January 2017 – Undergraduate Blog

Erasmus Society: Trip to Oktoberfest

By Lissandra Radu

Before Christmas, the Erasmus society organised a trip to OKTOBERFEST! Keeping in mind that my only experience with beer is going to the pub’s beer garden, I had absolutely no expectation of what the day would be like. We left Vienna on the Thursday evening, taking a night party train to Munich where the festival takes places.

Tip no. 1: Do NOT get *too* drunk on the train as you will have to nurse your hangover for 14 hours at a beer festival.

Tip no. 2: Invest in traditional dress, a dirndl for girls or lederhosen for boys, although I wore an adaptation of the male outfit. The whole dressing up process puts you in the mood for partying and you really feel as part of the event!

The festival itself can only be described as an adult Disneyland, where instead of princess houses you have massive beer tents where a band plays traditional German songs and people bang their 1 litre jugs of beer in tune. It was fantastic!

The first part of the day we spent in a tent where we had booked tables, drinking beer (or if you do not like beer, you can have a Radler which is essentially beer watered down with lemonade!) and eating chicken or pretzels. The second part we moved around different tents, each with a slightly different atmosphere, in search for a table that would fit all 15 of us. Turns out people actually book these tables a year in advance, so as you can guess, we did not have much luck but it was definitely a lot of fun.

In hindsight, the trip was definitely a whole new experience and I am gutted I did not get to try the caramelised almonds, which are supposedly to die for. Personally, as I am not an avid admirer of beer, Oktoberfest might not be the ideal festival for me. However, having said that, it is a great place to have a lot fun with your friends and a very good excuse for day drinking J.

Hello from Dallas!

By Aleena Raikundalia, BA International Business Management

Hey everyone, welcome to my blog! My name is Aleena Raikundalia, and I’m studying International Business Management at The University of Texas, Dallas.

My passion for travelling inspired my decision to study abroad, and this is an opportunity I will cherish for the rest of my life! I chose to study in America primarily because I wanted to experience the diversity and the variety in the American way of life, although Chipotle and the sushi bars also played a part in my decision!

The UTD Campus is located in the heart of Richardson, a city next to Dallas. The campus is vast yet very modern. It is slightly difficult to travel off campus without a car, especially since the distance between the campus and other amenities is too far to walk. However, you can always rely on the University Shuttle, Ubers or a friend with a car.

As an exchange student, it is a requirement to stay university residence halls. I managed to make amazing friends during my first month, so living on campus is definitely an amazing way to meet new people and get involved in the various events and activities. Academically there are no restricted modules allowing students to choose classes of their choice/interest.

Studying abroad surely benefits your CV, but there is so much more you can do to get the most out of your year abroad! Personally, I am looking forward to travelling around the United States, experiencing new cultures and traditions, making new friends and, most importantly, making memories that will last a lifetime!

Arrived at WU Vienna

By Lissandra Radu, BA International Business Management

So, I made it to Vienna! It is really beautiful here; the city, the lifestyle and definitely the weather. The student halls are very central and the subway system here is extremely easy, so if you can hack London underground, the one in Vienna will feel like a breath of fresh air!

Before I tell you about my adventures, I cannot stress enough the importance of having a to-do list. In Austria, they love their paperwork so you need to make sure you have documents ready, so everything flows smoothly. Having said that, the queues here are really quick and everyone speaks English.

Having moved in, I would advise against a 60kg luggage allowance (which is what I had!!) and only bring things you really cannot bear to part with, as Vienna has a huge number of stores where you can pretty much buy anything your heart desires. There is no shortage of supermarkets, corner shops or ice-cream parlours so overall, it is well stocked in terms of food …if you ever had any worries!

In terms of accommodation, it is really modern and the company supplies you with kitchen equipment and bedding, although if you have a favourite pillow I would bring it.

So far, I love it here and meeting people is so so easy! If you have any doubts about Erasmus, I would not hesitate, and not just because it looks good on your C.V (which it does) but because you get to really appreciate the differences in cultures, make great friends and be independent!

List of places:

Schonbrunn Palace – beautiful gardens and zoo, as well as a yummy strudel shown hosted in one of the cafes, where you even get to try a sample.
Café Museum – lovely central café, where you can grab a smashing mango and melon apperol for a great price (considering it is central)
Amerling Beisl – set in a courtyard, it is restaurant that is mostly used by locals, however they have a lot of Viennese food as well as a huge breakfast range
Museumquartier – Museums & drinks, in an amazing location where you will find a mix of modern and new architecture all blended together. Perfect for a chilled evening
Stephansplatz- you can go to the top of the cathedral for a stunning panorama view of the whole city!
Mariahilfer strasse- Very long and wide boulevard, filled with clothes shops, bars, taverns and everything in-between

A year at the University of Amsterdam

By Ardilah Kamaruzzaman, BA International Business Management

Hey everyone! My name is Ardilah and I’m studying International Business Management at the University of Sheffield with a year at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

I chose to study at UvA as I fell in love with Amsterdam when I first came to visit during Christmas break last year. It is such a vibrant city! Not only that, but UvA is also one of the most reputable universities in the world.

Before I embarked on this new journey, I had been contacting GG (who did her exchange at UvA last year) to ease some of my nervousness. I asked her a lot of questions so that I knew what to expect when I arrived. I found that it helped me when I talked to GG, so if anyone has any questions about UvA or Erasmus in general, I would be more than happy to help!

I am lucky that my accommodation is only seven minutes away from the business school by bike. I have 12 other flatmates and they are a great bunch of people. We went to watch a soccer match (Ajax vs. Vitesse), have cultural dinners and do a whole lot of other stuff together that it feels like we’re a big family now, which is nice since you’re away from home and can get homesick at times.

So far, it has been a hectic two months for me. The education system here is so different from Sheffield’s. One semester is divided into three blocks, which also means you have three exam periods in a semester. Block one and two usually last about seven weeks and block three lasts four weeks. It is kind of intense here and it took me quite a while to adapt to the system and the workload I was given (I hope I’m not scaring you!), but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be fine.

So for those of you who are thinking of doing Erasmus, you should totally consider it as, not only will it look good on your CV, but you can expect to discover new things about yourself, have lot of fun and meet new people which will help you broaden your horizons!