Details

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

1. Preparation

To prepare for the application process at WU Vienna, I would read through the experience reports from previous years. This was particularly helpful in preparing for the interview and seeing what to expect at each university. I would also look at the Excel file with the rankings and applications from previous years to rank my universities. To prepare for the semester, I would keep a close eye on the deadlines. This is particularly important as it includes the dates for course registration, housing registration, and much more. I would also get in touch with other students from Wu University who are also going to the respective university at an early stage to discuss any questions. There is also a WhatsApp group with everyone who is going abroad for the semester, and I would join this group so that you can see who else is going to the same country.

2. Accommodation

Finding accommodation at the University of Richmond was very easy. You had to fill out a form with a few questions about yourself beforehand and were then assigned accommodation. However, you couldn't choose whether you wanted to share a room or have one to yourself. I lived in a house with three other exchange students and shared a room with my roommate. All exchange students lived directly on campus and the facilities were also very good. The location was very safe, and it was about a 15-20 minute walk to my classes. It is a beautiful area where only students live. One important tip to know beforehand is that the kitchen is not equipped with kitchen utensils. Many people have therefore ordered items from Amazon.

3. Academic life at host university

The infrastructure on campus is very good. It is a smaller university, so everything on campus is easily accessible on foot. For example, there are tennis courts, a hockey field, a soccer field and a gym. Furthermore, the buildings are very nice and there are many learning opportunities. In addition to the dining hall, there are other cafés on campus. However, the campus is about 25 minutes away from Richmond downtown and the connection to the city is not very good. To get to the city, you always had to order an Uber. But there is also a shuttle service that runs once an hour to Target for shopping. Academically, the university differs greatly from the teaching style at WU. Classes are smaller (often only 20 people in a class) and attendance is always mandatory. The professors are very nice and helpful and always respond to emails promptly. Unlike at WU. where you often only have final exams at the University of Richmond you also have assignments, presentations, group work, homework, and midterm exams during the semester.

5. Every day life in the host country

The University of Richmond is located just outside the city center, so the area is very safe. There is also a campus police force and I always felt safe. At the beginning of the semester, there was a fair where all the sports clubs introduced themselves. The University of Richmond offers a wide range of sports clubs and the gym on campus is also very well equipped (with a pool, massage chairs, etc.). There are also football games on campus on weekends that you can watch.

6. Testimonial

What made my semester abroad so special were the people I got to know. I was able to make friends with students from all over the world. I particularly appreciated living right on campus, which meant we quickly became a community. The University of Richmond is also beautifully located on a lake and the buildings are gorgeous. It was a special opportunity to immerse myself in a new country and get to know America as a country and its culture. During my time in the US, I traveled to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Miami. I also grew academically as the teaching style was very different from that at WU, which allowed me to learn a lot.