Tiedostosta ei löytynyt kuvaosaa, jonka suhdetunnus on rid10.

Transcription

1 Tiedostosta ei löytynyt kuvaosaa, jonka suhdetunnus on rid10. Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien Fall

2 1 Preparing for exchange 1.1. Nomination and pre-enrollment After being selected to study at WU the next step was to wait for contact from the host university. In mid-april I received a nomination letter from WU with instructions how to finish the preenrollment process as well as my WU student number and password. To complete the preenrollment I only had to fill an online datasheet, after which they could register me as a student. At least for EU-students no additional documents were needed, which was very convenient. Apart from the nomination letter the first contact from WU came in late April with some brief information about enrollment, courses, housing options, OK Program and Erasmus Buddy Network. In May I received the official acceptance letter which was to proof that I was accepted to study for an exchange period at WU. This and the nomination letter are important to bring with you to Vienna since they might be needed for e.g. some administrative things. The rest of the enrollment process was finished after arriving in Vienna, when students had to pay 18,70 fee in order to get a WU student card and be officially enrolled at WU Housing and arriving in Vienna I decided to apply for an apartment from OeAD since that seemed like the easiest option and they had special quotas for WU students. It is of course also possible to search for an apartment from the private market and WU had some information about other housing options on their website as well. OeAD is also not the cheapest option, and based on my own experiences almost all of the residents in these dorms are foreigners (not Austrians), so if you would like to live with e.g. a local roommate, I would recommend looking for options other than OeAD. I applied for an apartment in April, which was relatively early, and got a confirmation of getting a room from my first option, Gasgasse, already after 1-2 weeks from my application. It is important to note that OeAD requires a 950 deposit before your application is valid and before they start even looking for an apartment for you.

3 I found a quite cheap direct Finnair flight to Vienna via Kilroy (around 100). Their website is worth checking since they sometimes have special student offers. I arrived in Vienna on September 2nd, and the first thing to do was to get keys to my apartment. However, I arrived outside OeAD office hours and it wasn t possible for me to get the keys myself on the day of arrival. Luckily I had applied for a buddy from Erasmus Buddy Network, and he was kind enough to pick up the keys on my behalf and come meet me at the train station. OeAD also recommends a service called ihouse where the key-pickup is possible 24/7. This service is not free, so if you have someone to pick up the keys for you, I would do that instead. The day after my arrival I had to go to OeAD s office to sign the recidence contract and get my Meldezettel form signed. Within three days of arrival you have to confirm your residence in Vienna in one of the city s registration offices (Magistratisches Bezirksamt) by filling in the registration form (Meldezettel) and getting your landlord s signature on it. After getting the Meldezettel you are able to e.g. buy the student semesterticket for public transport ( 75). Unless you already have your WU student card when buying the semesterticket, you have to bring the WU acceptance letter to prove that you re a student in Vienna. The orientation program started with an information session on September 4th and I recommend arriving in Vienna a few days before this to have some time to settle and take care of registrations, getting to know the city etc Course registration Information on courses was available on WU website already in June, and course registration took place in August through a system called LPIS. WU offers a broad selection of courses in English, as well as German business communication courses on different levels. Exchange students are also allowed to take courses in German, but I decided to study in English since I wasn t sure if my German skills were good enough. I knew several people who took courses in German and afterwards regretted a little not doing that myself, since I m sure this would have been an effective way to improve my language skills.

4 Before course registration I had gone through the course catalog and chosen which courses I would like to register for. In case I wouldn t get the courses wanted I also chose some extra ones. It is important to note that most courses fill up immediately, so I recommend logging in the system already before the registration starts with course codes written down and start registering on the very second it s possible. I managed to get all the courses I wanted, but in case I didn t, it was possible to apply for waiting lists. Note that depending on the course you are usually not able to be absent more than 1-2 times, so course overlaps are generally not allowed OK-Program and German language course Before the semester starts, exchange students can participate in Orientation & Cultural Program ( OK-Program ) and Pre-Semester German language course organized by WU. These activities are optional and prices were 250 for OK-Program and 130 for German course ( 400 for non-eu students). I decided to participate in both since they were a good way to meet other exchange students and get to refresh my German skills. Both programs took place in September and lasted for three weeks. I had German lessons from Monday to Thursday from 9am to 12pm and cultural program usually in the afternoons. For the German course we had to take a placement test and, accordingly, were assigned to different levels. I was assigned to level C1, and the lessons were very much focused on discussion and different oral excercises. There were no exams or obligatory assignments, and afterwards we got a certificate of our participation. During the OK-program we visited some of the most famous sights in Vienna such as Schönbrunn palace, Ottakringer brewery and Austrian parlament, as well as did day trips to Graz and Melk. These day trips were my favourite part of the program and they took place on Fridays when there were no German lessons. The program included also e.g bowling, barbeque, hiking and a Scavenger hunt. I would recommend attending at least either German course or the orientation program since they are a good way to get to know new people and were a nice activity during my first weeks in Vienna.

5 2 Exchange studies Winter semester at WU lasted from October 3rd to January 31th, with a Christmas break in between. Even though the semester officially lasted until the end of January many courses ended already in December (especially the ones offered for exchange students). This made it in practice possible to finish exchange studies and return back home already for Christmas. I had courses starting in Aalto in January so I wanted to finish my exchange studies before that. Exchange students are allowed to register for courses worth max. 36 ECTS plus one German Business Communication course. WU offers more than 100 courses in English with many different topics so there was relatively lot to choose from. I was on undergraduate exchange and had to take 30 ECTS in total. My major is accounting so I took courses from other areas such as international business, socio-economics, finance, marketing and German language. Below is the list of courses I took during my exchange semester at WU International Business I (#1537) Course instructor: Michal Lemanski Credits: 6 ECTS Level: Undergraduate This was a block course I took in the beginning of the semester. It lasted only three days and we had class from 9am to 5pm every day, with a one-hour break in the middle of the day. The course focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in international business and the classes were really interactive with a lot of discussions. We also had a guest from Austrian Post to tell about the company s CSR strategy and actions. The grade was based on active participation (30%), Powerpoint presentation (10%), group report (30%) and an individual essay (30%). Due to some confusion in scheduling the course the groups didn t actually have to give any presentations we only had to prepare the slides and then write a report based on that. Even though the course was held in the beginning of the semester, the lecturer gave instructions for the final assignment first in December, which is why this course was on basically the whole semester. This is one reason why I got frustrated with the course and wouldn t choose it again.

6 2.2. Social Policy (#1523) Course instructor: August Österle Credits: 6 ECTS Level: Undergraduate The course focused on social policy, especially on comparative social policy where policies in different countries are compared to each other. The course covered different welfare state models, social policy in the EU and a bit of social policy in Austria. The course was divided in two parts: the first three lessons were lectures and the last three lessons were reserved for group presentations. Grading was based on active participation (10%), group presentation (20%), individual or group paper (20%) and an exam (50%). In addition to the lecture slides the exam was based on other material which the students were able to purchase for 5 in the first lecture. The instructor had a lot of knowledge on the subject and the discussions in class were always interesting. This kind of a course is not offered at Aalto so if you want to study something other than pure business courses, this one is a nice alternative Risk Management and Insurance (#1316) Course instructor: Erwin Eszler Credits: 6 ECTS Level: Undergraduate This course was about the concept of insurance as well as different risk management models and methods. Topics covered were e.g. forms of insurance, pooling of risks, management of technical risks, reinsurance, social insurance and insurance marketing. The course was very theoretical with a few references to real-life examples and we mostly studied the basics of every topic. However, I was interested in insurance business already before the course so I found it really useful and learned a lot. Even though we had to do some calculations the course was not very mathematical and not difficult in that sense. The grade was fully based on exams: there were altogether four exams, from which we had to attend at least three. The fourth exam was mostly for those who wanted to improve their average score or who couldn t attend any of the previous exams. There were no home assignments and the exams were based on the lecture slides, so no books or other material were required. As said, I was satisfied with the course and would recommend it for anyone who has interest in insurance business and risk management.

7 2.4. Global Consumer Behaviour (#0493) Course instructor: Brigitte Bojkowszky Credits: 6 ECTS Level: Undergraduate This course covered the basic principles of consumer behaviour with a global focus. We studied different frameworks and global marketing concepts related to consumer behaviour and possible problems and aspects to take into account when marketing to consumers with different cultural backgrounds. All the participants were exchange students so usually everyone had examples from their own countries. The grading was based on two small presentations (5% + 5%), an article presentation (10%), a project presentation (20%), peer rating (10%) and an exam (50%). All the presentations were done with the same group and the exam was based on lecture slides so no additional material was needed. The instructor was enthusiastic about the subject and had quite a lot of experience on it. Overall the course was not very difficult and all of the groups got good points from the presentations. I was satisfied with the course even though I didn t have huge interest in the topic German Business Communication course Level 5 (#0407) Course instructor: Otto Weinelt Credits: 6 ECTS Level: Undergraduate This language course was for students with B1-B2 level German skills, and once again we had to take a placement test before being assigned to the right group. Unlike the Pre-Semester German course this one was very much focused on grammar and vocabulary. In almost every class the instructor showed us a video and a text which we then went through and discussed. The grading was based on a mid term exam as well as a final exam. However, one could also replace the final exam by doing a presentation in class, but this was optional. Overall I liked this course and the instructor more than the Pre-Semester German course, and felt like I learned much more. No books were needed in our course, but I heard that some other levels/groups had them.

8 3 Free time & other information 3.1 Cost of living I had a shared apartment at OeAD student dorm Gasgasse with a monthly rent of 530. I shared a kitchen with two flatmates but had my own bathroom which was especially nice. Since it was a shared apartment the rent felt perhaps a little expensive nevertheless I was happy with my choice. Overall I found the price level quite similar to Finland. Food prices in supermarkets and restaurants were about the same (sometimes cheaper) while alcohol was notably cheaper. Eating lunch on campus on the other hand, especially in the WU Mensa, was more expensive than our cheap student lunch in Finland and in my opinion the food wasn t as good. However, there are also other restaurants, cafes and a Spar on the campus so you have several options to choose from. For public transportation students can purchase a semesterticket with 75 which is valid until the end of semester and covers traveling with any public transport (metro, buses, tram, train) in Vienna. You can also register for the citybikes, which allows you to grab a bicycle from any of Vienna s citybike stations with an hourly cost of 1. Opening a local bank account is possible for students free of charge, but for me that wasn t necessary since my Finnish bank didn t charge any fees when withdrawing money from local ATMs. By purchasing the EBN-card for 5 in the beginning of the semester I also got a free sim card, for which I bought a monthly prepaid plan (HOT Fix): 9,90 for 1000 texts and minutes + 3 GB of data. Even though I didn t use it for calls or texts very often, the data was really useful. 3.2 Getting to know other students & free time Getting to know other exchange students was relatively easy in the beginning of the exchange semester when everyone had just arrived. Gasgasse was perhaps the biggest student dorm when it comes to the number of exchange students and most of the friends I made during my exchange semester lived there too. I recommend joining different exchange student groups such as the EBN group on Facebook from there you get a lot of useful information regarding practicalities upon

9 arrival, partys and other happenings. Also the orientation program and German language course are a good way to meet other exchange students. Vienna offers a lot of things to do in one s free time. The city is especially known for its history as the capital of the Habsburg empire and this is still visible in the architecture and historical sights. There are imperial palaces such as Schönbrunn, several beautiful cathedrals and many big museums to visit. Old coffee houses and coffee culture in general are also characteristic of Vienna, not to mention delicious Austrian pastries like the Sachertorte or Apfelstrudel. The concert house Musikverein is known for e.g. the annual New Year s concert and tickets for different concerts can be purchased with relatively cheap prices, especially for the standing places. Going to the opera is also very affordable since standing ticket prices are around 3-4. There are also many other things to do in Vienna. One can go e.g. hiking outside the city, cycle or do other outdoor activities in the city s green areas like Praterpark or Donauinsel, visit some local vineyards or enjoy the Viennese nightlife. In christmas time there are also several christmas markets, which usually start already in mid-november and are worth visiting. Schönbrunn palace during Christmas time

10 3.3 Local area, weather, cultural differences Vienna is known to be one of the safest cities in the world, and I never felt unsafe there. My dorm Gasgasse was located in the 15th district (15. Bezirk) right next to Westbahnhof railway station and a big shopping street, Mariahilferstrasse. The city is divided into districts, the 1st district being the most central part of the city. However, a bigger district number does not mean a far location from the city center e.g. the 15th district is actually still relatively centrally located. The most used form of transportation for me was definitely the metro, U-Bahn. Westbahnhof is a stop for two of Vienna s five metro lines, and the trip to WU campus took about 25 minutes, including switching metros once. The metros run 24/7 on the weekends and from Monday to Thursday there are night buses. Getting around the city is therefore pretty quick and easy. In September the weather was still quite warm and the temperature even reached +30 Celcius once. In October it was colder and rainy but November was surprisingly sunny and not as dark a month as in Finland for example. What surprised me was that it is often really windy in Vienna which can make the weather feel colder than it actually is. Even though it is on average warmer than in Finland I would recommend packing warm clothes with you since the weather can vary a lot. I didn t really experience any strong culture shock during my exchange semester in Vienna. In general the Austrian culture isn t that much different from the Finnish, although people make perhaps more physical contact (air kisses when saying hello etc.) and are a bit more open and talkative. However, Viennese people can be a bit grumpy sometimes which I especially noticed in some customer service situations. Some obvious differences were also giving tip in restaurants as well as smoking in bars and clubs. People were allowed to smoke even inside some cafes and restaurants, but in those cases there were always separate areas for that. 3.4 Traveling Vienna has a good location for traveling as it is located in the center of Europe. Especially the neighbour countries are worth visiting since they can be easily reached by train or bus with reasonable prices. During my exchange semester I visited Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia, but also

11 e.g. Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Italy were popular destinations among exchange students. Almost everyone did a day trip to Slovakia s capital, Bratislava, which is only 60 km away from Vienna. Also Austria itself offers some nice places to visit. During the orientation program we made trips to Graz and Melk, and I also travelled to Salzburg and Innsbruck. Traveling within Austria is often most convenient by train and the local railway company is called ÖBB. If you are under 26 years old, you can purchase the ÖBB Vorteilscard for Jugend with 19 that gives you a discount rate when buying train tickets. Buying this card can pay off already just for one trip, depending on the ticket prices. In addition to self-organized traveling also EBN organizes trips for which you get discount with your EBN card. There are e.g. trips to Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Cracow, plus a ski trip to Zell am See and a trip to Oktoberfest in Munich. I didn t participate in any of these, but heard that especially the ski trip and Oktoberfest were worth taking. A beautiful view of Innsbruck

12 4 Final comments All in all I was very happy with my exchange experience in Vienna and the WU. The whole application and enrollment process before arriving ran smoothly and settling after arrival felt quite easy without too much bureaucracy or paperwork. I liked the big and new WU campus with good studying facilities and location next to two metro stations and the Prater park. I also felt like the atmosphere was very welcoming for exchange students with all the different activities and the orientation program. I was also satisfied with most of my courses and the level of teaching thus I could recommend WU and Vienna as an exchange destination to anyone who wants to spend their exchange semester in Europe or especially in the German speaking countries. If I could experience it all again, I would also take some courses in German to challenge myself more and practice my German. Even though I enjoyed traveling in a smaller group instead of the big EBN trips, I would consider participating at least in the Oktoberfest and ski trip. During the exchange I improved both my English and German skills and became more confident and used to communicating in these languages daily. I also got to understand cultural differences better since everything didn t always work the way you are used to. It is also true what they say about getting to know your own country better when living abroad during my exchange semester I definitely realized what I both love and dislike about Finland. I also got to know the Austrian culture at some level, although I spent most of my time with other exchange students instead of locals. Above all I learned a great deal about myself and my capabilities when suddenly getting out of my comfort zone into a whole new place surrounded by new people. Despite some small negative experiences I would choose to spend an exchange semester abroad anytime again.