While in California, I was thrilled to visit San Diego State University with my colleagues. SDSU stands out among the Cal States as a particularly wonderful residential and academic community. In fact, San Diego State requires students to live on campus for their first 2 years.There are various residential learning communities for freshmen including: Adventures in Surfing and Sustainability, Future Education Professionals, Men Engaging in Technology and Science, Journey to Entrepreneurship, Weber Honors College, and more. San Diego State is a large public university with over 34,000 students, but you can walk across campus in 20 minutes. And it's a beautiful campus! Academically, SDSU offers some great majors including Aerospace Engineering, Brazilian Studies, Construction Engineering and Construction Management, Gerontology, Jewish Studies, Russian, and Television, Film and New Media. And San Diego State is a top producer of Fulbright winners: 94 students have received awards since 2005.The performing arts are big here - there are 4-6 film festivals per year, and they're building a brand new performing arts center, set to open in 2023. In support of the San Diego State athletes, all home games are free. And here's a fun fact: there's a Trader Joe's right on campus! Lastly, after you get your core academics out of the way, SDSU offers credit for outdoor classes in kayaking, sailing, surfing wake boarding, and windsurfing!