Details

• Thailand
• BaWiSo-19
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Booked both my flights 4 months before my exchange semester even started. I paid extra for the option of being able to move flight dates in case of emergency. Had a direct flight to Bangkok and back from Vienna, with EVA Air, would highly recommend.

2. Accommodation

Book the Amarin Mansion. It is surely not the best quality room, and it is also pretty far from the city center. But it is close to uni, and even more importantly, almost all the exchange students are there, which makes the difference. We had a community of 50+ people hanging out with each other constantly, since we all lived in the same accommodation. Everyone who wasn’t at Amarin regretted their decision. Some even moved from a luxurious condo with a pool, gym, and so on to Amarin after two months, just to be around all the other exchange students. Room type D is enough; it’s the cheapest option. Eating out is so good and cheap in Thailand that even the people who had a kitchen barely used it.

3. Academic life at host university

I didn’t enjoy their academic culture too much, to be honest. The courses in general weren’t too hard. I only heard multiple times about finance courses being very difficult, but I personally didn’t attend one. It is very outdated; there were professors who used Facebook to upload the course material. Also, I missed a final exam due to sickness, and it took me over 10 days of emailing back and forth to get confirmation of a resit for the exam. I also heard that people weren’t allowed to attend midterm and final exams because they didn’t wear shoes or long pants. So, in general, you just have to get used to very unusual treatment when it comes to certain things.

5. Every day life in the host country

Regarding public transportation: the quality of the metro is pretty good, but it is poorly connected. It rarely happens that metro stations are within walking distance of both your location and your destination. Once you get used to bikes on Grab, you will not use any other type of transportation. It is quicker than the metro and cars, since the traffic in Bangkok is pretty bad, and it is cheap as well. Bangkok is really safe when it comes to crime. But the traffic can be really dangerous, so I would suggest that you wear a helmet every single time you get on a bike. Also, the hospitals aren’t quite the best. Several people had problems with doctors not being able to help with many different issues. There are many things to do in Thailand. Regarding events, I would suggest looking things up on the internet. But more importantly: socialize and meet other exchange students. They all have plans; just join them or do things based on their recommendations. Regarding sports, I tried to join the school’s football team, but the tryouts were before I got to Thailand, so I wasn’t able to. There is a small football field on the other side of the road from Amarin Mansion, where we used to book the court once a week and play with the exchange students. I would highly recommend it, since we met a lot of people through football. For the people who live at Amarin: I used to go to Gail Gym, a little gym that has all you need and is almost always empty. It costs about €30 a month, which is way more than I thought, but it is probably the best option you have.

6. Testimonial

It is the best experience I have had in my life. Bangkok is the spot to do an exchange. It is very cheap for your daily needs, and travelling around was also very cheap. I had round trips to Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo for less than €250 each, including accommodation. I would also highly recommend travelling within Thailand. I visited 15 places in Thailand, and especially the islands were incredible. I couldn’t even tell you which one was the best.