My experience
Studying at the University of Vienna's summer school was one of the best decisions I have made over the course of my university life. Not only did I get to make friends from all over the world, I also got to study in the picturesque lake-side town of Strobl in Austria and spend a wonderful summer swimming in the lake and enjoying the outdoors. The courses were challenging and the class-sizes were small which meant that there was lots of opportunity to participate in class discussions and really get to know your teachers and your classmates. I liked the informal style of the classes and that the assessment was mostly based on your participation in class and oral presentations, which is very different to the assessment style for law subjects back home.
How has the experience changed you?
I have gained many new friends from this experience. Spending four weeks with people in classes and enjoying the lake and travelling to nearby towns in our spare time helped build some great friendships. It is great that many of the close friendships I made were with people from the University of Queensland. We now have a group of 17 of us who still catch-up in Brisbane and reminisce on our time in Strobl.
Favourite memory
Some of my favourite memories from Strobl involve the afternoons spent at the lake or partying with all the other summer school participants at the festivals that were held in Strobl on the weekends we were there. One was a very Austrian festival - the locals dressed in lederhosen and dirndls and they had local bands playing.
Top tips
I would definitely recommend doing it! When we are at home in Brisbane we tend to have a lot of commitments and responsibilities. One of the best things about the Summer School is that you can just focus on studying, having fun with friends and exploring a new part of the world. One thing I wish I'd done was go over a bit earlier and take advantage of the July university holidays to explore a bit of Europe before going to the Summer School.
Funding
I received a $6500 OS Help Loan and a $1000 Travel Grant for my exchange experience which covered the costs of the courses, accommodation, catering and some of the flights.