Hello,
my name is Marlen and I had the great experience of studying at CSUEB in spring 2009.
In my report, I only want to address the things that were completely new to me and that would have helped me know about them beforehand.
BEARD
The Bart is a public means of transport on rails 😉 Drives almost around the entire bay and in 40 minutes you drive from Hayward (BART Station) to SF Downtown (Powell Station).
The last BART leaves SFO Airport to Hayward at around 12:30 p.m. and costs around 7 dollars to Hayward. Can also be paid for by credit card. However, you have to change trains. The timetables are posted and are similar to those on our underground and suburban trains.
It is best to familiarize yourself with the timetables beforehand. Googlemap gives you detailed information on how to get to Hayward at what time and with which public transport (and of course also back). It is best to inform in advance. The journey takes about one and a half hours with a change.
Taxis are available in Hayward until the last BART arrives. The taxi drivers are waiting for you 😉 Costs 10 dollars.
You can also take the # 92 CSUEB bus directly to the I-House. The bus drivers also know. With a student card you can use this line for free!
The staff really only consists of Asians. But they are super nice, especially if you are cooperative about the rules. At first it felt a bit oppressive, especially since I stayed carefree for two days in a hostel in SF (USA hostel in PostStreet, highly recommended!) Suddenly so many rules! But it wasn’t so bad.
You can stay there for free two days before the orientation. The advantage is, if you arrive a little earlier, that you can choose the bed in your room (if your roommate is not there yet).
I recommend for students who are staying two semesters to reside one quarter in the I-House and the other quarter to decide whether they would rather move to the American dormitories, the Pioneer Heights (PH). These are directly connected to the I-House. So locally everything is next to each other.
- Find reviews for more studying abroad programs on existingcountries.
Advantage of I-House:
- Fun trips free of charge (for PH residents only if there are seats on the bus)
- mealplan included (Ü + mealplans 2500 $) (as of: Spring 2009)
- Contact person / staff always on hand
- four washing points (2 toilets)… never a problem for me due to different lecture times
- Study rooms (2 per floor)
Disadvantage:
- only double rooms (PH single rooms possible, cost more)
- max. 8 apartment mates (gender separated)
- hardly any cooking facilities (PH with kitchen, buy meal plan in addition, groceries in the USA are very expensive)
- Cleanliness (my apartment was one of the cleanest, I guess I was lucky)
- A maximum of 12 people (including roommates) are allowed in one apartment
- Volume (Asians can be loud and they don’t seem to know how to close doors softly)
Party I-House
- As I said, actually 12 people max. on one app. (we never followed it)
- During the week partying is not at all welcome, because many have to learn
- Woe tolerated until 1 a.m., afterwards the music is best turned off and spoken softly (tip: if there is a knock, look through the spy before opening the door and hiding some guests in the rooms, staff are not allowed into the rooms)
- The University Police came once, but they were super nice and peacefully broke up the meeting (we moved the location to an apartment in the PH)
Party Pioneer Heights
- RA’s (supervisors in PH) only tolerate a certain volume and under no circumstances students under 21! To be honest: as a U21 you can almost completely forget about the party in Cal! Always be on your guard and just don’t get caught (at least when it comes to alcohol).
- Always have ID with you, otherwise you can go home straight away
- if there are too many people (estimated at 20 or more, depending on the volume) they will blow up the party
The partying was more of a cramp on the university grounds. And NEVER alcohol in public! Max. In the cup, so that it could also be apple spritzer and you could throw it away. California Law is not without it!
Health Center on campus
I can only say use it (even if you don’t necessarily need it) !! I came up with it too late! 100 headache pills for a ridiculous $ 2.50, the pill for the girls for free (!! Have a prescription at the beginning and at the end to fully exhaust it) and also Aidstest and Co! Girls only have to register for the Family Pact Providers. Is a good thing that Arnold Schwarzenegger set up for all students in California and is valid for one year as long as you are at a university.
Massage for everyone costs $ 15/30 min. And is really recommendable!
During the orientation a tuberculosis test will be done with you. Doesn’t help if you already have it in Dtl. let them do it, they don’t count. It is important that you have not had yourself vaccinated at least 4 weeks before, then you have to wait and do it later. He’s knocked out with two or three Germans. But has nothing to say yet. An x-ray ($ 20) will be done to hopefully rule out the possibility that you have tuberculosis. You can see fees for x-ray in Dtl. get reimbursed. Keep bills!
