IES Abroad Vienna Summer – Psychology

I had the best summer of my life. The teachers were great and when I got sick one day and I couldn’t come she was very understanding. The program is made so that you’re able to travel on weekends, which was great! There were many field trips (I think every week I had a field trip!) we traveled to a cemetery, an ice cream shop, and so many more amazing places! I loved this trip and highly recommend. Being in Vienna for 6 weeks changed my life and view on travel.

Studying abroad in Vienna was more than the classes and more than travel. It was rich with culture, language, and personal experiences. This program was a really great experience in a variety of ways. Built into IES's program is a unique independence. You are given the ability to live in the city, to roam freely, and experience firsthand the beauty around you. The independence also allows you to travel outside of Vienna, and even out of Austria through long weekends. I personally was able to visit Bratislava, Slovakia, and Procida and Naples, Italy. Others in my program where able to visit cities in Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and more. Europe is a great location for quick and cheap travel between nations. Beyond independence, this trip provided a chance to meet students from all over the United States and to develop friendships that have lasted beyond returning to our home universities. Last, Vienna was so unique in its "cafe culture". Dozens of cafes existed in every district, each with their own unique style. My friends and I would sit at them for hours to do our school work or just relax and enjoy the city. I loved my study abroad experience this past summer.

Vienna is THE place to study abroad! It is a central location so it is perfect for other traveling, the culture and history is amazing, the food is incredible, and the city is unlike anything else. Through IES I got a lot of info about things to do, local places to visit, customs, etc. They also provided us with a dance class to prepare us for the Concordia Ball (a summer ball where everyone comes all dressed up and dances all night) - SO much fun!

This program is a great way to learn so much about the birth place of psychology, the Austrian culture, other European cities, as well as learning things you never knew about yourself. In only 6 weeks, I found great friendships I never expected to form and have grown a deep appreciation for Vienna that makes me constantly wish I could go back. My study abroad experience in Vienna was the best 6 weeks of my life!
The IES Abroad staff and facilities are wonderful and very inviting. The staff are always ready to help in any way they can with all sorts of things from helping us find secrets spots around the city to letting us borrow a hair dryer when ours didn't work. They also do an excellent job of getting you accustomed to the culture and life in the city when you arrive and being a support system until the day you leave! The classes and teachers were great as well. I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of work (the teachers totally understand that you are there to experience as much of the city and country as you can) and taking the beginning level German was more helpful than I had imagined. By the time I left I found myself understanding basic German being spoken around town.
Most importantly, the city of Vienna is absolutely amazing and I felt right at home within the first day of being there. Like always, there are some cultural differences you have to adjust to but it is a very laid back city and it doesn't take very long to feel right at home! There is so much to do right there in the city and there are lots of amazing cities in close proximity that you can easily visit on the weekend. While I was there, my roommates and I managed to travel to Salzburg, Hallstatt, Prague, Munich, and Budapest all while still finding plenty of time to enjoy our home city of Vienna!

When I went to study abroad through IES, I got the opportunity to travel around Vienna and get immersed into the culture with other students in the program. In addition, the area around the program was filled with opportunities and cultural gems, such as diverse foods and monumental buildings. The courses themselves were innovative and made me think about how the field of child development could be seen in children in Viennese schools. Overall, great experience!

Looking back on my time in Vienna never fails to bring a smile to my face. Before this program, I had never thought about visiting Austria, I didn’t speak German, and had no idea what to expect. Once I arrived, I was shocked by how much I loved the culture, people, food, and atmosphere. You can spend hours uninterrupted in a coffee shop, or stroll through the stunning streets of the first district. The public transportation is one of the best designed in the world and makes it easy to explore the entire sprawling city, and also has access train stations and airports which makes traveling on weekends seem effortless. Over only 6 weeks, my friends and I were able to also visit Salzburg, Hallstatt, Munich, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest. The city of Vienna is incredibly rich with history and I truly felt like I’d discovered something magical when I lived there. Taking courses in Psychology in the field’s own birthplace was absolutely surreal. I learned so much about Austrian culture, about the history of Vienna, and most significantly about myself as an independent student and traveler. I will forever be grateful for this incredible experience, and I am being truly honest when I say my friends from the program and I frequently message one another desperately wishing we could go back.

I knew I wanted to study abroad and when searching for programs, Vienna with IES Abroad seemed to be the best fit for me. I had a friend in high school that lives in Vienna, so it was nice knowing there was a familiar face there. Orientation and classes once I got to Vienna gave me a pretty good sense of what I had gotten myself into. What I had gotten myself into was a city of culture. A city of experience. A city that truly felt like home after only six weeks. The classes I took while there helped me learn the language and experience some local culture with field trips. I lived in an apartment with two roommates who were willing to explore with me. Overall, this experience was life changing. I wish I could go back tomorrow, but until then, I'll relive my journey through sharing my experiences with others. If studying abroad is something you are considering, I highly suggest IES Abroad Vienna.

IES abroad did an amazing job at ensuring my study abroad experience was holistically AWESOME. From class trips to Budapest, strolls down historic Viennese neighborhoods, hiking trips, and trips to the vineyards, among a few other things, IES went above and beyond. In addition, IES did an amazing job at providing housing close to the palace (YES, palace) where classes were taught at. The transition from the U.S. to Vienna was exciting yet not overwhelmingly stressful. Indeed, the transition was closer to a cultural shift, not a cultural shock. For example, most of the people in Vienna speak English. Long story short, no amount of text box space will ever be enough to express just how life changing studying abroad in a magical city like Vienna was.