I’ve just finished my intense exams and my semester is coming to an end, so I’m happy to share my experience in Austria.
I study Environmental Engineering at TAMK, but because I am very interested in renewable energy, I chose mostly Electrical Engineering courses during my exchange in Austria. It was both the worst and the best decision I’ve made. On one hand, I didn’t have much background in electrical engineering, so it took me a lot of time and effort to study. On the other hand, I’m very happy I made this decision because I truly enjoy the subject.
Studying here is very different from studying at TAMK. Basically, every engineering course has two to three exams: a theory part, a practical (calculation) part, and a laboratory part. It’s very intense for me because we don’t have theory exams at my home school. I had to gain a deep understanding of every subject so that I could explain the mechanisms. On top of that, some the exam time is very short — sometimes only one hour — which makes it even more stressful.
The ECTS credits here are quite low, usually only 2–3 per course, so I had to choose many different courses to complete my semester. At the beginning it was okay, but when the exam period arrived, it became extremely stressful. Some students have 5 exams in a week! Personally, I prefer the way it is at TAMK, with more ECTS and a longer study period, so I can gain more knowledge from each course. Most of the courses here have only about 10 lectures, which feels quite short for such technical subjects. The full-time students here also told me that if they fail even one course, they may have to repeat the whole academic year, which is unbelievable to me. However, this system also creates more pressure and motivation to study (probably not to me).
During my spare time, I travel around Austria and even outside the country. It’s very convenient since Austria is in a central location in Europe. I’ve also met many new friends during my exchange. We have weekly game nights together, and it’s always so much fun.
Comments