Study Engineering in Austria Why I decided
Life as an transnational pupil in Austria
I arrived in Villach in September 2019. I was so nervous and agitated, just a whirlwind of feelings!
I met some other Latin American scholars through Facebook and collective musketeers.
I also set up an apartment but could not move in the same day I arrived because the girl who was there had not moved out yet. So I stayed with a Mexican friend I met through a Latin Facebook group. I stayed with her until nearly the end of the month. Indeed though she’s the nicest and kindest person, I endured to move into my own beautiful and veritably cheap( 250 euro) apartment. It was my first time living alone so I was agitated to start this experience.
The megacity is relatively small, but so accessible to travel all the stories, supermarkets, premises and gutters are just a walk down.
I managed to get a bike which I restored and it’s my main means of transport which only takes 13 twinkles to get to university. It takes about 30 twinkles to get to the lake by bike, which is surely worth it because it’s a place to gather and sunbathe in the summer, play sand volleyball, converse with musketeers, and meet further scholars.
I also found a part-time job in a restaurant. It’s only on the weekends, which is great because it doesn’t interfere with my hours during the week. What’s more, the prices in Villach are not crazy. I survive on this salary, pay rent, food, phone bill, debts at home and have enough to go out with friends and enjoy student life.
Villach felt like my home from the moment I arrived. The university has so many other international students that they never feel uncomfortable speaking English. The people of Villach are so kind, they usually know you are a student and never treat you differently. There are so many places you can travel to, full of rich culture and history. Villach is a great place to study, work and enjoy life.
My top tip: Be patient during the application process
Patience is key if you want to study abroad.
If you get rejected, don’t stop. With time and patience, everything will eventually work itself out.
Once I started as an Au-Pair (which is a completely different process) in Klagenfurt, a neighboring city of Villach, I searched for many universities and master’s programs related to geoinformatics. During my research, I found and applied to five different programs. These requests were six months before the actual deadline. In my experience, working out the documentation was the hardest part, but once you’ve got it all figured out, you won’t have to do it again.
My favorite part of applying to study in Austria was the visa process, which was much easier than in other countries. Depending on your nationality, this can be done as soon as you arrive in Austria and only took two weeks, which was much less stressful than doing it at the Austrian embassy at home, which usually takes three to four months.
Never give up. The journey to study abroad has its ups and downs, but trust me, it’s more than exhilarating when you take your first steps onto a college campus.
