Who else is in?!
University of St. Augustine San Marcos may 2012
- Thread starter ptforme
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I did too!!
- Joined
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I rented a car for 2 days while I was there, my first visit to the area, so I may be missing some fun facts. Keep in mind that I have never been to Florida. I live in Washington state and loved the weather (no surprise there). They say 360 days of sun and even when the forecast was for rain, I didn't see any, only blue sky.
I found that it was easy to get to a number of beaches that were busy with activity and surrounded by a "smaller city feel" with independent shops, slow moving cars, skateboards, surf boards, bikes, bikes with surfboards on them. I spent a long time walking bare foot in a tank top on the beach in December
, which was very nice! San Marcos itself has wide roads with biking lanes everywhere. Strip malls galore with big box stores, however I found a pleasant mix of independently owned restaurants, there is a strip of town called "Old Restaurant Row." I was pleased to find a "co-op" style grocery store with organics and wholistic items. Public transportation very minimal and they stressed the importance of a reliable car. The terrain was hills and valleys, more hills and valleys, tall palm trees, and views in every direction. Off the main roads the neighborhoods were winding and felt compartmentalized compared to the mash up of residential, commercial, industrial areas that I am use to. The homes are what you would imagine for Southern California, stucco, not a lot of front lawn but wild yucca everywhere, and looked nice. I passed several yard sales. I saw several very expensive homes. There were a number of larger highways and interstates that connected everything.
Where I am use to names that are from Native American origin, most of the names there were of Mexican origin. Lots of TACOS and Spanish, which I welcomed. Hwy 78 is nicknamed the Avocado Hwy. People were polite and friendly, very "west coast." Overall a good melting pot of people.
South to San Diego was a short drive, 30-40 minutes, and has all of the attractions (Zoo, Aquarium, City tour, Old Town, Parasailing, ect). North of Oceanside beaches is Camp Pendelton, a huge military base. East a few hours is Joshua Tree. Cal State University and Palomar Community College are also in San Marcos, so I would imaging there is a lot of student activity and an overall college feel if you know where to go.
The campus is nice, comprised of 3 very new buildings. Everything looked very well kept and new. The library was small, the gym was huge. The campus is set away from the busiest part of "town" and abuts residential areas with lots of parking. The students I talked to lived near the campus and with other students, it seems to be a very close knit group that shares information from class to class with activity and support for knowledge. At the local Starbucks the barsita told me that she sees USA student study there all the time. I loved the outdoor seating with water features and tall palms. The first internship may require a lot of daily driving to get to. 7th term students liked the idea of living at the beach because they did not have to be on campus very often.
Overall, very much it was exactly what I imagined Southern California to be. I have my surf board and bike ready!
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- Oct 23, 2011
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Please do
Thanks for all the info! It's a tough choice...
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- Dec 16, 2011
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Hey everyone! Got my letter of acceptance a few days ago! Still have not signed the papers or anything but Id like to get to know some classmates b/c I am 99% set on San Marcos May 2012! Is there a facebook group?
Still have not signed the papers or anything but Id like to get to know some classmates b/c I am 99% set on San Marcos May 2012! Is there a facebook group?Hey everyone! Got my letter of acceptance a few days ago!
University of St. Augustine San Marcos May 2012
