Details

• Great Britain & N.Ireland
• BBE-18
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

For the application interview at WU, I would recommend spending some time filling in the application form and preparing to talk about what you wrote. My interview lasted about 20 minutes and took place in a relaxed atmosphere. Questions included my motivation to study at my selected partner universities specifically, my personal and academic goals and community engagement. At the University of Edinburgh, each course is usually worth 10 ECTS and you are expected to take three courses. 2/3 of your courses have to be either within the Business School or the School of Economics, the third course can be within another School. First, the visiting students team told me that I could not enrol in third year economics courses, however it was possible, so just send an email in case. I generally recommend picking your classes as early as possible, even when the timetable is published quite late. I travelled to Edinburgh by plane and I recommend booking it two months ahead.

2. Accommodation

Accommodation in Edinburgh is generally more expensive compared to Vienna. I applied for a university dorm in March/April and had to indicate five preferred dorm choices. In the end, I was allocated a room in August which was not one of my choices and also much more expensive. I still decided to take it. The location was amazing (5 minutes from both Old College and George Square), the room was also good (although not very modern). The shared bathrooms and kitchen were alright, however, I had my social life mainly outside the dorm. Some friends I met had very nice rooms in shared flats, which were also cheaper. I recommend looking for private rooms early as a cheaper/better alternative. In case you get an expensive dorm room you didn’t indicate on your application, you could also try to get reallocated to another dorm (they officially say its not possible but I heard from some people who could change their dorm).

3. Academic life at host university

University buildings are spread throughout the city centre. I had all my courses (economics) around George Square. The main library is open 24/7. Generally, courses require more self-study compared to WU, however they are also worth more credits. All my courses had lectures and tutorials. In economics, you have a final exam worth around 75-90% of your grade in each course. If you plan to apply to master programs in economics abroad, I recommend the course “Advanced Mathematical Economics”. It was demanding but also very interesting, the lecturer takes a lot of effort to help students and it helps with master applications.

5. Every day life in the host country

I had an amazing time in Edinburgh. Since most of my friends and I lived in the city centre, I rarely used the bus system and walked everywhere. I experienced Edinburgh as a very safe city. There is a welcome week at the start of the semester. I arrived on the weekend prior to welcome week, which was perfect, as there were already some activities happening. I met most of my friends during welcome week, and I really recommend attending as many events as possible and make the most of it. The university also has an app listing all activities during welcome week. During the semester, there are many student societies hosting events as well as many student sports clubs.

6. Testimonial

I met wonderful people from different countries and had an amazing time. One highlight was a road trip my friend group and I made to the highlands, seeing some beautiful remote places. During the exchange, I learned so much both personally and academically, and I am very grateful for this experience.