IES Abroad Vienna

Vienna, Austria has so much to offer particularly for students interested in studying abroad, learning about a new culture, country, and people from all around the world. Museums, opera, farmers markets, restaurants, churches, live orchestras, night scenes, palaces, parks.... there is an infinite list of places and events one could attend every day. The IES program and housing locations made my time spent in Vienna even better, right in the center of the city, we were able to walk back and forth from the housing to the program in just 20 minutes while enjoying the beautiful scenery around us.

I was overall dissatisfied with this program. The courses were taught without the use of any modern technology (in general, no visual aids) and the options were limited. My psychology professor was the most disrespectful professor I have ever had, using two hours of a weekly three hour classes to argue with me and the other students about why we don't participate enough. When we told him that we're used to a different teaching method, he told us to "go back to America." The administration runs slowly and with outdated policies. The only positive things that came out of this semester were a great music teacher, a good internship, and a few friends. Had I looked at other programs, I probably would not have chosen IES Vienna Music.

Located on the Danube, Vienna, Austria is in the center of Europe and is a hub of immense culture with a huge emphasis on the arts. This city is rich with different cultures and through the architecture and different parts of the city, one can see all of these cultures come together. It is the only capital city in Europe that makes wine. Traveling throughout the country and Europe is extremely easy to manage because of its central location.

From the moment I stepped off of the plane, IES Abroad staff members were there to greet me and take the rest of the students to orientation. They answered any possible questions we had and made sure we knew as much about the city as possible before we lived in it. They immerse you in the Austrian culture by first taking you to the countryside outside of Vienna. We were well informed about the public transportation, how to get to school, the culture that we would face, and how to live in this brand new city. The staff is this helpful for the entire semester and it is wonderful. The staff also organized 4 different field trips including a Germany trip, a ski trip (in the Austrian Alps!, and 2 trips around Austria).

There are a variety of classes from music, psychology, business, art, and, of course, German. The instructors know that traveling is a priority for students. They make an effort to immerse you in the Vienna culture while learning by going on field trips. There are also internship opportunities that can further immerse you in Vienna culture and help you connect with locals. The teachers are from a variety of backgrounds. Some are alumni of the program which is always a great connection to have. The academics are not too rigorous. You learn, but you have a lot of fun while doing it.

The IES staff will help anyone that encounters culture shock and makes it a requirement at the beginning, middle, and end, to discuss each phase of culture shock we would be facing. The city is extremely clean and safe. The housing that IES provides is fantastic. There are homestays and apartments. Most people stay in apartments with other IES students and are scattered throughout the city. I loved that my friends were all in different locations. I could explore the city while going to everyone's house. Vienna has multiple districts and each one is unique and has it's own history.

If you are looking for a culturally rich city that is easy to navigate and become accustomed to, then this is the right program for you. Even if you are not too into classical music or opera, you can still appreciate the lifestyle that these people lead. You will want to travel and discover more of Europe, but you will also want to stay for a lot of weekends to discover Vienna. There are lots of parks and fun places to go to for night life or museums and things to explore during the day.

Any difficulties I may have encountered I overcame during my stay. They were mostly related to the culture being different and that is something that everyone can relate to while traveling. I would recommend this program to anyone that asked. I made wonderful memories.

My semester in Vienna was nothing short of amazing. I fell in love with the city and the Austrian countryside will never stop calling my name. I was able to travel (inexpensively and efficiently) to incredible places surrounding Vienna on any given weekend. Events in the city, museums, operas, concerts, and shows are constantly going on and the talent is above and beyond anything I had ever seen or heard. I lived in wonderful apartment (clean, safe, 30 min. commute into the heart of the city, nicely furnished) with four other students. I went to class every day in the center of the city and spent most weekends traveling to the countryside or other countries and exploring the city. I learned a lot from my professors and really enjoyed my classes. They were thought-provoking and challenging but not too rigorous so that I had time to have fun and relax. The staff at IES Vienna are amazing and were so friendly, helpful, and supportive. Not knowing any German before leaving the country and moving to Vienna was scary but I did just fine and IES prepared me pretty well to be able to converse with the natives. I would have liked to make native friends and be a little more immersed in the culture.

This study abroad program had everything you could think of to make a great study abroad experience. The staff makes adjusting to a new city easy and fun, starting from the orientation weekend and settling into our housing. the housing is great, a lot of the apartments are near the city center, and close to other student apartments. Throughout the year IES hosts several different trips for students, and throughout both semester I went on each of them. The three city trips were inexpensive and a great money savor. I got to see a lot of different areas of Austria I would not have seen otherwise. The ski and snowboard trip was my favorite because of the deal we got on rentals, and the fact that there was always someone to ski whether you were just learning or experienced.

The best part of the program was the range of academics they offered, since you could take classes at both the IES center and the University of Vienna. The teachers at IES are great because they really try to get you out of the classroom and explore the city. For example in my art history classes we spent most of the time in different museums, and even got free museum passes from them.

Overall Vienna is an amazing city to live in, since there is always something to do, places to explore, and events the city is planning. IES is very good about informing students on the different events being thrown around the city. The public transportation is easy to understand and learn, and efficient. Plus students can feel comfortable about safety, not once did I feel scared to use public transportation at night.

This program was AMAYIGN! The IES Abroad staf made studying abroad such a great experience, and they were a huge help when it came to any needs that arose. The living arrangements are clean and very nice. The academics are challenging but not life consuming wich left me with lots of free to to enjoy the culture and travel. There are a large aray of courses offered, and IES even offers courses in German. If you have the time to stay an extra month, IES will help you enroll and take courses directly at the University of Vienna for no extra cost! Because Vienna is such a melting pot, getting to now the locals and area was great! I even joind a cheerleading squad and made some life-long friendships. Oh, and if you are interested in history, go to Vienna! They have countless museums and historical sites. The city is beautiful, the locals are awesome, the culture is diverse and fun, and the IES makes study abroad an adventure! Go to Vienna!!!

Vienna was an absolutely beautiful cosmopolitan city. I had the most fun exploring hidden streets, cafes, or local hideaways revealed by the staff at IES. The academic classes were not that difficult, but I went to art museums, birthplaces of composers such as Beethoven, and attend operas and other music events, and they provided me the tangible evidence of history. I wish I could have immersed myself in the language more and taken advantage of the language buddy program, because they pair you up with an Austrian student and you get a chance to have a local critique your German, not to mention an Austrian friend. Being away from home for six months was challenging, but the chance to explore a city that deeply was one I never would trade.

Vienna is literally all I could have asked for in a city in term of studying abroad. There is always something happening (concerts, operas, musicals, plays, festivals, parties, and so much more), it is an incredibly safe city, it is clean and green, surrounded by alpine mountains, full of life, and so so amazingly easy to get around in. Not a day has gone by since I have been in Vienna that I haven't found another reason to love this city. And I certainly think that IES Abroad Vienna has a lot to do with this. They provided my the resources and the knowledge necessary to make the most of Vienna. The IES staff are wonderful. Always so helpful, no matter how mundane your question is and just generally excited to show you as much of Vienna as they possibly can. However, I must say that IES can become sort of a bubble. You take all your classes with the same students in the same buildings. If you wanted to, you could easily limit yourself to the easy, comfortable life provided by IES. However, with just a little effort, it is fun and rewarding to step outside this bubble. For an example, I started taking two sports classes with Austrian college students at the Universität Sport Institut Wien (which IES staff helped me do).

One of my goals in this program is to not let a day go by without having done something new or exciting. This can be anything from going to an opera or trying a new restaurant, or going on a new hike. It is incredibly easy to make this happen. Most days it happens without any effort at all! It seems as though tons of amazing opportunities are simply everywhere in this city.

I have been enjoying all of my classes so far. I am a neuroscience major at my home school, so the idea of taking all history, literature, music, and language classes is both foreign and exciting. My professors have all been extremely well qualified and enthusiastic. I truly feels as though they are excited to teach this material and are excited by IES students. The language program has been wonderful. I adore my German class. I truly feel like my German skills have been improving every day and I have been enjoying it. Each class we find ourselves laughing and joking, all in German! It has truly been a great experience thus far.