Name of the University: WU, Vienna University of Economics and Business
Exchange semester:
Fall 2014
I General Information about the School
The University and Surroundings
The university (WU) is the largest business school in Europe. The campus and
university is new, built in 2013 so very modern. On campus there are several
buildings, the LC where the library and international office is, the TC where most of
the lectures are hold and a lot of space for self-study. On campus you can find
multiple cafes, a grocery store and restaurants. There are a lot of events going on at
campus both day and night.
Students
There is about 23000 students at WU, 1000 of them are exchange students.
II Practical information
Information before you leave
First you need to fill out a learning agreement and be confirmed by BI. BI will provide
you with information and help about how you do this during the spring semester, on a
exchange-information meeting. When you are accepted at the university, the
international office at BI will send you a username and a password. You need to
enrol online through WU’s webpage with this username and password. This is
important to remember so that you get all the information you need. WU’s
international office sends out information quite quickly after you are enrolled. You will
get information about course registration, how to find a place to live, a buddy
arrangement and pre semester activities.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
No Visa needed, since you’re from EU/EØS. There are several direct flights from
Oslo to Vienna. I found that Norwegian is often the cheaper option, and the flight
takes about two hours.
When you arrive to Austria, you need to register as a citizen. You must do this within
the first three days after you’re arrival at a meldeamt-office that is responsible for
your district. If you are living in a OeAD residence, you will get information about
where you’re closest office are when you pick up your key. At the meldeamt-office
you will get a Meldezettel which you need to, for example buy a semester ticket for
public transport.
Academic Calendar
The welcome ceremony was 5th of September and 1. October. It’s mandatory to
attend one of the ceremonies. The semester started at the 5 th of October and ends at
the beginning of February. Almost all of the courses in English ends in December
because of the exchange students who are going home for Christmas, so this
shouldn’t be a problem. Also, the calendar for each course has the entire lecture
dates listed so that you can see when they finish. As an exchange student you can
attend a cultural program and a German language course before the semester starts.
This is a great way to meet and get to know a lot of people. You can also sign up for
a buddy, where you get an Austrian student who can help you with all the questions
you may have.
Course Registration
You get all information about the course registration in an email from WU. The
course registration was at the 18th of August, at 14:00. Course registration at WU is
very hectic, because you have a short timeframe to get the courses you need/want.
The registration opens exact at 14:00 o’clock for all students and exchange have no
extra benefits. You need to be prepared with your wishes and their course codes,
and have multiple options in case you don’t get what you want. You can register and
deregister until the course starts or a couple of weeks before. If you don’t get the
courses you want, you can put your name on a waiting list or check the registration
site frequently in case someone deregisters.
Reception
WU is a great school for exchange students. The international office is well prepared
and very helpful with whatever you might need. You can find the international office
at the 4th floor in the LC building. In the 3rd floor of LC you can get your student card,
which you need to activate at the front desk in LC. You need your student card to get
in to the library, borrow a locker and eat at Mensa (one of the restaurants/canteen).
Housing
I found my housing through the OeAD-office, which has a partnership with the
university. You will get information about the OeAD in an email from the university,
with all their available housing offers and how to apply. You need to pay the deposit
(about 800 euros) immediately in order to get your application evaluated. With OeAD
you can choose from multiple alternatives, if you want to live in a shared dorm or in a
single apartment. The monthly rent depends on what you choose and rates between
300 and 800 euros. I stayed in a shared dorm at Gasgasse. The apartment and
rooms have a good standard, and the building is only 3 years old. In a shared dorm,
you have your own bedroom and private bathroom and share a small kitchen. The
rent was 515 euros a month, which included weekly cleaning and bed linens. There
is mainly exchange students living at Gasgasse, and it is a very social dorm. It’s a
recommended place to stay if you want to get to know a lot of people. The location is
very central, as you are in a walking distance to almost every thing you might need.
With the ubahn (metro) it takes about 20-30 minutes to get to campus. If you chose
not to live in a dorm, there is a lot of Austrians renting out there rooms at the WU
exchange facebook group.
Costs
The prices are mostly similar to Norway. Eating out is a little bit cheaper, but clothes
and shopping is very similar. If you are going out the prices varies a lot depending on
where you go, if it’s a club or a bar/pub. Public transport tickets are 1.10 euros for a
single ticket, 45 euros pr. Month and 150 euros for a semester ticket. If you want to
sign up for a gym membership, we found that Mc Fit was the best and cheapest
alternative, for 20 euros a month and you don’t need to sign up for longer than your
stay.
The International Office
The international office is in the 4th floor at LC. They are open three times a week,
from 09:00-12:30 and also 14:00-18:00 on Wednesdays. They are very well informed
and helpful.
Social Activities
The EBN (Erasmus Buddy Network) organizes a lot of activities during the semester,
such as parties and trips to e.g. Oktober Fest in Munich. I strongly recommend
participating, it is a lot of fun and you get to meet a lot of people.
Culture and Language
At the university almost everyone speaks English. The professors often speak good
English, and as an exchange student you’re not expected to write or speak advanced
English. Most of the exchange students speak English, and few speak German.
Outside of campus the level of English varies, and I recommend you to learn some
basics phrases in German. Austrians is also know to be pretty rude, so don’t get
offended if people don’t apologize or say thank you.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
You improve your language skills a lot, and you get a wider knowledge and
understanding not only about Austrian culture, but cultures from all around the world.
Since there is a lot of group work in the courses you learn and get to experience
working in teams with people from other countries and cultures.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
The lecture is often in classrooms with 15 to 30 students. The courses are thought in
English and the professor’s English level is mostly good. The courses are a mixture
between practical and theoretical, often with requirement of participation. WU offers
intensive courses and regular courses. The intensive courses are often held over a
week, with 4-8 hours a day, which is nice if you want to have time to travel between
classes. The regular courses are often a class with three hours each week. In almost
all courses some of your grade is based on participation in class. There was a lot of
in-class group work and presentations. The workload can be pretty high, but the
assignments are often easy to do. Another part of your grade is the peer rating from
your group members, where you all evaluate each other. The professors are often
nice and interested in helping you. For exchange students, each course gives 6
ECTS, some 3 but that’s rare. To reach 30 ECTS, which BI requires you will need
five courses per semester.
Required Literature
In most courses you get hand-outs in class or an option to copy the relevant chapters
from the professor. The lecture slides and notes are often the most important
literature. If you need additional literature, you can borrow most of that at the library.
Exams
The exams are in written form and have duration between 30 minutes and an hour.
They are all held at the university. In some courses you have an essay hand-in
instead of a written exam. The exam questions are often big and open, and looking
for a bigger understanding and argumentation.
Other
It’s normal to take notes in class. A lot of students spend a lot of time at the university
and campus, being social and studying late.
Course name
Grading
Approved as
Comments
Global Branding
35% class
Common/Elective
Easy. Important to
participation
participate in class
35%
and group. A lot of
presentation/paper
presentations.
30% final exam
International
10% class
Marketing
participation
active in class and
10% quiz
participate.
10% group
Common/Elective
Important to be
lecture/presentation
30% final exam
30% group project
Marketing in
20% class
Emerging Markets
participation
Common/Elective
Intensive course.
Must participate.
30% group
presentation
50% individual
essay
International
10% class
Common/Elective
Mandatory course
Strategic
participation
form BI. Must
Management 1
40% group
participate and be
assignment
prepared for class.
50% final exam
International
20% class
Tourism- Principle
participation
and Practice
15% oral
Common/Elective
Easy, must
participate.
presentation
25% written
presentation
40% written exam
My exchange experience
I have had the best time here in Vienna! I’ve met so many different people and made
friends for life. I have approved my language skills a lot, and challenged my self in so
many levels. From this experience I have gained a lot more confidence in my self,
learned and been challenged in presenting and discuss in front of a big group of
people and I’ve experienced to cooperate with people from different cultures and
countries. I think all this experiences is only positive for my future studies and career
possibilities.