Studying abroad is the experience of a lifetime. You get to see different cultures, meet people from all over the world, and obviously, you get to travel. In our more connected global village, employers will also give you some extra points for stepping outside of your comfort zone. Choosing which country to go to and doing your research beforehand are keys to having the time of your life.
Marketing major Kayla Klim is a fifth-year UFV student who went to Austria for five months. Kayla is a member of the UFV Cascades women’s soccer team and has tips for students who want to go abroad, as well as stories from her wunderbar trip.
Where did you go for your semester abroad?
I went to Wiener Neustadt, which is a city 30 minutes outside of Austria’s capital, Vienna, and I was studying at the Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt.
Why did you choose Austria?
I went with my friend Charlie who I knew from our time working at Baker House, and we both wanted to go abroad. Although he wanted to go to Australia and my top choice was Scotland, we wanted to go together. We each listed five countries which we thought would be interesting to go to. We ended up with Switzerland, which was rather expensive; Netherlands, where the study program didn’t seem a good fit for us; and the winner, Austria. We contacted the school and everyone was super helpful.
How did UFV help you?
The international office here helped us a lot, especially the study abroad international coordinator, Jag. The application was pretty straightforward and he made sure that we had the right contacts at the school and that everything was running smoothly.
Did you get any scholarships to help you financially?
UFV has a couple things. Pretty much anyone who goes on an exchange gets like, $1,000, and that’s pretty awesome because if you book a return flight that basically covers it. There is also funding for what I would call “less desirable areas.” Think about the popular places like Paris and London where everyone wants to go to. If your choice is outside of these highly desirable areas you get extra funding.
Upon your arrival, what were the biggest surprises?
Sundays. Nothing is open, ever. Normally here on the weekend, that’s when I have time to do grocery shopping. Or even the public transport, which was similar to the U-Pass system but it worked only for one bus line which took us from the residence to the city centre, or the rail station which took us to Vienna. But it also didn’t run during Sundays.
How did you enjoy the classes?
They had small-size classes just like at UFV, and they were also similarly structured with group projects and lectures. Our first week we had an “Intro to Austria” class which was helpful. They gave us tips on which buses to use, how to get around, or what to see in Austria. The program itself was an international business, so there were students from many other countries — from Hungary, Macedonia, Slovenia, and Croatia — and it made it all nice because everyone was really friendly.
Apart from school what did you enjoy?
I tried a lot of things and I think I ended up traveling to 12 different countries. One of the greatest things about an exchange is that I got to make friends with people all over Europe, and later during the semester they invited me back to their homes. To see the culture from their perspective was super cool. Having those meaningful conversations at the dinner table and hearing about their countries from them was great. I went to visit a friend from Finland and thanks to her I got to see the Scandinavian way of life. I heard how expensive they are, that they’re taxed a lot, about their good education system, and that everyone speaks more than one language. Yeah, I’ve heard all these things. But to go and be with a local who I trust and invited me to her home was amazing.
What advice would you give to students who want to go for an exchange?
In Europe, the credits work differently than in Canada. So my credits came back as worth half as what I was told in Europe. I took 32 credits and they came back as 16. I feel I could have taken fewer credits and travel more. Just know what you’re getting yourself into.
It also seemed in Europe so common that students go on exchange. I feel like Canadians and Americans don’t have that cultural aspect because we are next to each other so you don’t get those cultural experiences. When you study abroad you build these relationships and then you can go and experience their culture firsthand, and that is so unique. And you build lifelong friendships. And you get to travel. And you get to earn credits. It’s so many things on top of each other and with all the scholarships that UFV has it’s really worth it, especially if you go to a country that’s not uber expensive to live in.
However, I do recommend that people go earlier on in their degree. Credits will transfer easier and if you loved it you can go again to a different country. Before you go, do your research. I knew that our school was outside of a major city and I was prepared for that. A lot of people didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. So make sure you do. You can contact students who have already been there, talk with other people, and get outside of your comfort zone. Europe really helped me with that, I loved that I could keep pushing myself continuously to do that.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
