Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Start research about possible universities and places early. Researching one universities will take hours because you will want to know about possible courses, events, living,... If I had to do it all over again, I would start with trusting my gut on where I want to go. What countries come into consideration or maybe even cities. If you think you know enough about those then try to find 2 or 3 that you wouldn't have put into consideration but might be curious about. This way, you don not only prioritize the ones you already know but be experimental as well. Maybe make a list with the most important aspects with which you will be comparing universities with. For example: Courses available, university sport teams, campus ranking, attractions nearby.

2. Accommodation

Decide what kind of accommodation you want first. Are you fine with sharing the same bedroom with others? How many? What if those are randomly assigned roommates? I wanted to have my personal bedroom and thus chose off-campus living. Be aware of the approximate distance you'll need to walk to classes everyday and to the other facilities you'll mainly use. Try to calculate the approximate total costs you expect at each accommodation. Living on-campus isn't that much cheaper than living in an apartment.

3. Academic life at host university

I absolutely loved the campus and my courses. The professors were very unique people and I have a lot of good memories from my classes. The campus in total is huge since it kind of is the whole campus but that makes it so unique and made my experience so much better. Since in comparison Vienna is a huge city and in Iowa you will always be on campus. Teachers at the University of Iowa build a lot more personal relationship with every student and especially if you're an exchange student they take great care of you. The professors are always there to help, not only university related things and you can create great relationships. For me personally, it way a lot easier and I had a lot more fun studying at the University of Iowa than the WU. At first it might feel overwhelming since the university offers so many different courses. Therefore start early with getting familiar with all the possibilities offered.

5. Every day life in the host country

The busses in Iowa City are free, which is a huge pro. Since there weren't too many busses from my accommodation I mostly walked to all my classes (which at first felt like a con but turned out to be a pro as well since I loved the walks in the fresh air). Fitness facilities are all over campus and in walking distance. The best part about my exchange semester were the sport possibilities. Firstly, the facilities to workout (Fitness, Basketball, Bouldering, Volleyball,..) are endless. Additionally the University of Iowa has great Big10 Sport teams and I ended up visiting every single football game and a lot of basketball ones. There are a lot of green spaces throughout the campus which are great for hanging out or playing something with your friends. Additionally, my apartment complex had a lot of amenities.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester has been nothing but special. It really is a life altering experience. I’ve met a lot of great people and I am so thankful for my professors, with whom I’ve created amazing relationships and learned so much from. I actually enjoyed studying at the University of Iowa more and will miss Hawk Gamedays. Go Hawks!