Details

• Italy
• MAWiRe-21
• Graduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Make sure to start looking for accommodation long before you leave for Milan. Although Bocconi offers some student housing opportunities, they are far from enough to accommodate everyone.

2. Accommodation

I didn't get a spot in student housing, so I booked an apartment on Airbnb instead. It offered great long-term discounts and gave me the flexibility to shorten my stay later on. While Bocconi's official schedule says the semester runs until the end of June, in reality, you will likely finish all your exams by the end of May.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is great, though some buildings are older than those at WU. Unlike the standalone campus we're used to, Bocconi is embedded right into the city. The academic culture feels pretty similar to ours, except there's a heavier focus on rote learning for exams. Most of the time, exams are multiple-choice tests taken on your laptop. I can't recommend the 'Structured and Project Finance' course enough!

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport is good, especially the new driverless metro lines which arrive almost every two minutes. The buses and trams are fine, though they can get a bit sketchy the further out you go past the outer city ring. I didn't have any safety issues at all. Bocconi doesn't offer a ton of official social activities, but you can easily find things to do by googling or joining up with other students. I highly recommend taking the Italian language course to meet people. There are also plenty of student WhatsApp groups to join.

6. Testimonial

My exchange was one of the most important experiences of my life and studies. It gave me a brand-new perspective on studying and teaching, and provided me with great ideas for my future career. I made tons of new friends from all across Europe and had plenty of time to enjoy Italy. While some courses were excellent and others less so, all in all, the experience was amazing