Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

I had already lived in Washington, D.C. previously for about 1 1/2 years, so I only applied to that area. If you're looking for the typical American big city experience, D.C. might not be the right choice, since it is smaller and more comparable to Vienna. It's perfect if you like the feeling of a city, but don't want it to be too crowded or loud, which is why it was my first choice. Since I had previous experience with the American culture and university system, I did not particularly prepare for my exchange in this regard.

2. Accommodation

Since my boyfriend lived in Virginia, I didn't live on campus, but stayed with him instead. So I didn't have to go through the process of looking for accommodation. That meant, that I had to commute via metro, which took me about 1 hour each way. What I wish I'd known beforehand is how unreliable the metro was compared to the one in Vienna. The trains only go approximately every 12 minutes and there are frequent delays. So if you commute via metro, it's important to plan enough time to get to classes on time.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus is less modern than the WU campus, but it is well taken care of and has beautiful outside seating areas, which are great for lunch breaks and group work. I'd say the academic culture was characterised by motivated and dedicated students. The teaching style is more interactive than in a lot of courses at WU. The groups are smaller and the professors have a more casual relationship to their students. The professors really took their time to ensure their students succeeded and there's a lot of support from their side. I particularly enjoyed the courses "Financial Management and Markets" by Prof. Jostova and "Financial Statement Analysis" by Prof. Buzinkai.

5. Every day life in the host country

I felt pretty safe in D.C., just wouldn't recommend going out alone at night. There are a lot of free activites in the area, like a lot of museums at the National Mall. There are a lot of amazing restaurants in D.C., wo plenty of food to try. I spent most of my free time outside of the city and traveled to different surrounding states. There are plenty of great hikes in Shenandoah National Park and the beach is also just about 4 hours away, so an easy daytrip or weekend trip.

6. Testimonial

What made my exchange special is that I got to study alongside students from all over the US and experience the typical college experience that I usually only see on TV. I got to live and study in one of the most beautifuly cities in the US, in my opinion, and call it home for 4 months. I learned a lot during that time, for my life and my professional career.