of the 5 largest in the United States. Accordingly, there is also a huge range of different courses. Shortly after the confirmation that you have been accepted at the university, you will be sent a list in which you have to specify 10 subjects which you would like to take. That has the background that the International Office tries to take into account all the wishes of the guest students, since the American students can choose the courses online in advance. The choice was not difficult, since I had to take 4 courses, but I would have been interested in more than 10, I was relatively flexible. When the lectures started, I was one of the few who also received 4 of their courses from the list of 10. Other visiting students, on the other hand, had to go from course to course and ask the professors to allow them to attend the course. However, I am not aware of anyone who has had any problems. Since I had to take 4 courses but I would have been interested in more than 10, I was relatively flexible. When the lectures started, I was one of the few who also received 4 of their courses from the list of 10. Other visiting students, on the other hand, had to go from course to course and ask the professors to allow them to attend the course. However, I am not aware of anyone who has had any problems. Since I had to take 4 courses but I would have been interested in more than 10, I was relatively flexible. When the lectures started, I was one of the few who also received 4 of their courses from the list of 10. Other visiting students, on the other hand, had to go from course to course and ask the professors to allow them to attend the course. However, I am not aware of anyone who has had any problems. Find more review on California State University Fullerton on existingcountries.
I have taken the following 4 courses:
- ECON 332 – Economies of the Pacific Rim:
This course covers the economies of 10 Asian countries. I found this course very interesting because it wasn’t just about numbers, but also about cultural backgrounds and the history of states. The focus here, however, was on the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and how the nations developed afterwards. At first we had Prof. Xiao Feng, who had to give us back after the spring break because she was pregnant. Then we had Prof. Mead. I found both of them very pleasant as a professor, but it was a big change because they both had a different teaching method and approach. - MGMT 343 – Human Resource Management:
The subject itself was informative as it showed the great differences in labor law between the USA and Germany. However, this subject is of little use if you plan to work in Germany later. The subject was taught by Prof. Giesenhagen. Here I have to say, however, that it was more of a reading of the slides and you could save yourself the lecture if you read the book. However, there are points for attendance here, as she does unannounced group work which is included in the final grade. - MKTG 445 – International Marketing:
Since I have already taken some marketing courses in Germany, the first lectures were more of a repetition of the content learned in German for me. This subject is about opening up new markets, using global sourcing and the like. I can say about this subject that the level was on the low side and that you could keep up with it if you paid attention. The disadvantage of this course is that there is a quiz in almost every lecture, there are 3 exams, 3 briefings (short term papers) and 3 assignments have to be written. Accordingly, this course involves work, but it is easy to get a good grade. I myself did not find it necessary to read the book if you paid attention in the lecture. The course is held by Prof. Irene Lange. The professor is dean and quite old but is always available for questions and is pretty nice. It should be said here that it was difficult to achieve full marks in an exam, but you can improve your grade with small additional work. - MKTG 485 – Multicultural Marketing:
This lecture was about how to reach certain subcultures in the USA. 5 groups were discussed – African American, Latin American, Asian American, LGBT (gay customers), Aging American. This course was very interactive as we were divided into groups and had to give a presentation about the selected group. In addition, there were many guest lectures by CEOs from marketing agencies who are all specialists in their field for a certain subculture. The professor here was a German who tried very hard and also made sure that Germans did not work together in groups so that one could come into contact with the Americans. So I ended up in a group with a Pakistani, an Egyptian and a Panama who had all been living in the USA for years.
In principle, I can recommend all courses, but MGMT 343 only with reservations, which may also be due to the fact that I found the professor’s previous day rather bad and some in the course were of the opinion from time to time that they themselves did not know what they were talking about Took exams because she was sometimes unsure about the exams.
When choosing a course, however, I would recommend everyone to pay attention to the lecture times. I also used the semester abroad to travel a lot and for this reason I only chose courses that took place on Mondays and Wednesdays. Most courses are 2 days a week which means that if you choose a course on Tuesdays you will also have lectures on Thursdays. I was lucky enough to have lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and the rest of the week off. Although I only had a 15-minute break to change rooms, I found it pleasant and had a lot of free time.
Since I was only over there for a semester and I didn’t want to bother looking for an apartment and furnishing it, I decided beforehand to move to the “University Village”. Here you were accommodated with 3 people in the apartment and everyone had their own bedroom. From Monday to Friday you could eat twice a day. It was up to you whether you go in the morning and at noon or at noon and in the evening or how funny you are. The disadvantage here was that breakfast didn’t start until 10.30, so that if you had lectures you couldn’t attend it. Furthermore, the facility has the advantage that many Americans and internationals have lived there, so that you can quickly come into contact with other people. However, many of them left for the summer,
Leisure
There are many opportunities to do something in your free time, whether you want to go to the beach, Disneyland or the mall to stock up on clothes, which are pretty cheap there. Most things could be reached by bus from the University Village. Many have said beforehand that you need a car, but I got along quite well without it and then rented one when necessary. The only problem is when you want to shop and have a heavy purchase and have to carry it back. About 500 meters from the village is a target (supermarket) that has pretty much everything. If you want to do something in the region, you can buy discounted tickets for all kinds of events and amusement parks in the Titan Union (a building on campus).
Definitely worth seeing are San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon (can be connected to the Hoover Dam and Vegas) and the coast. I flew to San Francisco with a couple of guys during spring break, where we stayed for a couple of days before heading back along the coast. You can drive the route in less than a day, but I recommend planning at least 2 days, or even 3, as you often stop to take photos and enjoy the view. We also spent half a day at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, which is quite interesting if you are interested in the ocean.
San Diego can be reached in just over 2 hours by car and is ideal for a weekend trip. Here I can recommend a visit to the San Diego Zoo, which, unlike many Germans, can take the whole day.
Las Vegas can be reached in about 3.5 hours and you can also take a weekend trip here. If you want to stay in one of the better hotels, I can recommend driving during the week, as the hotels then cost less than half the price.
In conclusion, I can only say that the semester abroad was quite expensive, but it was worth every penny and I would do it again at any time and can only recommend it to everyone, as it is an experience of a lifetime. I am still in contact with some from California, Korea and Colombia and I am sometimes asked when I will be back or when I will come to visit them.