Exchange Report

The preparation for my exchange at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago was quite easy. Our university coordinator told us that we should not apply for a visa because the process can take a very long time. So I had to leave Chile within 90 days and then enter again. I did this several times during my exchange, which also gave me the opportunity to travel to other countries during the semester.I also recommend looking for flights early and comparing different routes. I flew from Vienna via Frankfurt and Buenos Aires to Santiago. The trip was quite long, but the route worked well for me. Another important thing is the course selection. I would recommend checking early which courses can be credited at your home university.

I booked my accommodation through Airbnb before coming to Santiago. Moreover, I wanted to live on my own, because I wanted to experience Santiago independently. My apartment was close to Cerro Santa Lucía and I was very happy with the location. I felt safe in this "Barrio" and could reach many places quite easily. The apartment also had a swimming pool, a small gym and a doorman, which was a big plus for me. Furthermore, the price was very good for what I got (around 700-900 Euros per month). The only bigger disadvantage was the distance between apartment and university. The campus in Peñalolén is quite far from the city centre and the ride took more than one hour. I usually took an Uber, because using the Metro and the university's bus would have meant to get up way more earlier in the morning.

The campus at Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Santiago was nice, with many cafés and places to study. Unfortunately, the food at FORK (restaurant) was quite expensive. Compared to WU Vienna, the classes at UAI were much more practical. We worked a lot with real-life examples and case studies, which I really liked. I took all my courses in Spanish and was usually one of only one or two exchange students in the class. The professors were very helpful and always took their time to answer questions in English or in Spanish . I can especially recommend TIN (Taller de Introducción a Negocios). It consists of interesting presentations and group work. All in all, I really liked the practical and interactive teaching style at every course.

First of all, the public transportation system in Santiago was generally good and easy to use. The only problem was the long ride to the university. Compared to other countries in South America, I felt very safe in Santiago. Furthermore, there were many things to do in my free time, especially with all the shopping centres and parks. Every week there was an exchange event called “Miércoles PO” in Barrio Lastarria, which was a great way to meet other exchange students from all over the world and I really enjoyed these nights with good music.

I would definitely recommend trying not to stay only in the typical exchange student bubble. I chose to study in Santiago, where most of my colleagues were Chilean, which gave me a great opportunity to experience the local culture and practice my new favourite language Spanish. For me, this was one of the best parts of the exchange.