Being an International Student in Leoben
Why did I choose Montanuniversität Leoben?
Back in 2016 when I was searching for an engineering university in Europe, I was looking for an institution with a reputable academic ranking as well as geographic importance. And as with many students, google was my go-to partner during my search. Luckily, my quest ended when I found the homepage of Montanuniversität Leoben. I scrolled through the main website and found information on the international university ranking, which stands quite high. I did a little more research about Leoben and life as an international student in Austria, and my research turned up very satisfying, as Leoben is nicknamed a ‘City of Students’ and the geographical and cultural beauty of Austria also impressed me.
Before arriving to Austria
After receiving my admission letter, I started my visa process, which took around nine months. I did a lot of research about the visa procedure by using the OEAD official website, which is an accredited website by Government of Austria. It helped me to compile my paperwork as it is very user-friendly website. Keep in mind that as an international student, the visa process varies per country because students need to get their documents authenticated or apostilles, but as soon as the documents are done, it is halfway to submission of an international student visa application.
After arriving in Austria
On 27 September 2017, I finally arrived in Austria. The first breath of fresh air after my journey was quite nice and the trip from Graz International Airport to Leoben was relaxing. The first thing that I found very convenient was that the city of Leoben is accessible by foot, I don’t need to rely on public transport and I can explore the city whenever I want, which very practical for an international students.
My first impression of Montanuniversität was very good, as I felt very welcomed during the initial registration process. Due to the size of Leoben, It was very easy to find the university even without a map. The first three days after arriving were a bit busy because I had to do all official paperwork like residence registration, health insurance, and opening a bank account for my residence card collection. By that time, I had already met many other international students like myself in my student dormitory, who helped me and gave me tips, after that it was fun to explore Leoben.
Today
Currently I’m studying for my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Data Science. As for my personal experience, my decision to opt for Montanuniversität was right. I started my studies with the university preparatory courses, the so-called ‘Vorstudienlehrgang’, in which I had courses like German, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Geometry. These courses were a stepping ladder and very helpful for me and all the other international degree students.
The best way to describe my experiences as an international student in Austria so far is that being alone in a foreign country is not easy, but Montanuniversität Leoben gives international students an opportunity to be a part of a very close-knit community of students. Moreover, you constantly work try to improve which is the greatest motivation for me.