Eesti
Why go on an exchange to Vienna?
Last summer I decided for myself that I will take an Erasmus adventure somewhere. I chose three cities I would love to live in and then started looking at the universities. At this point, it was clear I wanted to go to Vienna. I love Vienna for its history and slow-paced vibe filled with classical music. Vienna has also been awarded for being “The most liveable city in the world” eight years in a row.
University life at WU
University of Economics and Business in Vienna is one of the largest in the country and it’s something you can’t experience in EBS. One of my motivations to study abroad was to get to feel how it would be studying in a big university. WU certainly offers that with its huge campus which is probably the most colourful set of buildings I’ve ever seen. You can find various cafes and restaurants around the campus offering food from Japanese sushi to Italian pizza. Cannot say the same for EBS, huh?
Life in Vienna
Even though Vienna might be the most liveable city, it is most definitely not the cheapest. Living in Vienna as a student certainly means being on a tight budget, but in the end of the day, unless you have lunch at the expensive Viennese cafes for 7 days a week, you’re going to be fine. As we say among the exchange students, “just wait till your parents visit you”.
Advice to others
I mean, an exchange is something you have to do during your studies. Erasmus makes it so easy to go and live in another country, another city. See things you have never seen, experience things you never would at home. Home will always be home, but it will not go anywhere, so use the opportunity while you can. The world is open and waiting for you.
Give us 3 facts
Ø In the Viennese cafés, coffee is always served with a glass of tap water.
Ø After the class, students show their gratitude to the lecturer by knocking on the desk instead of clapping. This is actually really cool.
Ø Austrians will always say that the beer from their hometown is the best.
What do you expect most out of your exchange?
By the end of my exchange in Vienna, I want to pronounce Melange (coffee topped with steamed milk) like a proper Viennese.
Edited by Kärt Mättikas
Written by and photos by Robert Kivipelto
