Exchange Report

Preparing for an exchange semester needs good organization. The first step is depending on the destination, some students might need to apply for a visa and it is important to get a health insurance. I decided to go to Chile with a tourist visa, which meant that I had to leave the country sometimes, which was not a problem. In addition I had to refresh my passport since it would have expired end of June and made some copies of it to bring to Chile. As well I got a credit card which made my life there so much easier. Next is getting all the necessary information about the host university, keeping in mind all the application deadlines, required documents and course options, including the ones that are still missing here at WU. It is important to make sure that the selected courses can be transferred to your home university and are suitable for my studies. Furthermore keeping in mind the deadlines of the WU mobility grand, if taken, is essential and should not be overlooked. After that try to book flights as early as possible, checking how many luggages you might need (I took 2 big ones) and about the regulations. I needed to take a 19-20hr flight over Madrid and I would recommend not taking any more stops, because it can be quite exhausting. When all the organisational aspects are done, doing some research about the destination is vital. So I looked up how people in Chile communicate, since I heard the Spanish there is very much different from the usual. Also I looked up some important cultural aspects to avoid any cultural inconveniences.

As for accomodation I firstly looked what areas are the safest and best to live in as exchange students in Santiago. I found out that the safest options are Providenica, Las Condes and Nuñoa - so there was where I tried to live in. About half a year before my exchange semester started I searched up living options on CompartoDepto, where you can share rooms with other exchange student or locals. However since I started finding living options quite early I wasn't very lucky since most of the rooms should have been rented right away. So I planned to look a month before going. However I suddenly changed my mind since I wanted the full experience - living with many (international) students seemed like a more fun option for me personally. My options where platforms like Santiago Exchange, Livinnx and Rumi. In the end I went with Rumi. I picked a shared house with 10 people called "Casa Alicia" in Barrio Italia (Providencia). I loved the loaction since it was quite close to the city center with a 15min walk to my university FEN and quite safe. The platform overall was nice and the responsible people were always down to help if necessary. However the people of the house and me had some issues with our landlords, that's why I personally woulnd't recommend the exact house I was living in.

I personally really liked the exchange-students-life at my host university FEN. Applying for the courses was very easy, non-stressful and whenever there were problems, the international office was here to help! I noticed that the professors where quite close with their students and they all talked to each other more on a personal level, which I found really calming. It seemed like the professors really care about each student and actually listened to their problems and needs. As for campus facilities there were quite some options like a free gym, free sports and dance classes, language cafes, and many options to make connections, business and friendship wise. Nevertheless for exchange students it was recommended to not be a part of the sports team (football, volleyball, ...) since they do take this very seriously and you could drop out when caring too little as an exchange student. But if you are very committed it won't be a problem! One thing I personally didn't like too much was the non-privacy about the grades. So for example after each test/exam the professors just posted an excel on canvas where there was your full name, passport number and your grade next to it. I think many students would haved liked to receive their grades more in private and not the whole to know if/where you were bad at.

As mentioned before, I chose my student house because of its convenient location and closeness to my host university. Therefore I just walked for 10-15mins to classes. But I was also very close to a metro station and thus I sometimes used metro as well - though at night it's recommended using an Uber since in Chile and most other South American countries robberies and crimes are not that uncommon and can happen everywhere. Luckily Uber rides are compared to Austria very very cheap, usually between 2-10€, except to the Airport where it can be 20-30€. The metros were modern yet very crowded, so I avoided them around peak times. When you are an exchange student there are many things and activities offered - for example excursions like sightseeing, international nights, barbecue and clubbing with free entry to all different kinds of clubs. At my university we had "Isafen" who were responsible for all the things and activities you could do and kept you updated in the group chat. As for sports I usually went to the free gym of my university and visited some dance and pilates classes, which were cool and very cheap. Also in summer there is a public salsa dancing "class" in lastarria, so you meet people there and dance together with an instructor keeing everything organized. Don't worry, there is a beginner AND advanced circle (and it is super fun).

Chile in my opinion is one of the best and the MOST UNDERRATED exchange destinations, especially if you love nature/hiking and want to see more of South America. The Pacific, the Andes, the Atacama desert and Patagonia in the south made my stay there exciting and adventurous and therefore wouldn't have changed it to any other destination.