Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Compare flights on online tools like Skyscanner to find the most affordable option. In my experience British Airways offers good value and only has one overlay in London. Lufthansa offers a direct flight from Munich but tends to be more expensive.

2. Accommodation

Off campus there are basically two options to choose from which are houses or private off campus dorms. Houses are harder to find, but you generally have more space and they tend to be quieter. Finding a house works best on Facebook with special groups where people offer rooms or entire entire houses. Make sure the house is not too far away from campus if you aren't planning on buying/renting a car. I stayed in a house near campus with other exchange student from WU which we found in a Facebook group. Off campus student dorms are easier to find and can be booked pretty early which allows you to secure a housing spot early on. The most prominent ones are 6nineteen, Rive and Fifty Twenty-Five. They mostly offer shared rooms and single rooms. For on campus housing you can apply through the university account before the start of the semester. The website of SDSU states that on campus housing is limited, but most exchange students I know have applied for it and also received a spot. Housing in the district College Area around SDSU is usually very safe also during nighttime. I have never felt in danger or scared while walking around also at night.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus of SDSU is very clean and has lots of shops like Trader Joe, restaurants, sports facilities and an outdoor swimming pool. University courses at SDSU focus more on weekly assignments during the semester instead of comprehensive final test. You will still have exams in courses but they tend to be smaller and easier compared to WU. In many cases you are also allowed to bring cheat sheets with hand written notes. As an exchange student you can basically choose courses from all bachelor degrees at SDSU. The university reccommends to make sure you meet the stated prerequisits of courses, but usually they are not checked by professors. Just make sure the courses are eligible as courses abroad at WU. There are also a number of sports classes to choose from which can be used as free electives at WU. I strongly reccommend taking the ENS 122 Surfing class, where you surf at Mission Beach every week.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transportation in San Diego is very bad as there is just three trolley lines and a slow bus system. I reccommend renting a car for your stay otherwise you will not be able to go around San Diego that much. In terms of safety it is one of the best cities in the USA. Of course there are certain places that can feel sketchy like some streets in Downtown at night, but the most popular places are very safe. I myself have never felt in danger anywhere in San Diego. There are lots of outdoors activities to do in San Diego like surfing, running, tennis, football, cycling and so on. The weather here is sunny and warm pretty much all year long which makes it perfect for such activites. The beaches are also very nice to chill and watch sunsets in the evening. Towards the weekend many parties happen around campus and Pacific Beach has some nice bars/clubs to go out.

6. Testimonial

For me personally the exchange was among of the best times I have had in my entire life. The city of San Diego is definitely one of the best places you can choose for an exchange. The city has perfect weather all year around, is very safe and sits in California where you can visit a lot of nice cities and national parks. The university campus is very clean, has lots of facilities and there is always something going on.