Taylor – Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Semester 2, 2017
Bachelor of Business
Vienna is a wonderful city. It’s filled with quirky cafes that serve only the best coffee and delicious Sacher Torte. It is home to some of the greatest musicians in history, as well as one of the most renowned psychologists of all time. The city is said to have the most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe.
About Austria
Austria shares a border with several amazing countries, some of which cost near nothing to visit and are only a short bus ride away. Needless to say, it’s an ideal location for anyone who has an interest in history, loves the Jolly Holidays, is infected with the travel bug, and loves coffee (what student doesn’t?).
Wirtschafts Universität (WU), the university I attended in Vienna, is also fantastic. The campus is modern and bustling with tasty food venues. And, of course, the Library Café serves GREAT coffee.
At WU I felt very at home, the campus and university life was similar enough to QUT that it was easy to understand and provided a sense of familiarity, but it was also different enough that I always felt like I was exploring somewhere new. The staff was wonderfully helpful and the course load is easy for any student to manage.
Classes
The class timetable, however, is very different from that at QUT. I was required to take five units, which seemed a little daunting at the time, but turned out to be easily manageable. Rather than these five units each having a lecture and tutorial each week, there were classes set for all different times and days of the week. Some units had two classes a week that changed days throughout the semester, others skipped weeks, one course was every day for ten days straight and then it was completely finished, and other classes fall on a regular weekly basis. Having to avoid overlaps made figuring out my timetable and what units to apply for a little more difficult, but it also meant that once my semester started I never felt like I was trapped in a boring routine. Everything was always different. It also meant that I occasionally had four or five day weekends, which were fantastic times to travel.
Travelling through Europe
I travelled to many places while on exchange, but I was particularly keen to visit other cities in Austria. I saw Innsbruck, Salzburg, and my personal favourite, Hallstatt. Every one of these cities were beautiful in their own way and I am so glad I took the time to visit them. The easiest way to get around in Austria, and a lot of Europe, is by train. I caught the ÖBB train to each of these cities. They have an online site and mobile app to make purchases and navigating the train stations easier and not one of my trips took longer than 4 hours (no time at all for us Queenslanders).
Challenges
So far, all of my exchange sounds wonderful. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case. I had a few issues with my housing (OeAD dorms) and with the registration authorities. A lot of these issues could have been avoided if Vienna and the ways of doing things there wasn’t so traditional. For example, the housing offices are only open from 8am-12pm Monday to Friday and the registration office will only send documents via post, not email.
The Viennese, like all cultures, have a different way of doing things. The grocery stores don’t open on Sundays and fish costs a fortune because it’s a landlocked country but don’t worry, it’s compensated by the amazing range of meats and cheeses. Also, it’s common practice to ignore customers in coffee houses and there is only one cinema in the city that plays English movies in English.
But all this is part of Vienna’s charm. It’s what gives it character and sets it apart from being just another city with beautiful old buildings and river canals. Just like Australia wouldn’t be the same without deadly animals; Austria wouldn’t be the same without the blunt customer service and odd business hours.
