To my dear WU Wien-bound juniors,
I definitely had a great time in WU and I'm beyond sure you will too! Having travelled extensively, I can safely say that Vienna is one of the best cities in Europe to live in. It’s safe, people are nice, and the city is absolutely breathtaking! There are quaint cafes and pretty buildings at every corner. I just couldn't help but smile every day as I woke up in the prettiest European city.
Summer Semester
First of all, I went to WU Wien for its summer semester - don't be fooled by the name, it begins in winter and ends in summer. I'd never been to Vienna before and from what I gathered online, winter in Vienna can be very cold and we're talking about -10degrees. Don't go overboard with the winterwear when packing – you only need a coat or two, a few sweaters and most importantly heat-tech inners from uniqlo! You can buy pretty much everything you need in Vienna for a lot cheaper than in Singapore.
I definitely had a great time in WU and I'm beyond sure you will too! Having travelled extensively, I can safely say that Vienna is one of the best cities in Europe to live in. It’s safe, people are nice, and the city is absolutely breathtaking! There are quaint cafes and pretty buildings at every corner. I just couldn't help but smile every day as I woke up in the prettiest European city.
Summer Semester
First of all, I went to WU Wien for its summer semester - don't be fooled by the name, it begins in winter and ends in summer. I'd never been to Vienna before and from what I gathered online, winter in Vienna can be very cold and we're talking about -10degrees. Don't go overboard with the winterwear when packing – you only need a coat or two, a few sweaters and most importantly heat-tech inners from uniqlo! You can buy pretty much everything you need in Vienna for a lot cheaper than in Singapore.
WU Wien
wu wien. pretty cool campus. the exchange committee will offer you the orientation programme (€250) and the intensive german course (€400). i joined both, only to meet people bc i havent heard much good things abt them haha but tbh it was a waste of time and money. you can skip them completely and you’ll still make friends eventually.
wu wien. pretty cool campus. the exchange committee will offer you the orientation programme (€250) and the intensive german course (€400). i joined both, only to meet people bc i havent heard much good things abt them haha but tbh it was a waste of time and money. you can skip them completely and you’ll still make friends eventually.
EBN
The Erasmus Buddy Network, the equivalent of student council taking care of the exchange kids there offers a buddy programme where we’re paired with a local buddy. Definitely go for it! They’ll pick you up from the airport – which is a nice thing coming to a new city. They’ll also help you settle the red tape matters like registering yourself with the town council, getting the apartment key, buying the semester ticket etc which can be confusing, especially when you don't know your way around. EBN also organizes events (parties, night sledding, wine tasting, dance classes etc) and trips (zell am see ski trip, amsterdam, budapest, krakow) – their trips will involve super fun themed party every night – plenty of opportunities to make friends and get drunk. Also, alcohol here is dirt cheap - €5 long island in a bar vs $20 in Singapore. EIN PROSIT BITTE
The Erasmus Buddy Network, the equivalent of student council taking care of the exchange kids there offers a buddy programme where we’re paired with a local buddy. Definitely go for it! They’ll pick you up from the airport – which is a nice thing coming to a new city. They’ll also help you settle the red tape matters like registering yourself with the town council, getting the apartment key, buying the semester ticket etc which can be confusing, especially when you don't know your way around. EBN also organizes events (parties, night sledding, wine tasting, dance classes etc) and trips (zell am see ski trip, amsterdam, budapest, krakow) – their trips will involve super fun themed party every night – plenty of opportunities to make friends and get drunk. Also, alcohol here is dirt cheap - €5 long island in a bar vs $20 in Singapore. EIN PROSIT BITTE
FOOD
Food in vienna is unfortunately not great. you’ll learn how to cook and to transition into that phase, i’d suggest you bring plenty of prima taste noodles and premixes (laksa, chicken rice etc for when you miss sg food) there are asian markets wihich stocks indomie and all the general asian food things, dont worry.
Food in vienna is unfortunately not great. you’ll learn how to cook and to transition into that phase, i’d suggest you bring plenty of prima taste noodles and premixes (laksa, chicken rice etc for when you miss sg food) there are asian markets wihich stocks indomie and all the general asian food things, dont worry.
Transport
vienna’s public transport is amazing. there are fast trains, metro and trams (s-bahn, u-bahn and strassenbahn respectively) in vienna connecting just about every meter of the city. one u-bahn station to the next is barely a 1min ride, so chances are places are nearer than you think. you’ll get a semesterticket for €75 (after registering yourself with the city and make sure to put vienna as your main residence) which gives you unlimited rides for 5 months from feb-jun.
vienna’s public transport is amazing. there are fast trains, metro and trams (s-bahn, u-bahn and strassenbahn respectively) in vienna connecting just about every meter of the city. one u-bahn station to the next is barely a 1min ride, so chances are places are nearer than you think. you’ll get a semesterticket for €75 (after registering yourself with the city and make sure to put vienna as your main residence) which gives you unlimited rides for 5 months from feb-jun.
Accommodation
I’m not sure what oead hostels WU reserved for you guys this semester, but for mine it was gasgasse, sechshauserstrasse, tigergasse and kandlgasse.
I’m not sure what oead hostels WU reserved for you guys this semester, but for mine it was gasgasse, sechshauserstrasse, tigergasse and kandlgasse.
I stayed in gasgasse and it was awesome…for the first month. gasgasse is the party hostel. it’s the nearest to travelshack which is where all the exchange kids hangout and so they predrink in gasgasse. it’s fun when you’re new and trying to get to know everyone and go for all the parties but these angmohs are mad – trust me – they party everyday and wake up hungover, go for class and talk abt how wasted they got the prev day and the cycle repeats. gasgasse is almost always noisy but if you dont mind it then it’s cool. gasgasse flats usually have 3-4 rooms so you’re sharing the kitchen with 2-3 other people. it has a big common room with kitchen dining tables and sofas which you can rent for your gatherings. that aside, gasgasse is great bc it’s literally 1min away from the westbahnhof u-bahn (mrt) station (u4 and u6 line) and mariahilfestrasse which is like vienna’s orchard road with lots of shops, supermarkets, english cinema, gym etc.
kandlgasse is located 5mins away from burggasse u-bahn station (u6 line) cheaper, quieter than gasgasse. rooms arent as modern but more spacious and cosy. flats have 2 rooms so youre sharing your kitchen with just one other person. kandlgasse is near a big asian market and a popular club called chaya fuera. kandlgasse is also near mariahilferstrasse, and is a 10mins walk to gasgasse, 15 to travelshack.
tigergasse is pretty rundown. it’s located at rathaus (u2 line), wont really reccommend living here.
sechshauserstrasse is located 7mins from landstrasse u-bahn (u6 line). the building is new and is pretty nice. also near an asian market. not as great as gasgasse/kandlgasse imo.
linked living. located 2mins from Krieau u-bahn station (u2 line), this hostel is amazing! super modern with the best room design, better than gasgasse. they only offer studio so you have your personal kitchen and dont need to worry about sharing anything with anyone. it’s €590+/month, making it the most expensive option
wohngemeinschaft/WG. for if you want the real experience of staying with local students and improve your german. you have to find these wg through the various listings – mostly in german, and mostly want a minimum 6 months contract. wgs are usually cheaper than oead residences and dont charge exorbitant deposits
Academic Matters
Courses in vienna are easy. Coming from NUS, we wont have trouble passing even when we cram the whole term's syllabus in a few hours the night before the exam. There are very few classes in the semester for the courses, especially when you take block courses where the mod only lasts a week. i took management accounting and 5 other finance courses.
Courses in vienna are easy. Coming from NUS, we wont have trouble passing even when we cram the whole term's syllabus in a few hours the night before the exam. There are very few classes in the semester for the courses, especially when you take block courses where the mod only lasts a week. i took management accounting and 5 other finance courses.
Travel
Vienna makes for the best base for traveling. bus/train takes you to southern germany, switzerland and eastern europe. further cities are easily reachable from bratislava, the slovakian capital €1 bus ride away. ryanair.com will be your bestfriend.
Vienna makes for the best base for traveling. bus/train takes you to southern germany, switzerland and eastern europe. further cities are easily reachable from bratislava, the slovakian capital €1 bus ride away. ryanair.com will be your bestfriend.
People
The bulk of the exhange students in wu are Americans (60%), Europeans (20%), and the rest of the world. This is totally the perfect time for you to get to know people from different countries - get to know about their lives and cultures. And if you speak their language, practice it! I learned some Russian phrases from my friend Maria, practiced my Spanish with Teresita, and German with just about every local every time I had the chance to.
The bulk of the exhange students in wu are Americans (60%), Europeans (20%), and the rest of the world. This is totally the perfect time for you to get to know people from different countries - get to know about their lives and cultures. And if you speak their language, practice it! I learned some Russian phrases from my friend Maria, practiced my Spanish with Teresita, and German with just about every local every time I had the chance to.
Lifestyle
I probably spent half the time traveling, the other half when i had classes and had to be in vienna i still had so much free time to wake up late, gym, cook, netflix and chill, dinner with friends, predrink and club – all in a day. Somehow in vienna it always feels like i had so so much time in hand, which is a nice change from our hectic life in Singapore.
I probably spent half the time traveling, the other half when i had classes and had to be in vienna i still had so much free time to wake up late, gym, cook, netflix and chill, dinner with friends, predrink and club – all in a day. Somehow in vienna it always feels like i had so so much time in hand, which is a nice change from our hectic life in Singapore.
The cost of living is comparable to Singapore - even cheaper I'd say. The only downside is that everything is closed on Sunday - but that's the norm in Europe. you can always go to bratislava where the mall stays open until 9 on Sunday – but you’ll probably spend those Sundays away traveling anyway.
I personally chose vienna because i was studying German and wanted to learn it further there, which i did but not as much as i thought i would due to the extent of traveling that i did haha. you should pick up some german too, it helps but dont worry bc most austrians speak english well
I personally chose vienna because i was studying German and wanted to learn it further there, which i did but not as much as i thought i would due to the extent of traveling that i did haha. you should pick up some german too, it helps but dont worry bc most austrians speak english well
ok wow i didnt realize ive written this much but here goes, hope it helps! if you have any question just let me know!
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