All information was given in the starter packs as long as you read these and put important dates into your diary you shouldn t need anything else.

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1 University Attended WU Wien, Vienna, Austria Feedback 1 The orientation programme was definitely a highlight of my year abroad. I would definitely recommend it as it s such a great way to get to meet people and get to know the city. This is a three week experience where you will be shown around Vienna and do lots of activities with people who are also on exchange. We visited various other Austrian cities, including a trip to an all you can eat chocolate factory, a scavenger hunt and dinners etc. This was around 250 but so worth it! Make sure you don t miss the deadline! Style of teaching here is very practical. Classes here are much longer, however they don t always last for the whole semester. There is the option to choose block courses that can start and finish within 5 days, however they may be from 9-5 each day. There is a wide range of course choices, however it is important to remember the opening date as most courses fill up within minutes. In comparison to Manchester, there are less course requirements, most being presentations and group tasks. You can make up your timetable based on which courses you d like giving you a lot of free time to travel etc. There is also a spring break during all of February. The way my timetable worked out I was off uni from December 16 th March 2 ND. MBS INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT TEAM All information was given in the starter packs as long as you read these and put important dates into your diary you shouldn t need anything else. All information was provided in the second year meetings the only thing would be there were separate meetings for Erasmus funding. Opening hours of international office are limited. They are only open certain days of the week and for a few hours at a time. Apart from this they are very helpful and informative. Important to have a European health card, apart from that I haven t needed to purchase any other insurance. There is a Student Union fee of 18 that every student must pay each semester.

2 ACCOMMODATION Most students from this university stay in OEAD accommodation. It s not the cheapest however they are all very well kept and mostly full of students. The first semester I stayed in Haus Panorama as it was recommended to me, however the new campus had moved and it was not as sociable as I was told. It was mostly postgraduate students and was not particularly nice. I am currently in Molkereistrasse (another dorm from OEAD) and it is so much better. It s a 5 minute walk from the university, and right beside the metro stop. It s very spacious, modern and full of students from the WU and the main university. Other accommodation I would recommend would be gassgasse (more expensive) as it s also very sociable and close to various shops/clubs but further away from the university. Transport in Vienna is amazing! You can get a semester pass for 150 and it allows you to travel by metro, train, bus and tram. The second semester you can get a discount to 75. There are also city bikes you can rent for a few euros a day if the weather is good. Social life in Vienna is surprisingly great! I was slightly worried the nightlife wouldn t be good but once I got here I realised I had nothing to worry about - here are clubs/bars for everyone every single night of the week! The Erasmus Buddy Network is an organisation for international students in the WU and it s so well organised. They host loads of trips it s best to check their facebook page (Erasmus Buddy Network or EBN) and they are usually well priced. The two best ones are their trip to Oktoberfest and the ski trip! Vienna is a beautiful city that always has some sort of events planned. It is also an amazing base to travel around with various night buses, trains and cheap flights to other countries. Bratislava airport is only an hour and 45 minutes away and Ryanair offer the cheapest flights to the UK and other destinations. My year abroad experience has been everything and more than I expected without a doubt the best thing I have ever done! Feedback 2 What did this involve, how long did it last, was it useful? The orientation programme lasts for just under a month and takes place in September and February, I would recommend taking the September one, but not doing so will not cause any harm. It s a great way to socialise, meet new people, and get your bearings as you adjust to the Viennese weather (this is amazing, but if you are from Manchester much hotter than the Summer we experience). During the orientation programme you ll be taking daily tours of different sights in Vienna and some of these are well worth the cost of the programme ( 200 approximately). The orientation was great especially because you travel all around the city, this is a great way to learn the underground routes and how to get to key locations in the city. Style of teaching, courses, ease of access to courses, methods of assessment, teaching support Some courses are handled almost similar to Manchester, others very different. It really depends on what courses you pick. Some courses run once or twice a week and can last close to a semester. And other intensive courses can end in a week, but you ll be in class for up to 9 hours a day. The styles of teaching vary as there are a few guest lecturers that come in and run a course for a week before heading somewhere else. It is very diverse and can be somewhat tailored to what you want. I would say that the intensive courses are harder; a lot of material is covered daily and the assessments can be more prolific. Most of the course grades are based on a combination of attendance, class participation, standard tests and coursework (which can be individual and/or group work). The teachers are mostly very friendly and approachable. One thing I would like to bring to your attention and please take note, the course selection system is crazy. Even if you are just 5 minutes late to select a course online, you

3 may not get a place on the courses you want; most of these classes are small and consists of anywhere between 5-30 students. So don t be late. Good Luck! MBS INTERNATIONAL ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT TEAM Level of support, additional information that could have been useful The level of support from Manchester was great, so don t be afraid to ask for help. Several times during the year I changed courses, when MBS were more than happy to assist and sign the multiple Learning Agreement documents I sent in. All the information that was provided to me in Year 2 was substantial. Any additional information that you feel could have been provided At this moment in time, I don t feel anything else could have been addressed for my exchange. Level of support, additional information that could be useful for future students The host office in Vienna was very friendly and more than happy to assist you regarding anything. Please include any information relating to the purchase of compulsory health insurance ie costs etc. or whether this was waived by having the University of Manchester Insurance Policy As healthcare in Austria is provided through the public sector, all I had to acquire was a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You can register free at please remember to allow up to 6/8 weeks during peak holiday times. This should be information on any extra fees that the University charged but should not include accommodation, books, transport, visa etc. A student union fee of around 20 has to be paid every semester. ACCOMMODATION As much information as possible on what accommodation is recommended or not recommended. I would recommend staying with OeAD who offer great accommodation services. Gasgasse 2 was where I stayed and it was a very lively place in the first semester. It is located near a major train station and is around 30 minutes away from the University (on Metro). You are in walking distance from the main shopping street and are also very close to the city centre. It is an ideal place to stay if you want to travel while in Vienna. The housing comes with a Bicycle storage room in the basement and a laundry room as well (you ll need a Maestro Card to use the washing machine and its 2 a wash, drying is free). The accommodation comes with weekly cleaning service for your bathroom and biweekly cleaning of your whole room. So it may be worth it if you are willing to pay the rent. A studio apartment went for 560 a month. Transport, travel, social life, integration with local students, student activity groups The Metro is your key to Vienna. There is a station near almost every major part of the City and trams will take you everywhere else. A semester ticket for access to all public transport within Vienna goes for around 150. Taxies are very expensive, so I would avoid them unless you re desperate.

4 In regards to social life, Vienna is a lively city and very similar to Manchester in that aspect. Local students are very friendly and if you join the ERASMUS Buddy Network, events are organised for a few days every week during both semesters. It s a great way to meet other exchange students and local WU students as well. I could never have imagined it, every day was a surprise and every day was breath-taking University Attended : Vienna University of Economics FEEDBACK 1 What did this involve, how long did it last, was it useful? Upon my arrival I received a welcome package with instructions. It included a list with all of steps that I have to take to complete my registration and was very helpful. Style of teaching, courses, ease of access to courses, methods of assessment, teaching support The style of courses is similar to the one in the UK. The lectures are longer and the time slots are often subject to change, but this wasn t a problem in my case. However, the registration for courses is a difficult process. The registration opens at a particular time and in 10 minutes most of the courses are full. As I wasn t aware of that the first time, I started my registration an hour later and I was unable to attend some of the classes that I would have wanted to. MBS INTERNATIONAL TEAM Level of support, additional information that could have been useful The MBS International Team was extremely helpful. I had health problems and I had to arrive to Vienna later than expected, but upon my arrival here I had absolutely no problems, because the MBS International Team had informed everyone about my delay. Thank you again for the support. Any additional information that you feel could have been provided The second year meeting provided me with enough information. The slides from the meeting have answered to my questions a couple of times. Level of support, additional information that could be useful for future students The International Office in Vienna is also really helpful, however, they have very specific working hours, which causes a bit of a confusion sometimes. TheY work with students only 3-4 days a week for 3-5 hours.

5 Please include any information relating to the purchase of compulsory health insurance ie costs etc. or whether this was waived by having the University of Manchester Insurance Policy I haven t purchased any kind of additional insurance and I haven t used the one provided by the University of Manchester. This should be information on any extra fees that the University charged but should not include accommodation, books, transport, visa etc. There was a fee of 18 Euros per semester for registration (this includes the student card). Important thing is that in Vienna most of the payments are made with Maestro cards (as opposed to the UK, where most of the transactions are made with Visa cards). This has been an issue for me a couple of times. However, by registering in an Austrian bank, you are given a Maestro card. ACCOMMODATION As much information as possible on what accommodation is recommended or not recommended. My accommodation was Haus Panorama. I think it is the biggest accommodation in Vienna and there are many exchange students in the halls. There are special rooms for everything piano room, TV room, party room and other. The rooms are also nice and most of them are in small apartments with one more room. Overall, the facilities are in good condition. It is a bit far from the university, but the transport is very convenient. Transport, travel, social life, integration with local students, student activity groups Vienna is a great city, there are a lot of places to visit. The transport network is really well structured and the costs are not high with the university ticket. Almost everyone in Vienna speaks English, therefore, the communication and integration weren t a problem. The Erasmus Buddy Network provides great opportunities to meet other exchange students and make friends. Sunny, refreshing and amazing experience at the heart of Europe, which gave me the opportunity to travel a lot and meet a lot of friends.