Vienna: Europe's Best City Past Review
By Kristin P (Advertising., The University of Texas at Austin) for
IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
Best thing I've every done!!!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors in Vienna were the best that I've had in college. They were there because they want to be not because they need to be and they all really know their courses. I was so impressed. i wish i could've brought a few home! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone was nice, helpful, etc. I didn't use them much, did my own thing, but when I needed them they were there. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived with one american girl and one austria "RA" who was a 24yr old college student. <br /><br /> Everything in my apt. was great, no complaints, wish i had spoken more german with my RA but that was my fault not hers, she wanted me to speak German but it was too hard when we had "real" conversations! And my neighborhood was the 18th Bezirk, really adorable. |
| * Food: |
drink Amdudler Soda all the time, I miss it so so much!! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
most fun city every, you can have fun and still feel safe walking home alone (something i would never do on west campus) |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
safest city in Europe |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Spend every dime you have, you'll never regret spending on travel or fun in europe and you have the rest of your life to make money |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Advanced German Grammar |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I probably learned most in the intensive 3 week language program. But after that, I really had to do a lot on my own to keep learning. Everyone you meet speaks English, it's just a fact, but if you tell them you're learning German they're more than happy to help you. Most of the time they think it's "so cute" that you want to speak German. My austrian friends would speak English to me and I would answer them in German so that we could both practice and help each other. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Everytime I left Vienna to visit somewhere else, Paris, Prague, Barcelona, etc. I missed it after 12 hours. Don't forget to experience everything in your home country. Especially, because Vienna is the very best city in europe. Trust me! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Art and architecture in Vienna |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Ottersbock |
| Instruction Language: | english |
| Comments: | She's actually American but has lived in Vienna almost 40 years. Also, so totally adorable. The class is really interesting. Sign up in pre-registration because this is the class that EVERYone wants to take and only about 30-40 get into it. My favorite class! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Fin de Siecle |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Hanreich |
| Instruction Language: | english |
| Comments: | Frau Hanreich is the cutest thing in the world, and her class was such a fun way to learn about Vienna! We went to a different museum every week. I loved it. and the workload is nothing to stress about! |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
International Business |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Martin Schwarz |
| Instruction Language: | english |
| Comments: | Martin seems to be pretty well respected & connected in the Austrian business world. We went on some pretty interesting field trips; Prada, Julius Meinl, etc. I don't totally find business classes interesting BUT i did learn a lot on the days I paid attention. And we covered current events from a European viewpoint, which was interesting. |
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| Course Name/Rating: |
Advanced German |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Andrea Widy |
| Instruction Language: | German |
| Comments: | Widy is the best german teacher. She's young and fun. She'll tell you all about her dogs (auf deutsch) and take you hiking thru the vineyards. But she is a native, so it's a much better way to learn. And she'll do anything to help you outside the classroom, email her, stay after etc. She's great |
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