Details

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

1. Preparation

How I prepared for the interview: I prepared answers to common interview questions, especially regarding my motivation to study abroad and the reasons for choosing my preferred universities. Before and after the semester, I did a road trip and therefore arrived and left by car. However, NC State is generally easy to reach by flying into Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and taking an Uber from there.

2. Accommodation

I was fortunate to get a spot in Wolf Village (on campus), which gave me my own room in a four-person apartment. All of my roommates were American. Having a car was very convenient however, I had to purchase a parking permit from NCSU. Parking permits for Wolf Village residents are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The location was very convenient, with about a 15–20 minute walk to most of my classes (I usually used an e-scooter instead). The campus itself felt very safe, even at night, with a noticeable police presence throughout the area.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus facilities are very good, especially the gym. It is modern and well equipped. You can borrow a lot of sports equipment for free, which makes it easy to stay active. Compared to WU Vienna, classes are more interactive and include regular assignments and projects during the semester. It is less focused on one final exam than at WU. I can recommend Personal Selling, which was very interactive and Micro-, Macroeconomics and Financial Management if you do not want to spend too much time studying. All of these were partly based on assignments and it's basically impossible to get bad grades if you put in a little bit of effort.

5. Every day life in the host country

I only used the bus once and mostly drove everywhere by car, which made daily life much easier. In general, having a car is very helpful, as public transport is limited compared to Vienna. Most other exchange students used Uber or Wolfline (free), which isn't too expensive either. There were many social and leisure activities on and around campus. Especially during fall term, there were many home games, which were a big part of student life. We also did multiple weekend trips to Outer Banks, Charleston, Asheville... I can also recommend enrolling in a sports class (I took Ultimate Frisbee). You can transfer the credits as free electives at WU.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester at NC State was one of the best experiences of my studies. I met so many new people and think I lived an authentic American college experience. I can really recommend travelling through the US and visiting other parts, because it is such a diverse country and just staying in one place does not give you the whole picture.