Details

• Thailand
• MAMark-21
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

I recommend writing your motivation letter very honestly and realistically, the real reasons why you want to go to the partner university. Having good work experience really helps. You can select the courses yourself, so you can always try to find more information about them and see what you would like to do. As much preparation as you do, the university always changes stuff last minute, so be prepared for that :) Check for Visa Matters and any Vaccines if you want to take.

2. Accommodation

I followed the previous student's suggestion, but I also changed my location. For the first month, I stayed at Nonsi Residence. It is an okay place; it is only international students there, but mostly bachelor's students. It is not very modern, but it is cheap and has okay amenities, a pool, a small gym, and laundry (you have to pay 50 baht to wash). It is mostly great if you speak German, French, Spanish, or Italian because these are the big groups of people, and you can integrate better. If you want a spot at this location, you have to apply fast because the rooms go by very fast, basically as soon as you get the confirmation from WU. Another place you can try to get a spot at, and you have to do it fast, is CU iHouse; it is literally on the campus, but I am not sure if they allow exchange students. Also note that for most places the minimum contract time is 6 months, for some it can be a year, but you can negotiate to 4 or 5 months if needed. You can also find some offers on Airbnb. After one month at Nonsi, I moved to Lumpini Suite Phetchaburi - Makkasan because another classmate from WU was coming, but she was studying at Mahidol - CMMU, not Chula. We shared a 2-bedroom apartment and paid 37.000 baht per month. The condominium was good, we had good amenities, more modern, and in a good area. In general, I recommend these areas of Bangkok to stay in: Siam (very central), Silom, Sathorn (a bit further but also nice, more corporate, can find something more at the edge to the center), Pratunam (in general, I recommend the area under the train tracks, just for more proximity to other stuff), and Sukhumvit (this a cool, young people area, but it can be far from uni). My best advice is to try to be on the MRT Blue Line, as it is best to get to university, even though most of the time you end up taking the motorcycle, but it is best when it is raining. Here are some condominiums you can check out as well: Life One Wireless, Ideo Verve Ratchaprarop (there are more locations for Ideo,) like Ideo Q Chula-Samyan, Chapter Chula-Samyan, The Address Pathumwan (also more locations for the Address).

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is huge and very central to Bangkok, one of the most central universities. You have to respect the culture of the campus, and you have some clothing guidelines. There are many good amenities here, from sports facilities to hospitals, and many study spots. You will get food during the break for your classes. The classes are usually from 09-12, you get a small snack from 13-16, if you have them both, you will get lunch in between, and 18-21, and you get a full-course dinner (includes a small dessert). Classes last 3 hours, with a 30-minute break. The classes are sometimes very much storytelling-based, and sometimes they can be interactive and engaging, depending on the professor.

5. Every day life in the host country

There is a lot you can just, up to you what you prefer to. Bangkok offers a lot of opportunities, and of course, you can travel a lot. Public Transport is not the greatest, but you can use MRT, BTS, the Green Line, in general, all the trains/metros for public transport. They are the most reliable. Bangkok is very safe, and many people confirmed that. Of course, on the busy party streets, it can be a bit overwhelming, but nothing to be scared of. People bargaining in markets is another thing that can seem a bit pushy, but it is not that intense here in Bangkok. You can walk casually and ignore it. I did badminton as it is very popular here in Asia in general, and you can find great communities on the MeetUp app, for example. You can also do Muay Thai, with many options of gyms. You can enjoy the parks as well; they are a great way to relax, and of course, many treatments and massages for that.

6. Testimonial

My Exchange Semester exceeded my expectations. It was my first time in Asia, and I fell in love even more with the culture and lifestyle, especially here in Thailand: great food, kind people, many opportunities, and wonderful places. I also got to travel a bit to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, meeting some WU classmates along the way who were also studying abroad. The university did not disappoint either, with very skilled professors, Chulalongkorn managed to provide us with real and hands-on experience projects with big companies in Asia, everything while experiencing the asian teaching style. I am so grateful for all the new perspectives I've learned and all the memories I've made. I have even started a YouTube Channel for this experience alone: https://www.youtube.com/@flaviixx.