Details

• Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
• BaWiSo-19
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

I think it's great if you arrive in Taiwan with some knowledge of Chinese. Sadly, I didn’t have any and felt like I was missing out on some cultural experiences. However, even if you haven't learnt Chinese yet, National Taiwan University is a great place to start. They offer language courses for different levels, and you quickly become part of a community of other people learning the language. As for travelling to Taiwan, we are fortunate that there are direct flights from Vienna to Taipei. This is quite convenient, and I had a good experience with EVA Air.

2. Accommodation

National Taiwan University offers dorms, and I applied for them. I ranked the single dorm on top, the double dorm second, and the quadruple dorm third, and ended up getting the quadruple dorm. The Prince dorm is the best one, but all the local students want it too, so it is rather unlikely to be placed there. I was placed off campus in a rather unremarkable dorm, which had a lower quality than the Prince dorm. I heard from other students in the Yuantong dorm that they encountered cockroaches, but in my dorm I only saw a single one in the corridor. Never keep open food in your room. I think it is still a great offer from NTU to offer very cheap dorms, but if you are used to the standard of living in Vienna, lower your expectations by some margins. Personally, I would probably not choose the quadruple off campus dorm again, as rent prices (also the overall price level) in Taipei are generally more affordable than in other big cities. My recommendation is to apply for the NTU dorm, and if you get a place in the Prince dorm, take it gratefully. At the same time, look for other options on the private market if you don’t get the spot in the Prince dorm. But it is hard for me to give a final recommendation, as I think the dorm experience can provide fun if you have never experienced it. Many dorms organise events so it can be a good place to make some friends. So if you are open to share a room with other people, it can definitely be a cool experience. On the other hand, if you seek a calm place to relax, a private single room may be the better option after all.

3. Academic life at host university

I completed five courses and the quality was rather mixed. It is hard for me to draw a conclusion from completing only five courses, but I think the Chinese courses are conducted at a higher level, whereas the English courses can be a hit or miss. The university itself and the campus, however, are great. You are surrounded by nature and quickly soak in an academic spirit. There are many sports facilities and the Daan District is great for students. I would say that in terms of effort the courses seemed similar to WU, but also less standardised. Some may be disproportionately hard, and others extremely easy. Also, if grades are very important to you, NTU can be rough. Grading can be erratic, so even if you put in all the effort, it can be out of your control to get the A+, and only the A+ translates to a 1 at WU. There has been a discussion at NTU that they gave too many A+ in the past, and it seems like some professors are stricter now. In one of my courses, however, nearly everyone got an A+. So that corresponds to my remarks about the quality and structure of the courses being less standardised.

5. Every day life in the host country

The quality of life in Taiwan is extremely high, and the people are friendly and helpful. You will have overwhelmingly positive experiences and interactions with the people, and all the workers seem extremely disciplined as part of their culture. The crime rate is extremely low, so even late at night you will feel safe. Public transport is (nearly) always on time and clean. Baseball is the national sport of Taiwan and going to a game is a cool experience. There are also parties in Taipei, but partying is way less common for the typical Taiwanese student. The drinking culture is becoming more popular in Taiwan, but is still rather uncommon. Overall, living in Taiwan feels easy going and efficient. Everything just works and is convenient.

6. Testimonial

The exchange was a great opportunity to dive into an exciting culture. It was exciting to meet so many Taiwanese people and interesting to observe their academic culture as well as the cultural differences in general. I always noted down when I observed a cultural difference, and as the months passed by, the list became quite lengthy.