Details

• Great Britain & N.Ireland
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 6 months

1. Preparation

Apart from applying for an ETA (which takes five minutes), there is no specific preparation. The cheapest, though not the fastest, way to travel from Vienna to Coventry is by flying to London-Stansted Airport and taking a National Express bus to Coventry. It is also possible to fly to Birmingham, but only from Salzburg. Then you have a much shorter bus ride.

2. Accommodation

You can apply for accommodation on campus. In my year, it was impossible for exchange students to get a room because of construction work. If you do not get campus accommodation, like me, the university will send you an application form for partner student accommodation in Coventry. I stayed there, like 90% of all exchange students. It was quite fun. However, I only received confirmation of my room one week before my flight, so you need to remain relaxed about it. It takes about 20 minutes by bus to get to university. It is a bit too expensive, but it is the least complicated option and you do not have to worry about anything. I had my own bathroom and a shared kitchen with six other people. This is quite good because you get to know new people immediately. Another option is to try and get private accommodation in Leamington Spa. Most students live there after their first year. It is much more beautiful than Coventry and full of students with a good social life. However, the bus journey to university is a bit longer and it is more complicated to organise beforehand.

3. Academic life at host university

Academic life at WBS is great and, at least in the rankings, much higher than WU. The campus itself is huge. In terms of overall size, with everything included, it is about 30 times the size of WU. Everything you need is on campus. There is a sports centre, football fields, a gym, a supermarket, pubs, restaurants, a cinema, and a 24 hour library (where you can even take your jacket inside), as well as forests and lakes... As exchange students only write essays and do not take exams, it is pretty easy and quite relaxed. There are also far fewer mandatory hours on campus compared to WU. I only had four hours a week where I had to be at university. For each module, there is a one hour lecture per week (no mandatory attendance, like an LVP at WU) and then a one hour seminar per week (this part is like a VUE). I can definitely recommend the module "Banks and Financial Systems" as well as "Foundations of Human Sociality and Cooperation" (which is taught by a former WU professor).

5. Every day life in the host country

Student life is quite different in a good way. It is much more active than at WU. There are so many things to do. There are over 150 sports clubs and more than 200 societies. It is not comparable to WU as it is much better. It is perfect for international students because it is much easier to integrate. It is also a very international university with many other exchange students from European countries. This makes it quite fun. If you want, you can take part in multiple activities every day, such as sports, society events, quizzes and drinking events. Coventry is also a perfect base for travelling by train as it is in the centre of England. If you want to fly around the UK, Birmingham Airport is very close.There are statistics suggesting that Coventry is the third most dangerous city in Europe. I definitely did not have such experiences. However, it is for sure one of the ugliest ones, so you have to be aware of that :-)

6. Testimonial

I would definitely recommend it. It is a good opportunity to perfect your English and study at an even higher level than at WU. It is definitely not as fancy as Asia or Australia, but it is much more authentic. There is no language or cultural barrier and everything is super international and student friendly. You can definitely integrate and do not just live in a bubble like in other exchange places. It is also one of the longest exchanges at six months. You have to use the campus facilities and opportunities. Join at least one society and sports club. Do something that is not easily possible at home, like joining a rifle club, playing polo or going proper English kart racing. Of course, if you are a football fan, go to the stadiums and experience the difference in fan culture.