Life in San Diego

It has been just over 3 months since I departed into San Diego for exchange. College life here is absolutely amazing, with SDSU being the best choice I could have ever made.

Regarding academic life, it is very different with more frequent assessments scattered around the semester with low weightings. This avoids the whole final exam having so much pressure, which I absolutely love. I am studying primarily entrepreneurship-based subjects which I have enjoyed. Many professors have their own approach and doing multiple subjects like this has led me to develop a diverse perspective on being an entrepreneur. The facilities are nice at SDSU, old architecture with a modern interior twist. Classrooms are exactly like the movies, especially with the chairs connected to the desk.

Amazing sports facilities especially with nearly 6 turf fields, a football stadium and basketball stadium. Teaching varies between subjects but recurring themes I picked up on that are different from UTS is that it is very much discussion-based classes. The whole class consists of discussions with the professor for most of the time. Professors want you to talk and discuss with them rather than spoon feeding you content. I am so glad that my classes do not have the lecture and tutorial format, instead one class that combines both. 

Life in San Diego is amazing. I live just 10 minutes away from campus, a shuttle bus away, so it is still convenient. My routine is very different from Australia as living with other college students leads you to go out and explore whenever you have free time. The arrival program at SDSU was done very well with a big seminar teaching us everything and a bowling session to meet other exchange students. This was a great opportunity, where I met a lot of my friends.

The most surprising thing I found was that San Diego was not as warm as I thought it would be, but that could be because I came in during one of the coldest periods they have ever experienced. Also, I found it very interesting how much pride Americans take in their identity. Everywhere you go people have hoodies of their university, favourite sports team, club team and much more. They love having a sense of identity and they are very proud of it. What I enjoy the most is spending weekends either partying or traveling America.

Tips for future students would include:

• Pack very light, buy more apparel over here like SDSU merch or just clothing as it is cheaper.
• Avoid skipping classes, as once you start it become a habit.
• Still maintain some routine in your life. For example maybe on a Sunday do a general house clean up and sort out your week.

Nikhil Gokul
Bachelor of Business
San Diego State University
United States of America

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal