M. MCCULLOUGH - WU - Spring 2007



Mark McCullough

Business Exchange in Austria - Vienna School of Economics and Business (WU)

Spring (Summer) Semester 2007

Email: mccu0176@umn.edu

Phone: 262-215-5155

Academic Experiences at the WU

General academic structure: The WU differentiates its course scheme by offering courses for regular Austrian students and courses for international students. There are approximately 2000 courses taught at the WU in German for Austrian students working on their degrees and about 80 courses taught in English primarily for international students. However, a limited number of Austrian students may also take them.

The main difference between courses at the WU and Carlson is the time table that they utilize. The vast majority of the courses taught in English for international students are block courses, whereby, a course will typically meet only a few times and each class will last many hours. I took 30 ECTS (which transfers back as 15 credits) and used my exchange semester to work on both my International Business major and my German major. The courses I took were as follows:

• European Law and Economics

• Developing and Implementing Marketing Strategies in a Global Marketplace

• Social Policy in Europe

• Economic Policy and Policy Co-ordination in the EU

• Introduction to Gender Theories

Each of the courses was taught in block format. European Law and Economics met four times over a period of three weeks and had a final. Developing and … met three consecutive days and had quizzes each day. Social Policy met two days in May and then two days in June; during the month break, I had to write an individual essay and then a group seminar paper. Economic Policy was a similar format as well as Gender Theories.

Generally speaking, the international courses at the WU are less structured than those at Carlson: there is much less in-class time and much more independent work/research on things such as seminar papers. The WU brings in many international teachers and the ones that come from the States usually structure their classes similarly to the typical Carlson courses. The block format for the international courses is actually quite nice because it is designed to give exchange students lots of time to see Vienna and travel all around Europe. During the Summer Semester, there is a three week Spring/Easter break and other various small breaks.

Advising: While the structure of classes is different at the WU, advising services are similar to those at Carlson; students that would like extra advising attention should seek it out. There is a minimum amount of “required” or structured advising at the beginning of the semester for students to make sure that they have not had trouble selecting classes. Generally, I found throughout the semester that advising was available for me for various course issues whenever I needed it. The advisors for students at the WU are very knowledgeable and were able to assist with any course problems.

The most surprising aspect of the academic life at the WU was the amount of time actually spent in class, or perhaps more accurately put, not spent in class. The majority of the courses for exchange students are 6 ECTS (3 credits); however, for a typical course, students are only required to attend 20 hours or less of class time. This is due largely to the block format of many courses. Even “every week” courses only met for one or two hours a week, so they did not require extensive in-class time either.

In summary, my semester at the WU taught me a lot regarding the current economic and political state of Europe and several aspects of international business. It did so with a much less structured, more student-directed study process.

Logistics at the WU

Orientation/Arrival: The WU has an excellent pre-semester set up for exchange students. There is an intensive two-week German crash course and an OK (Orientation and Culture Program), which are both optional. I took part in both; the German course is 100 euros and the OK program was 140 euros. If I had to do it all over again, I would not have taken the German course (I didn’t really learn much), but would definitely have repeated the OK Program. During the program, all of the exchange students are taken on outings and trips in and around Vienna. My group saw the Austrian Parliament building, took a vineyard tour with wine tasting, traveled to Melk and (historic cities in Austria), and did a tour of the Ottakringer Brewery.

Along with Orientation, the WU also has what is called the “Buddy Network”, which pairs a WU student with each exchange student. The Buddies come to the airport to pick up the exchange students and act as liaisons/friends throughout the semester. I found the Buddy Network to be a great resource. I met lots of great Austrian students through it and had someone (my Buddy, Jan) that I could ask questions and get help concerning a wide range of topics. I highly recommend registering for the Buddy Network before arriving in Vienna. It makes all aspects of the semester easier.

Housing: The WU provides student housing in the form of single or double dorms, but also allows exchange students to seek housing for themselves (apartments). I chose to stay in a university affiliated dorm (Haus Erasmus). Out of all the dorms (Panorama, Doebling, Erasmus, and the Guesthouse), I believe that Erasmus was the best. It had a great location, both near the WU and the Old City, offers both single and double rooms and was fully of other exchange students. I lived in a double room and it had its own bathroom and fridge (shared kitchen per floor) and was very spacious for two people. In addition, for what is included with the room, the price was right (only 220 euros/month).

Transportation: Vienna has a very developed and comprehensive system of public transportation. It consists of buses, street cars, and the U-Bahn (inner-city travel) as well as the ÖBB, Austrian National Rail System for outside the city and nation-wide travel. In the city, one can basically go anywhere utilizing a combination of the street cars and U-Bahn or buses. While living in Vienna, I could get anywhere within 10-40 minutes. The U-Bahn (U6) ride to the WU took approximately 15 or 20 minutes depending on the time of day. In regards to paying for the public transportation, I would recommend purchasing a student semester card, that is, good for all methods of transportation inside of Vienna for four months and costs approximately 120 euros). For travel outside of Vienna, but inside Austria, one could purchase single and round trip train tickets. Generally speaking, getting around Vienna, Austria, and Europe as a whole, was quite simple using public transportation. Furthermore, there has been a jump in the number of discount airlines such as RyanAir, SkyEurope, and others which offer very cheap round trip fares (20-100 euros) to destinations throughout Europe. Vienna is a centrally located European city, so Europe-wide travel is very practical with a Vienna starting point.

Student Activity Groups: The WU sets up several activities for students through the ÖH (similar to a student union/activities group). They facilitated several trips including a ski trip (lots of fun – highly recommend), trips to Prague, Krakow, Munich, Venice, and Budapest, a dance course (lots of fun and I learned a lot), thermal spa trip, traditional Austrian-restaurant-nights, and so forth. These events were economically priced and were great ways to meet and get to know exchange students as well as Vienna/Europe in a structured environment. The ÖH also sets up “going out night” at two different clubs in Vienna: Monday night is at Kaiko (free drinks and lots of specials throughout the night) and Wednesday night is at SOHO (similar offers). Many exchange students go to these two clubs every week because all of the other students can be found there.

Host Country Culture

My semester in Vienna was not especially shocking for me due to the fact that I had previously spent a semester studying in Austria during high school. However, living in a metropolitan city, did take some getting used to. Coming from a small town, being in the heart of Vienna was a change for me. However, I did get used to it and found it very rewarding and fun.

Regarding Austria and Vienna, it would be impossible to describe all of the small, but significant culture variances I experienced, so I will attempt to describe some general characteristics of Austrian people and culture. The Viennese and Austrians as a whole are, for the most part, very gracious and kind people. They are more receptive to Americans than several other European countries, not to single out any one country in particular. Implicitly, they are very patriotic, but do not believe that visual displays of patriotism, such as excessive flag bearing, are necessary or appropriate. In Vienna, however, the historical contexts in which the city has come about are very much treasured. The history of the Hapsburg dynasty greatly affects the present day city and the number of remaining Hapsburg buildings dominant the cities layout and culture.

I think that I would do more justice in describing Austrians and their country better in conversation, so I encourage anyone reading this piece, if you have further inquiries and desire to learn, to contact me personally (contact info at beginning of paper) and I would be happy to share all I know.

Prior culture awareness/culture immersion: I believe that it is very difficult to learn a great deal about any one culture from the outside looking in; one needs to live in a place with “those” people to feel and learn their way of life. This having been said, if you do go to Vienna (or any foreign destination for that matter), get off the beaten path and explore all of Vienna, not just the touristy clubs and attractions. Some of the best moments of my trip were when I found a not-so-well known café and got to know its proprietors and waiters or spent an afternoon in a park where locals would layout and relax.

Experiences with the German language: A few points about the language aspect of this program: If your main concern or goal in studying abroad is to improve your foreign language aptitude (in this case, German), this might not be the best program. For me, it was a good program in that I already spoke fluent or near fluent German beforehand and used the daily interaction and conversation with locals to improve my fluency. However, besides speaking with locals and a few (mostly Scandinavian and Eastern European) exchange students, I had few other opportunities to speak and practice my German. This, for some prospective exchange students, could be a plus. If you do not speak German or do not care about improving your German, whatever level it is, you will have little to no problem taking class and living in Vienna for six months. Most of the exchange students I met spoke little to no German and were very content. In Haus Erasmus, for example, German is rarely spoken, except by permanent/full time students in Vienna.

Social Life

The WU does a pretty good job integrating international students with regular WU students through programs such as the Buddy Network and the ÖH. I found it a little more difficult to meet many WU students due to the fact that nearly all of the people that I met in my dorm were exchange students. However, I did make some very good friendships with Austrian students and benefited immensely from my experiences with them.

There are very many leisure activities and nightlife opportunities in Vienna. Typically, when I was not studying during the day, I could be found relaxing in one of the several urban parks (Volksgarten, Burggarten, or Stadtpark) or at a café with friends. Vienna is a great city to walk around and through. The exquisite architecture of the Old City’s churches, theaters, and opera houses is truly something to behold. Vienna also has one of Europe’s best nightlife scenes. Regardless if it is trendy dance clubs, relaxing café/bars, authentic Irish pubs, or traditional Austrian heurigers, Vienna has nightlife for any and everyone. Vienna also has several movie theaters (in English) and concert venues. In six months time, I never got bored going out and also found new and great places to go.

On weekends, I used my time to make excursions in and around Vienna. I traveled to several other fantastic cities in Austria including Graz, Salzburg, Klagenfurt, and Innsbruck. Due to the block scheduling of classes at the WU, I also used the long weekends (or sometimes whole weeks) to travel around Europe utilizing cheap fares from the discount airlines.

Family travel: Many exchange students use their time abroad to facilitate family vacations or travel. After I finished my courses in June, my brother flew to Vienna and he and I traveled around Europe on the trains. For Americans to travel by train for an extended period of time (between 7 and 21 days), the cheapest and most efficient way is to purchase a EuroRail pass. For example, we each purchased a 21-day Global (All Country) Pass for $550 each and went all around Austria, German, France, Switzerland, and northern Italy. My brother really enjoyed traveling with me and, in particular, getting the “locals’” experience in Vienna. After having lived in Vienna for five months, I was able to show him all the fun and interesting aspects of Vienna. Study abroad semesters such as mine can be really great resources for family trips and often give parents, siblings, and friends a good “excuse” to travel and come visit their exchange student.

Other

Budgeting: Budgeting for any study abroad experience can be tricky because the expenses, even for one city and time period, vary so much from person to person and are frankly due to amount of travel and going out at night. For my six months in Vienna, besides the $5,500 tuition and insurance cost, I spent approximately $8,000 for everything including rent, food, going out, travel, basic items for an apartment, school supplies, and all other expenses. This number may seem high, and it is, but keep in mind that I did a lot of traveling during my trip. I managed to visit nine countries and spent the last month of my trip traveling. However, I did not go out nearly as much as some of the other exchange students and did much less shopping than some, so I did not end up spending as much as some of my fellow exchange students. It would, however, also be very possible to go and spend less money than I did . A break down of my expenses follows:

Rent per month: 220 euro

Groceries per week: 40 euro

Public transportation in Vienna: 200 euro

Going out budget per month: 150 euro

Eating out per month: 200 euro

Travel: 3500 euro

Miscellaneous: 2000 euros

A point must be made: During this time in Vienna, the dollar was very weak (about $1.35 to 1 euro). When I was in Austria in 2002, they were equal. This made my trip very expensive and I essentially lost nearly $3,000 just to the exchange rate. Exchange rates should a consideration in studying abroad because they have very real financial consequences for students.

On the topic of money, there are several scholarships available for students from both the Learning Abroad Center and from Carlson specifically. I applied for a $500 Study Abroad Scholarship from the Learning Abroad Center, but did not receive it (there are a great number of U of M students that apply for them). The application consists of a short essay (250 words) and is not especially time consuming; it is definitely worth applying. I also applied for a $1,000 Carlson Study Abroad Scholarship which is similar to the Learning Abroad Center Scholarship in application form except that it requires a longer three to five page essay. Fortunately, I was selected as a recipient for this scholarship. Both scholarships were made known to me by Joe Mosher, the international programs coordinator at Carlson. Like with all scholarships, you have nothing to lose, so apply for all of them that you can.

Trip Planning Resources: Before coming to Vienna, I did have help in making all of the plans and accommodations for my semester. The first of which was the Learning Abroad Center and International Programs Office at Carlson. Students need to attend a “First Step Meeting” before they are able to meet with advisors at the LAC and continue the application process. Another great resource is STA Travel located in Coffman Memorial. The representatives there are very helpful in obtaining cheap flight and EuroRail tickets and so forth. I found the cheapest plane tickets through STA. Regarding specifics in Vienna such as housing and prior registration and class selection, the WU is very good about communicating with Joe Mosher and setting everything up beforehand. A word of caution: mind the due dates for such issues as the housing deposit and OK Program sign up because when they pass, you are out of luck.

Visa: For this and all other programs/extended stays in Austria, you need a visa. Fortunately, visas are very easy to obtain. They are free and come through the Austrian consulate in Chicago. All a student needs to do is mail in a series of documents and their passport to them, and they sent it back to you in a week or two with the visa in it. It is very simple and painless, but is a necessary action. I had a friend this semester that never got a visa for her semester in Vienna and ran into problems crossing country borders during travel. My recommendation is to get one beforehand; it just makes everything easier.

Students interested in the WU semester in Vienna: Regarding which students would be best suited for this experience, I would say generally anyone. The courses at the WU fit nearly all majors at Carlson. Obviously, German speaking students may have a slightly easier time living in a German speaking for a semester; however, nearly everyone speaks English to some extent, so few problems arise. This program and study abroad in general is great for anyone with an open mind and willingness to try and experience new things. That being said, I believe that even for people who are not interested in new or different things, a study abroad program can be a great way to expose individuals to new ways of living and thinking. Culture is the water we swim in and it is my belief that it takes physical removal from one’s own culture to not only comprehensively learn about the world outside theirs, but to also look critically at their own world and the ways in which they have been constructed in it. As an adamant supporter and marketer of study abroad experiences, I strongly encourage studying abroad. I believe that this program in Vienna at the WU is great, but if it is not for you, I implore you find a program that is interesting and a good fit for you. Regardless of the program, your time abroad will be an amazing experience and you will learn and be exposed to things you never would have even considered.

If you have any further questions regarding this particular program, Vienna, or studying abroad in general, I encourage you to contact me personally either by email at mccu0176@umn.edu or by phone at 262-215-5155. I would be very happy to answer any questions you might have and assist the study abroad process in any way possible.

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