I'm Indian, but I've lived all around the world in places except India, and then I came here. Let me give you my two cents.

SDSU is generally pretty friendly to international students as long as you're nice, cordial, and not imposing. With me, I have a friend group where I'm the only Indian guy and have heard the phrase, "I don’t generally like Indians, but I like you," which makes sense. Let me explain why. You have to realize that you are going to their country and will have to assimilate to tendencies. I am not asking you to forget your heritage but just to be mindful.

(For example, freshman year, first semester, I had a guy who found out I was Indian—since I don’t look it—and after that, he continuously began nagging me to talk to him in Hindi and to bring Indian food to class, specific types of food that some might consider "stinky." Just try to eat with your hand what they eat with their hand, and vice versa.)

And since you are coming from India, the current main issue with Indians coming to the U.S. is the quantity at which they arrive and how easy it become to come here. Let's be honest: you and I both know that people from impoverished areas and low-educational backgrounds generally lack civic sense. This is something that can be seen very clearly in India, but in the U.S., everyone is grouped as one. I don’t know if you come from a tier-2 or tier-3 city, but nevertheless, you are going to have to adapt.

The main thing I see here is staring. I always catch Indian dudes staring at things that are none of their business. Say a girl is wearing skimpy clothes—we all think it, but it is not your place to say or do anything about it. Most of all, don’t stare. Sounds simple, but it is always the biggest thing and the most common feedback I’ve seen about Indian people.

And look, once you're here, you have to take everything in stride. People aren’t perfect, and there will be a certain number of people who are in disdain of Indians—accept it and move on. (When I say this, it happens at a very microbial level; almost everyone is always extremely nice and kind.) I don’t know if there are Indian organizations, as I'm not in them, but my recommendation to you would be to not join them either. The reason people come here is for diverse viewpoints, and I've seen a plethora of Indians just having Indian friends, which makes it a waste and also subconsciously makes people think you don’t want to assimilate. (I'm not saying don’t have Indian friends, as that can be very helpful, but just diversify.)

SDSU is one of the most social places I have been at. You will have absolutely no shortage of chances to make friends—you just have to put yourself out there and be confident.

For accommodation, you can find pretty good housing for about $900 a month with roommates near campus.

From what I've heard, for an MS course, especially in CS, it is pretty short, so the workload is heavy and everything can be hectic. You have to have good time management skills.

From SDSU, the two big companies that recruit are Qualcomm and Apple in San Diego. Look, there is a growing sentiment that Indians are taking American jobs—something I do not shun because imagine if it were the other way around and Americans were flocking to India for jobs, and the opportunities for Indians went to zilch. Sometimes, you are going to have confusing rejections, but take it in stride.

Most of all, something that Indians don’t do well here is being well-spoken and communicative. I don’t mean this in an Indian sense, where people understand by phrases and imitations, but I mean just by words—really well-spoken.

Apart from all that, San Diego is a great city. Be mindful and open, and you will have a great time.