Austria Has Taught Me Much Past Review
By Claire S (General Studies, University of Northern Iowa) for
University of Klagenfurt: Klagenfurt - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It hasn't changed my plans. I have learned a lot more about differant countries and cultures all around Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Trying to understand their curriculum. Everything here is a bit backwards especially in my classes. Next semester should be better, now that I know what my professors want of me. That is another reason why it was a bit weird, the profs don't really tell you what they want. The finals for this semesters technically do not have to be turned in till August. The workload is nonexistant. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They are all very helpful at the office and really nice. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I am in the dorm Morzartheim which is about 15 minutes from the school and 15 minutes from the city center. It has a kitchen and a bathroom within the room, which was semi-stocked from the students who lived here before. If one is in need of living stuff, there is a bus to the IKEA. There are bus stops on both ends of the street as well as three different grocery stores near by. |
| * Food: |
The food here is very expensive, and they do not have very good bread. The Mensa is one of the places to eat on campus, but it is pretty expensive, so most people just eat at home. I am a veterinarian, however my friends who eat meet find it very costly and many of them have just stopped eating it here. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
We go on small trips to Italy and around Austria which are fun. They say that the summer semester is the best here, however if you come in winter you get to see a lot of Austrian culture. One such event is the Krumpus, which are the demons from hell that come and grab the children and put them in their back baskets if they have been bad this year, the kids are then beaten in the forest and returned home. It is exceedingly creepy, but it is an ancient tradition. They have the largest parade in Austria of them in early December and it was a once in a life time experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Student health insurance is 50 Euro a month, I have yet to use it, but I have friends who have. One went to the ER with glass in her foot and with the student card she didn't have to pay anything. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | My budget was 1,000 USD a month. That was spent on my food, room, health bill, and extra activities. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish I had been informed of the cost of German courses. |
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? | German 3 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I did the intensive course at the beginning but was not told at my home university that I would have to pay for Geraman language courses while here. I did not have the money available to pay, so was unable to participate. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | One that has money and one that likes to travel. This is an ideal spot for traveling, but you need money in order to do so. |
