San Diego State University
Iselin Kjelsaas
Exchange semester:
Spring, 2008
1. ACADEMIC INFORMATION
General Information about the School
San Diego State University was founded in 1897 and is the largest and oldest university in the
San Diego area. It is part of the California State University system. It is located in the south of
California, close to Mexico.
SDSU has around 35,000 students from all over the world, but mostly California. The school
is more typically an undergraduate institution with around 30,000 undergraduate and 5,000
graduate students.
The university offers several academic programs; 85 bachelor level degrees and 75 master
level degrees. Some specialty areas offered are marketing, strategy, international business,
economics, finance and more, depending on program.
The Teaching situation
All courses were taught in English and did not cause particular problems. Compared to BI, I
found some of the courses easier. However, as they are taught in English and demand
studying throughout the whole semester, they are academically challenging. The workload is
heavier than BI but it won’t stop you from exploring San Diego and have a great semester.
The courses are more practical than at BI, with more cases and practical problems to solve.
The professors expect you to contribute in class and I had to work in groups in several of my
classes. The professors and students are friendly and easy to talk to. As I rarely had courses
with the same students and courses without small breaks, it is harder to get to know your
classmates than at BI. People are still open-minded, laid-back and eager to get to know
foreigners.
Required Literature
The literature is in English and the level is good. You may use the curriculum for getting a
broad overview or for detailed knowledge. The exams were based both on literature and
lectures.
Exams
Exams vary, from finals, mid-terms, hand-ins and presentations to in-class evaluation. Not
much was required to pass the exams, but you need to have an overview of the most
important in each course, pass the mid-terms and deliver a certain percentage of homework.
Also notice that many of the professors will mark your grade up or down depending on your
attendance and participation.
Other
The library is large and well equipped with literature, computers and assistants. Internet
connection is not good throughout the whole campus, but work on certain areas like quiet
study. Access to library and computers is easy and the library is open during most of the
day/night.
IT is used in class through powerpoint presentations. In my English class I had to use a
“clicker”, a tool to use in interactive multiple choice quizzes.
Description of Courses
ACCTG 202 Managerial Accounting Fundamentals
Written exams, homework evaluations.
COMM 103 Oral Communication
Interactive multiple choice quizzes, speeches, in class activity, assignments, mid-term and a
final
ENS 146 Surfing(Extra course, not approved as part of my Bachelor degree)
Two small tests, in-water tests.
FIN 323 Fundamentals of Finance
Three written exams, no multiple choice.
IDS 302 Introduction to Operations Management
Group work (case), multiple choice quizzes and mid-term and final
MGT 352 Human Resource Management
In-class activity, four mid-terms, but the one with the lowest score will be eliminated.
Prerequisites were basic mathematic courses and organizational theory or similar.
2. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON THE SCHOOL AND THE EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE
Information before you left
The information package was received around mid-December. You should make sure you
have housing quite early as this will fill up. International Office will help you with this, contact
Sarah Clinton.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
Start early with the Visa process, it is time-consuming and several forms to fill out. Bring warm
clothes when waiting outside the embassy. Visa fee and SEVIS fee around 100 dollars each. I
advice you to order tickets as soon as possible, as this will be cheaper. I ordered through
Kilroy.
Academic Calendar
Arrived January 15th, introduction started four days later.
The examination period was continuous, finals held the last week of school.
The school had several events, make sure to check them out, www.sdsu.edu.
Reception
The reception was good and welcoming. Got introduced to the contact persons, met all the
exchange students and got an overview and tour on campus. Everyone was well prepared for
our arrival and present exchange students at SDSU were committed and enthusiastic
participants in the International Relations program.
Housing
SDSU has some on-campus housing options. The housing process was time consuming but
easy to get a place to live through their channels and contact persons. You had to do the
research yourself; they provided me with Internet links. I lived on campus in a dorm, sharing a
room with one other girl. For undergraduate students, I advise to choose a dorm on campus,
as this makes it easier to get to know people, especially Americans. I lived in University
Towers. It was quite expensive, but included a meal plan, meaning I got a particular amount
of money to spend on food on-campus each day. The food isn’t that good, and you are not
allowed to cook your own in the dorms.
Costs
My biggest expenses regarded housing, books and food, as well as traveling. Books were
expensive, some cost up to 150 dollars. You are able to sell the books after the semester; I
sold all my books, except one, for a little more than 200 dollars. Food is relatively cheap
compared to Norway, but imported food like rye bread [wasa knekkebrød] were quite
expensive.
The International Office
There is a nice International Office at school, with full-time staff as well as part time students
ready to help you. We received all relevant information by mail, e-mail etc. I also made some
good friends through the international office.
Social Activities
Americans are in general easy to get in touch with and show a willingness to get to know
foreign students. It is harder to get to know people in class than through other channels or
activities. There are several social activities arranged, amongst others “local food” each
Friday, where students serve food from their home country. Exchange students are
particularly easy to get in touch with, but I advise you to try to get friends from the area to get
the most of your exchange stay. They can show you the area, what they normally do etc.
There was one main party for the exchange students in the beginning of the semester, and
several other parties arranged around school. I had no problems getting friends and get in
touch with people and absolutely loved my stay!
There are also several sororities and fraternities at school. I would not advise you to join one,
especially not if you are only staying one semester.
Culture and Language
I didn’t experience any particular language problems. You will need to learn a new vocabulary
in courses like finance if you are not used to these terms in English. The culture is marked by
the closeness to Mexico, and there is a lot of Mexicans and Mexican inspired food etc.
Therefore, many people in the San Diego area also speak Spanish. Easy to travel by train, air
or car to other states, I recommend a road trip around the Californian coast, to San Francisco,
Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Public transportation was sufficient, but not as developed
as in Norway.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
The exchange stay has definitely opened my horizon and given me valuable inputs. I find it
easier to get to know people and to being more open to other cultures and views. I have
gained several friends from all over the world that I will definitely visit later. I also believe this
exchange stay will increase my career possibilities as insight in both Norwegian and other
cultures are considered valuable.
Any other experiences:
Buy an American sim card (and/ or phone) as soon as possible. Bank accounts seem easy to
set up, but for my stay of 5 months I didn’t have the need for an American one. Go surfing
and get to know as many people as you can, they are not scared of strangers that talk to
them. Go to see the Zoo and Sea World.
Please contact me if you have further questions or want to talk to me
E-mail: Iselin.kjelsaas@gmail.com