Details

• Indonesia
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Tips for the application process at WU for future outgoing students: Read the WU guidelines carefully and check the WU website for outgoing students regularly so you don't miss any deadlines or updates. Attend information events and talk to former exchange students to gain insights into topics such as housing, courses, and cultural adjustments. I definitely recommend reading the experience reports in the OSS! Prepare the necessary documents in advance, especially language certificates, and have your course equivalencies confirmed by your academic advisor before submitting them. In general, I would recommend researching the requirements of the respective universities extensively and also finding out about the political situation in the respective country. Tips for preparing for your semester abroad (in Yogyakarta, Indonesia): Before you leave, find out about the culture and climate in Yogyakarta, as these are very different from those in Austria. Secure accommodation early. Plan your budget realistically, as daily expenses are affordable, but travel costs, weekend trips, vaccinations and insurance costs will add to your expenses. Pack simple clothing, as there are dress codes, as well as sunscreen and rainwear, especially if you are travelling during the winter semester, as the rainy season usually begins between September and October. Vaccinations and health insurance should be organised in advance. Be prepared for slower bureaucracy, traffic and flexible schedules. Be open to local customs and religious practices. Joining student groups and WhatsApp communities will help you settle in faster, make friends quickly and get lots of recommendations on what to do, where to buy certain things etc.

2. Accommodation

The search experience was easy, I just contacted the landlord named Ghanda who was mentioned in the previous experience reports on WhatsApp and he arranged a room for me to stay in one of his houses. The room was private with a private bathroom.You share the kitches which has stoves but no oven with the other residents from the house. there is also a pool and a communal space outside. they offer to clean your room for free weekly which is nice. there is also a water dispenser of 16 liters so you theoretically do not need to buy water because you can fill up your bottle at home all the time. the area is very safe but i would generally say that it is pretty safe anywhere in yogya. but i wish i'd known beforehand that staying on the upper floor of the house would be better because the showers on the bottom floor are kind of open so when it rains the floor of the bathroom gets wet easily. it is also very close to the campus of the ugm: 10 min max by scooter, 1 hour walking and I would never ever take the car but I guess it would take 30 minutes and very slow driving. the accommodation also provides scooter to be rent which is great and there is an ac in every room. but be cautious bc you could catch a cold. i do not reccommend that. also you might have to buy a proper blanket and towels and maybe pillows depending on how picky you are about hygiene standards because i am quite sure they just wash them but not replace them even after years.

3. Academic life at host university

the academic culture is completely different from what i was used to at wu. at ugm it is very chaotic and schedules tend to be changed very spontaneously which is difficult if you want to plan ahead. the campus infrastructure is normal: ac in the classrooms, the classrooms on the other hand are small and not lecture halls but more like american high school rooms with those small chairs that have a "desk" attached to them. the teaching style is dominated by group projects and a lot of presentations so i would say pretty similar to wu. i would say, though, that the academic level is not the same and the average student body age is maybe 18-19, they start uni very early i observed.

5. Every day life in the host country

there is public transport called transjogja but i never used it so i cannot provide you with any information regarding this. i always used the scooter which i would reccommend. it was very safe during my stay except for some protests which included indonesians burning down a building of the government as well as the latter killing a grab driver but that was in jakarta. the political situation was quite "tensed" to say the least but to be honest just for a week. also in yogya even during that time we were pretty safe we just had online sessions instead of on-campus. the social and leisure activities provided by the ugm i do not know much about but you can attend pilates, yoga, dance, tennis, etc. etc. etc. classes anywhere for not much money. i also do not know much about events or any other social activities either because people my age do not do the same stuff there, their social activities are limited to going to the cinema and maybe getting some "gelato" together.

6. Testimonial

In a nutshell, it was a crazy but not necessarily in a positive way but to be fair i was busy writing my bachelor thesis which may or may not altered my judgment of the exchange. but to be honest the culture is not really quite my cup of tea - it is conservative, too old-fashioned and strict. but i have to admit the indonesians especially the elderlies are the most helpful and gentile people you will ever get to know. no matter the language barrier, the time of the day or how you look like, they will always try to help you out the best they can if you have a problem like not knowing the directions to your home anymore or needing wifi etc. the end of my exchange made my exchange special.