The city. Vienna is an amazing city that many people don't consider, but it is beautiful, clean, safe, and has so much culture. It was everything an exchange student could ask for. Not to mention it is so central we could travel to a different country in less than an hour.

The orientation program was amazing. They did a great job of helping you meet other people in the program, and giving you awesome experiences. I learned so much about Austria and the beautiful city of Vienna.

Truthfully, it's extremely hard to name only one thing! My time in Vienna was absolutely amazing. Vienna itself, is a beautiful, clean city which was an amazing "home base." Due to its centralized location, I was able to easily travel to 14 different countries. When looking at the specific program, I would have to say that my favorite part was the Buddy program that WU Vienna offered. Although it isn't part of the study abroad office, but rather a student organization, it was an instrumental part to easse my transition into living in a different country. There were various social events that were planned around Vienna, so it was an excellent way to meet other students who were studying abroad from all over the world. On top of local events, you had the option of choosing to sign up for a destination trip. They planned around 5-8 trips/ semester that you had the opportunity to be part of. Another great part of this program was the option to have a "buddy" assigned to you. Your buddy was responsible for picking you up from the airport, helping you buy a sim card, and other misc. tasks that need to be accomplished once you first arrive. It was great having a local student be there whenever you had any type of question.

Learning how to live in a foreign country was difficult at first, but so rewarding. I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. Traveling was also incredible. Meeting so many different people and experiencing so many cultures was eye-opening and so much fun.

To be honest, the classes that I took at WU were not very easy. They pushed me to be a better student & I learned how to balance my time between traveling and also earning good grades. I was able to learn more about different cultures & how marketing needs to be altered based on the geographical location.

I thought that my program was very unique in offering a two week orientation at the start of the semester. This opportunity was extremely rewarding because we were giving numerous tours, two day trips in Austria, and several unique classes to further explore Vienna and Austria as a whole.

Don't be afraid of going to a country with a different language. If anything else it just enhances the cultural experience and it is so fun learning phrases!

Do not be afraid to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Most of the time the most uncomfortable situations lead to the greatest experiences. Also, during the orientation period try to meet as many people as possible because traveling with a group of new friends makes it even more rewarding.

Don't be scared to reach out to other students and try to make friends. Everyone is just as freaked out as you are and they are always glad to have someone reach out to them.

If you are on the fence about studying abroad- do it! I was apprehensive about participating because I was worried about leaving KU for a semester & missing out. I was able to learn a lot more about myself since I was forced to be extremely independent. I was able to make new friends from all over the world & I will forever be so thankful that I made the choice to study abroad.