Details

• Portugal
• MAMark-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

there is not much to prepare, as an EU citizen everything goes rather smoothly :)

2. Accommodation

Be sure to look for accommodation early, but also don't go with the first, seemingly best option. The number 1 thing to focus on is whether the accommodation has heating - you will need it!! Apart from that: - choose a location with a good connection to Uni (preferably using the blue metro line) - I searched for a shared flat privately and was happy with the choice (not a fan of student residences) - nice areas to live at: Santos / Marques de Pombal / Parque / Alameda / Avenida - wouldn't recommend: Martim Moniz, Graca, Alfama

3. Academic life at host university

Campus facilities: not comparable to WU - everything is pretty old school, but you get used to it Academic culture: The expected academic level is not too high and it's hard to fail a course. However, getting the best grade is also not the easiest, so you do have to work for that if you care about good grades. Unfortunately, me and all my friends made the experience that group work with portuguese class mates results in you having to do the group work all by yourself as they don't really care..so choose your groups wisely when you can! Teaching style compared to WU Vienna: Catolica has mostly trimester courses with 3.5 ects each, so in total you have to do 7-8 courses for 25 ects. Most classes are in small groups and very interactive. Attendance is tracked quite strictly in most courses, and usually you have 2 courses per week for each course - so this can get quite dense. Course recommendations: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility!

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport: The metro is pretty reliable, the busses aren't at all - welcome to the south :) But bolt/uber is extremely cheap, which is a huge plus Safety situation: as a girl, I hardly ever felt unsafe as Lisbon is such a young and lively city. Nevertheless, there are some areas I would avoid when alone: first and foremost Martim Moniz (a drug hotspot) and also some areas in Graca can be quite sketchy at night. That being said, I am a very aware person and nothing has ever happened to me, but I've heard of many incidences of friends having their phones stolen and so on, so definitely be a little more careful Social/leisure activities: Lisbon is amazing if you love to consume - the coffee-, food-, bar- and shopping culture is great! Here is a list of my absolute faves: - magnolia bistrot & wine bar - Marquise - Bar alimentar - Pomme eatery - Neighborhood cafe (breakfast burrito with chorizo and acai pb smoothie!!) - Manteigaria: best pastels - Leonetta Also, the highlight of my whole exchange was definitely my trip to Madeira - you HAVE to go! We went in November and the weather was still great! I also recommend going to Porto, Cascais, and if the waves are nice: also Nazaré. Events: The Yard festival was my absolute highlight in Lisbon- if you like house music, you can't miss it :) Sports options: Lisbon offers everything: from gym over padel to pilates - you name it! The prices are comparable to Vienna

6. Testimonial

Unfortunately I really cannot recommend the university - it was the worst part of the experience: not challenging, but just exhausting and boring without learning a lot of new stuff. However, the city does make up for it. I had a great time with my friends, soaking up the sun, trying new things such as surfing, traveling around Portugal and simply making memories.