Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Vienna Waits for You Past Review

By (Music & Economics, Connecticut College) - abroad from 08/20/2014 to 12/20/2014 with

IES Abroad: Vienna - Study Abroad With IES Abroad

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
As a participant in the music program, my most valuable gains were in my musicianship. The program had opportunities for performance and learning up the wazoo. It is the program to go to if you are serious about music performance.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Most of the professors are absolutely fabulous. Passionate, well-qualified, and involved.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

They were all super nice and willing to help. Unfortunately sometimes they were a tad disorganized... but on the whole they were amazing.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Apartment style living is the way to go.

* Food:

Viennese food is incredible. So fresh and delicious. Also their seasonal wines are the best.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Integration was really up to the individual students. The program encouraged full participation in the culture, but they could only do so much. Given how much time the music program takes up it was sometimes challenging to truly dive in.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Healthcare, being universal in Vienna, was fairly accessible. I, unfortunately, did fall rather ill at one point during the semester but I could just crawl into a walk-in doctor's office and receive the prescription drugs I needed. The IES staff hired to aid in these matters were also well-informed, kind and extremely supportive.

* Safety:

Vienna is the safest capital city in Europe. That being said, never walk around alone at night. It's unlikely anything will happen, but Vienna is still a city and therefore there are people who you'd rather not run into.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Being that there is no meal plan whatsoever, and that Vienna is a very expensive city. Budgeting is of great importance. If you count pennies and bargain hunt you can live off of 50 to 60 euros a week, but take it from me you'll be wanting to spend almost twice that.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? ~60 euros (~$80)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Don't blow it all in the first two weeks -- research the best markets or stores to buy groceries/necessities at. Hint, it's never going to be Billa or Bipa.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Go in committed to using the language as much as possible. Especially the vocab.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The People
  • The Opportunities (Educational and Experiential)
  • The Food.
* What could be improved?
  • The Bureauracacy
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had known that they purposefully structure the program so that it is harder to travel. Travel is still definitely possible, but they don't make it easy and sometimes sacrifices (e.g. missing a class) are necessary.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!