Reviews of Haskoli Islands | Iceland

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Lukas S

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Student life

Describe host city:

Students equally interact with the local and student community

Activities, Travel, Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Personal social experience

Activities

Nightlife

Travel

Overall

Personal comments

Nightlife in Reykjavik only exists on Fridays and Saturdays but is not to be missed!!! Everything happens on/near Laugarvegur and Austurstræti, best places are 11, Sirkus, Oliver, Kaffibarinn and Prikið

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Lukas S

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Housing

Type of housing: Apartment/House

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House

Why?

Sharing a flat or a house is always a nice way to live abroad. I don't like dorms.

Personal assessment

Cost

Facilities

Location

Cleanliness

Space

Personal comments

Housing is arranged through the international office, they are usually very helpful.

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Lukas S

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Overall

I wish I had known...

That public transportation is not really good and that it is absolutely necessary to live close to downtown and the university if you don´t come with your car through the ferry.

In my opinion:

Everybody loved it, you will too!

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

2

Culture

4

Costs

2

Activities

3

Campus life

2

Party / people

3

Weather / location

4

Personal recommendation

In general a good university, teachers are very informal and helpful. It is possible to do exams for courses offered in Icelandic in English, check with the teachers.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

4

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

3

Partied a lot

4

Experienced a change in life

3

Advanced my studies & career

3

Final comments

Travel a lot!!!! You will never see such magnificent nature again. Do the golden circle, go to the Blue Lagoon, to Jökulsarlon, Snæfellsnes, Vestfirðir, Mývatn, Askja, just to name the highlights. Never underestimate the wheather. If you travel and plan to go in the winter or wanna leave the ring road, rent a 4WD!

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Lukas S

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Academic

Course recommendations

I can recommend Small States in Europe (with Baldur Þórhallson) and International Negotiations (with Þóra Christiansen). I cannot recommend Project Management (with Eðvald Möller)

My academic experiences

Quality of courses

Variety of courses

Access to resources

Interaction with teachers

Interaction with international students

Interaction with local students

Personal comments

none

My opinion of the university assessment

Exams at end of course

Exams throughout the course

Essays and/or projects at the end of course

Essays and/or projects throughout the course

Overall

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Lukas S

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Vienna, Austria
Business Studies, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

Everybody in Reykjavík speaks fluent English so knowing Icelandic is not necessary. However, knowing the local language is never a mistake so I can recommend learning some Icelandic, either through ERASMUS language courses or through the online course from HI icelandic.hi.is

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