I remember the anticipation as I sat crossed legged on my bed, scrolling down the page to see where I was placed. I let out a squeal of excitement when I saw my name next to California state University San Marcos (CSUSM).
CSUSM is a relatively small public university, home to around 15,000 students. Located in the suburban north San Diego county, it is not the stereotypical “college town” you might imagine, but provides many of the amenities of city living whilst being only minutes from the beach. The campus is vibrant, surrounded by the rolling hills of San Marcos and home to some of my favourite people. Here are a few tips on studying abroad at CSUSM.
- If you can, do a class with Karen Eso (I would highly recommend Human sexuality, PSYC 352). She is a fabulously spirited and intelligent woman with enough wit to make all her classes feel more like I was watching stand up.
- Apply for accommodation early. I stupidly left this to the very last minute and almost ended up homeless.
- The Quad. I ended up staying on-campus at the Quad and I loved it. It was extremely easy to meet people there and it’s proximity to the university made those 7 a.m. classes slightly more bearable.
- The pool at the Quad is a catfish. It is so much smaller than it looks in the pictures. The UVA wins in that respect.
- Reach out before you arrive. This may not be necessary if there’s more than one of you from your university attending, but if you’re travelling solo like I was, I would recommend speaking to some people pre-departure. For example, before we set off, all international students were sent a welcome email. A ballsy girl from Manchester (who is now one of my closest friends) reached out to me over email and we got chatting. We then decided to book the same flight out to California which made the whole experience so much less daunting. After spending 15 hours straight with someone you’ve just met, you will either love them or hate them…
- Befriend the other internationals. There will be a community of international students that are all experiencing life in a foreign country for the first time. Befriend them. They are likely to be extremely up for adventures that your American friends have done 100 times before, and it’s always nice to have people around that are going through the same things as you are.
- Cuppa juice. Located just a 5…10 min walk away from the university, is a healthy food and juice bar that sells the best acai bowls.
- Prepare your travel from LAX to San Marcos in advance. Hannah and I failed to do so which resulted in a painful 350 $ cab ride.
- Wings Wednesdays at Churchill’s. Thank me later.
- Players is one of the only bars within walking distance. Pint night on a Tuesday is a laugh.
- SPRAAANG break. Use this as an opportunity to live out your teenage spring break fantasies. We went to Mexico (Rosarito and Cancun) and I would be lying if I said I could remember the whole trip.
- San Marcos is really what you make of it. So be sure to explore your surroundings:
- Carlsbad and Encinitas are two charming nearby coastal cities;
- Oceanside beach is only a quick sprinter ride away;
- San Diego is only a 30 minute drive, or you can get there by bus;
- Yosemite park is under an hour away;
- Mexico is about an hour away
- Los Angeles is under 2 hours away.
- For tips for studying in the states in general Click here.
- If you’re unsure about studying abroad, this is your sign to just do it. At the risk of sounding cheesy, I have to say this was the best year of my life, in part thanks to CSUSM.
