These past two months have been nothing short of amazing. In only a short amount of time, I feel at home in Vienna and am dreading leaving when all of my classes finish.

One of my classes has already ended, but I have my remaining three until the semester ends in June, two of which meet monthly. Wrapping my head around the academic cultural changes has been the most confusing difference for me, but I’ve accepted these differences and considered their pros and cons, along with how it may have developed.

I also do find it interesting that finals often weigh 60% or more of your final grade, especially now that I’ve had one final already. I do think that it is ultimately balanced out with how irregularly classes meet, meaning students have plenty of free time to study and prepare themselves. When I come back to the U.S., I personally wouldn’t want this system, but in the Austrian (and broader European) academic context, I can understand why this grading distribution was chosen.

My time management and planning skills have improved significantly and are being continuously improved on. Another skill that I have developed has been noticing the subtle changes, both physical and cultural, in my environment and how they connect to a multitude of values. In the past month alone, I’ve realized that the lines on the sidewalk are meant to guide the blind, while all of the trashcans have separate section for cigarette butts.

All of these combined leads me to have a better understanding of not only the Austrian way of life and business, but also allows me to apply these skills to other regions across the globe, regardless of my previous exposure to them, as these skills are universally applicable. My current success will allow me and future employers and project managers to see my cultural understanding skills firsthand and would grant me exclusive opportunities that I would not have access to otherwise.

Within my Pitt academic career timeline, this experience pairs perfectly with my German minor and allows me firsthand insight into a lesser discussed region in the Germanic area. Within the business context, this experience grants me insight that my peers will not have, allowing more diverse contributions when it comes to projects or studying. It also will assist in future classes, as I will be able to compare and contrast differing standards/practices, leading to a greater understanding of the topic at hand, or may even grant me an advantage in specific classes, as I am already familiar with certain topics.

Overall, my time in Vienna and studying at WU has been very rewarding! I can’t wait to experience more adventures in my remaining time in Vienna! Thank you for sponsoring me and allowing me to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!