Details

• Thailand
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

I would start by looking for flights early on and checking the prices, as it might be cheaper if you book further in advance. What’s really important is to look for accommodation as early as possible, especially if you want to live in Nonsi or other places that are popular among students. Don’t forget to apply for your visa early enough, because this could also take some time. Regarding the university, you can look up older courses that they once provided for exchange students, but not all courses might be available for your semester abroad, because it depends on which term you are attending the university. Prepare enough clothes for nice and warm weather. One sweater should be enough, as it does not really get cold in Bangkok. Another tip is to already download apps like Grab and other typical apps that are used in Thailand, so you don’t have the stress once you arrive. Also, make sure to bring enough cash with you, especially for the beginning. You can open a bank account through the university, but this will take some time, and there are a lot of shops where you can either pay cash or by scan, but not by card. Once you have a Thai bank account, you will be able to use scan pay.

2. Accommodation

I was lucky to have someone in Bangkok who could look for accommodation for me. I have to say that it is really difficult to search from outside of Thailand if you want to find private accommodation. Often, they are not able to properly communicate with you, and renting usually starts with a minimum duration of one year, so look out for that and make it clear that you are looking for a shorter time period. It is easier to do it with Airbnb, but the prices there for the same complex are usually quite expensive. If you want to get into student housing like Nonsi, it is important to reach out to them REALLY early to get a place to stay there. I stayed in a private condo complex named Urbano Absolute Sathon-Taksin, located close to the Icon Siam shopping center. Bangkok generally is really safe, and it took about 40 minutes by train or 20 minutes by motorcycle taxi to get to the university. A tip that I wish I had known is that you will end up taking motorcycle taxis a lot, so it is not necessarily needed to be directly connected to a train or metro station, because motorcycle taxis are cheap and will get you to the university really fast. So don’t just look at the time that public transportation will take to get you to university.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is really great. It is a big area in the middle of Bangkok with lots of things to do around it. It is also quite green, with lots of parks, and there are so many food stalls and shops where you can grab lunch, coffee, and so on. The classrooms were also quite good, and of course every room is nicely, sometimes too nicely, cooled by AC. I would say the academic culture is a little bit more chill compared to WU, but it depends on the course and professor. I wouldn’t underestimate it just because it is chill in the beginning, because there were times when, out of nowhere, it got really stressful with assignments and so on. Again, it depends on the course. I can recommend the course Monetary Theory and Policy with Mr. Pongsak, because he is such a great professor and the content of the course is really interesting. We even had an excursion to the Bloomberg office in Bangkok, which was really nice.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transportation is a great way to travel across the city. The system is easy to understand, and the prices are good. Again, with motorcycle taxis, it is easy to get around. Bangkok is generally really safe, and the people are so nice. The other exchange students I know and I did not have any safety problems. Regarding activities and events, it would probably be easier to list the things that are not possible to do or the events that are not happening, because there is probably everything you can think of in Bangkok. The university has its own sports complex with a gym, running track, swimming pool, and so much more. Generally, there are also lots of parks and gyms in Bangkok where you can exercise. There are also university sports clubs that you can join during your exchange, like a football club that plays against other universities or departments.

6. Testimonial

It was great to meet so many new people from all over the world and experience living together in a completely new culture. Exploring the city, communicating with the locals, and really getting a feel for the city was such so awesome. Studying there added another extra perspective on how things are in different parts of the world and made the experience truly unique.