SDSU as international student

Hi there! I’ll be attending SDSU in august ‘22 for a semester and i have a few questions about it.

:blush: the first and most important one: what’s the best way to blend in with the national students? I hear a lot of people who say that international students connect mostly with eachother but i would really love to connect with the national students because I want to learn the American culture and people. :us:

Second: I’m 23 when I arrive. Is this too old to make friendships and have fun with other students or are there more people my age?

Third: im already so excited! What are great things to do and see in SD?

Last one : What is a good non-profit hospital in the campus surrounding? I need a IV every 8 weeks and I have no clue about hospitals in the USA/ SD

Sorry for the many questions and for my english (Lets hope it improves once i’m at SDSU) but i really hope you can help me out! :blush:

I will address your last question first. As an International student on a VISA, you are required to purchase health insurance (see link). Hospitals that accept this health insurance will be listed for you to select from. Sharp and Scripps Medical systems are not for Profit healthcare systems in San Diego. Since you are International and probably do not have a car, I suggest you find a hospital close to campus.

https://newscenter.sdsu.edu/student_affairs/internationalstudents/ishealthinsurance.aspx

San Diego has many things to do and see. Transportation is key getting around SD but the Green Line Trolley station on campus can help you navigate to many places. Highlights include the SD beaches, Seaworld Marine Park, San Diego Zoo, Old Town, Coronado Island, Gaslamp district to name a few. You can use the internet and research places of interest however as a student, you will find that you will probably not have that much time to play tourist. The student information desk where you can buy your Trolley pass has plenty of information about sights to see in SD.

Also the Viejas Arena on campus hosts many concerts and of course SD sports so definitely check it out.

23 years old is not too old to make friendships. Which dorm have you been assigned? Start with your roommates, your floor mates and class mates to get to know people. The dorms offer activities for students to interact and get to know each other. Take advantage of some clubs of interest, get involved and enjoy your time at SDSU.

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Thank you so much for the fast answers! And also thanks for the link, i’m gonna check that one out. The dorm isn’t 100% sure yet, but it is probably in the fraternity row. :relaxed:

You should have your housing assignment already since school starts in over a week. Student housing in Frat row are apartments so that may change the dynamics although you will have roommates.

I will also address your last question.
Alvarado Hospital is a couple of miles from campus on Alvarado Road. It, however, is not nonprofit; it’s a private hospital and you need insurance.

The closest, and only, not-for-profit hospital is “University” Hospital in an area called Hillcrest. It is part of the University of California Medical school. It will be a twenty minute drive. It won’t be cheap because the hospitals, in the US are not free (even at non-profits).
You will be expected to have insurance coverage and pay fees for services.

If you need an IV every couple of months, you need to thoroughly investigate if this service is covered by the student health insurance. It may be considered a lab fee and may not be covered. Lab fees will be very expensive.

Get involved in campus activities if you want to make friends. Given that you’re only there for a semester, your friendships may involve people in your classes.

Activities in San Diego are spread out throughout the county. Geographically, San Diego county is very, very large and for most places you will need a car. It has coastal, mountain and desert communities just within this one county. The school is not near the coast. It’s about 30 minutes, in good traffic, by car, to the coast. Public transportation is not rapid, nor timely, so everyone drives to get to where they need to go. There is a trolley that goes directly to campus, but does not begin to cover the whole county.

The “typical” tourist places are the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Legoland and Old Town. The trolley does go directly to Old Town from SDSU. Younger people tend to hit the Gaslamp Quarter (accessible via the same trolley) because the bar scene is really big down there, however with Covid we wont know and can’t predict how busy it will be. The Baseball stadium is also near the Gaslamp.

@Gumbymom, student will be there next Fall.

Sorry missed that is only for a semester and Fall 2022 not this year. @Hallo356, I would imagine since you have over 1 year before coming to SDSU, you have plenty of time to research all your questions. Since you are an exchange/semester abroad student, all the program information should be available especially your Health questions/Insurance.

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Visit the county beaches.
Begin from the south and move north
Southern beaches are not the typical “tourist” destinations, but you will see differences at each beach:
IB-Imperial Beach (different “beach bum” kind of community). If you’ve hit the international border, you’ve gone too far south!
Silver Strand State Beach (entry fee)
Coronado-Hotel Del deserves one visit
OB-Ocean Beach (Beach bum description fits it too well)
MB-Mission Beach
PB-Pacific Beach
La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores (Children’s pool/Walrus),
Torrey Pines State Beach (Highest fees are the weekends $20)
If you travel south, from Lifeguard Tower 1, during low tide, you can jump the rocks and head down to Black’s Beach. Most people opt to not wear swimsuits. It’s hard to get to, either by the cliffs or by the ocean rocks. The lifeguards will post times for high and low tides.
Del Mar
Cardiff State Beach
Encinitas
Carlsbad
Oceanside
and the furthest northern San Diego County beach:
San Onofre
Each beach is very different because of the way the surf breaks and, also, the community that surrounds it.

People also like hiking to Potato Chip rock in the Eastern part of the county and Cowles Mountain. Take a gallon of water per person to the rock. Nothing is out there and it’s hot and dusty.

There are lots of Casinos that are in the eastern part of the county and are hosted by Native American nations. They have their own rules and regulations so be sure you know the rules. One biggie is alcohol. They don’t look kindly on it.
Happy Trails!