Beautiful City, Below Average University Past Review

By (Corporate Finance and Accounting, Bentley University) - abroad from 09/07/2012 to 12/21/2012 with

Vienna University of Economics and Business: Vienna - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned a ton about the Austrian culture, food, and traditions. I found the whole experience to be worthwhile except for housing and the university

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

very unorganized courses/materials no set percentage grading scale, very subjective grading in courses professors treat all exchange students as pass/fail students

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

OK program activities and trips. Very unorganized. Signed up to have a buddy to help with my first days in Vienna, but she never showed or contacted.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Haus Panorama was extremely dirty. When contacting the OEAD housing office no responses multiple times. Loud construction every morning, workers also come into your room unannounced.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Taking courses in English and living with all exchange students makes it nearly impossible to meet local Austrians

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Very expensive city in general. Eating out will cost you around 15-20 euro and club entrance fees are all around 10 euro min. If buying own groceries you can save a ton of money; however pots/pans/cooking supplies are extremely pricey

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 175
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Purchase groceries

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? none
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The city
  • Christmas Markets
  • Food
* What could be improved?
  • Housing
  • Organization
  • German course
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? The quality of the university

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.