Activities for international students in San Diego… America’s Finest City

“America’s Finest City” is known for its surf and sun, and CISL students have plenty of opportunities to experience all of this (and more!) during their time in San Diego. Sailing trips, long days on the beach, sunsets over the water . . . San Diego offers students the best aspects of laid-back California culture.

CISL students have access to the many water sports and activities offered in San Diego: from surfing and sailing to kayaking and whale watching, there is always something water-related to experience! The fun does not stop at the water’s edge: CISL also organizes many exciting activities, like indoor rock climbing and hiking through local parks and nature preserves.

San Diego’s close proximity to many popular destinations makes weekend getaways easy. Explore the beaches and attractions of Los Angeles, the exciting lights of Las Vegas, or the culture of San Francisco through a CISL-organized excursion.

Activities

CISL students are encouraged to participate in optional afternoon activities, scheduled Monday through Friday after lunchtime and Saturday/Sunday. These include:

Kayaking

Whale watching

Beach Volleyball

Biking

La Jolla

Surfing

SeaWorld

Pacific Beach

Football!

Inline Skating

Sailing

Seaport Village

Balboa Park

Little Italy

Rock Climbing

Skateboarding

Golf

Baseball

San Diego Zoo

Bowling

Hiking

Coronado Beach

Weekend Excursions from San Diego

There are also weekend excursions, providing a great opportunity to practice with English, to places such as:

Disneyland

Las Vegas

Universal Studios

Los Angeles

Legoland

San Francisco

Magic Mountain

Palm Springs

A week in the life of a CISL SD student

Have you ever wondered what life would REALLY be like as an English student at CISL San Diego? We decided to take a look at the CISL Activities Calendar for this week and see exactly what life is like for a CISL student this Monday through Sunday. The result? A week of fun!

  • Monday

    Mondays are rough . . . but thankfully, there are plenty of cafes in Little Italy for you to grab a coffee and a pastry on your way to school. The weather was beautiful this week, as always, so the morning walk to campus was enjoyable.

    School at CISL is, of course, fun! After four hours of practicing your English speaking skills, you have the afternoon to explore San Diego. You walk one block from school and do some shopping at Horton Plaza, then grab some fish tacos with your friends before heading home . . . or maybe, go to the beach? But which one? Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, La Jolla, Mission Beach, Imperial Beach, Coronado . . . there are so many to choose from!

  • Tuesday

    After class, you and your friends go on the scheduled CISL student activity: indoor rock climbing! After you work up an appetite with all that exercise, you head to Pacific Beach for Taco Tuesday. You stay out late, because . . . well, because it is Tuesday, and that’s what CISL students do! (It’s a tradition with SD students.)

  • Wednesday

    Today some of your friends are taking surf lessons, another CISL student activity. You already learned how to surf when you arrived in San Diego last month, so today you decide to go with your friends to Pacific Beach and watch them while they learn. It’s very entertaining! You work on your tan and also do your homework while they are learning to surf.

    When you come home, you grab some craft beer from a local bar and then some pizza from one of the many restaurants in Little Italy, and then you and your friends have a classic movie marathon before heading to bed.

  • Thursday

    You are so excited for today: you and your friends are taking the Harbor Cruise to see the sea lions in La Jolla! You race home to change and eat a quick sandwich before meeting at school at 2:15, and then you spend the afternoon on the boat. After the sea lion adventure, you and your friends decide to walk around La Jolla and do some shopping. The boutiques are awesome! You stop off at the In N Out in Pacific Beach on the way home for a burger, “animal style.”

  • Friday

    It’s Friday . . . and it’s game day! Today the San Diego Padres are playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is a huge game because there is a big rivalry between LA and San Diego. You and your friends have already bought tickets from the CISL front desk, so you don’t have to wait in line at Petco Park. After class, you go home and relax in Little Italy during the afternoon, and then head Downtown to watch the game at 7. You learn all the fun baseball game traditions and eat all the traditional baseball foods, and then after the game, you enjoy the fireworks over Downtown. Before heading home, you and your friends stop at some of the bars in the Downtown Gaslamp Quarter.

  • Saturday and Sunday

    You’ve had a super busy week, so you take it easy this weekend. On Saturday you explore the Hillcrest Farmer’s Marketand then you take the Coronado Ferry from the Embarcadero (right next to Little Italy) and spend the day in Coronado, relaxing and playing some beach volleyball. Then on Sunday you decide to stay in Little Italy and have a long brunch. In the evening, you relax with a yoga class and then do your homework before going to bed. Next week? More English, more beach time, more delicious food, and more fun.

San Diego Average Climate