Universität Wien (UNIVIE)

Vienna is a very nice country, you feel yourself as home the diffirent is the atmosphare, clean streets, smily faces,

Don't forget your map although if you do you always end up where you started so you'll be alright.

Pack well- comfortable clothes- weather changes often-

If you go through the "ÖAD" (Österreichischer Austauschdienst), it is easy and you have to worry about almost nothing, but then make sure you got enough information about the halls you selected, before sending your preferences on their website (http://www.oead.ac.at). From my experience, "Haus Doebling" is really nice (very well located, cheap, clean and great to meet people from all over the world).

I majored in German and International Business so I had been studying German for about 5 years before studying abroad. However, this was only in the classroom setting. I always got A's in German, but upon my arrival in Vienna, I realized I could hardly speak- it was not natural at all. Most people just switched to English with me in the beginning. I had to be very proactive in finding out how to say things by asking and shifting back to German as much as possible. If you do not do this, people will improve their English with you, and you will continue being a typical mono-lingual American- force yourself (and them) to speak Deutsch! By the end, I was fighting with my roommate in German:)- by the way, she was the best roommate I ever had- fighting happens in the best of relationships:)