Stuttgart University, Germany

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited to do an exchange in the beautiful southern German city of Stuttgart. It has a wonderfully rich history with traditional architecture surrounded by mountains and the Black Forest. Semester doesn’t actually start until October, so I won’t be able to talk much about my experience in this blog post. But perhaps there is another opportunity to update UTS later in the year.

Instead I plan on telling a little about my planning process. Because the main language in Germany is German, Stuttgart University recommends that all exchange students participate in an intensive German course prior to studying in October. This is a wonderful opportunity to brush up on my language skill that I haven’t been able to use since the HSC. It also covers 7 ECTS points which helps in reducing the workload during Semester.

Although I applied for housing within the city centre, as it would have been closer to University, shops and transportation, due to receiving my admission letter to Stuttgart later than domestic students, I was not able to receive a placement in the accommodation of my preference. However, I believe that the housing I received is still better than nothing so things will work out.

During exchange I plan on participating in several sporting clubs to maintain my fitness and to meet new people. I am very fortunate that Stuttgart has a broad range of sporting and social clubs which will hopefully make it a more enriching experience. I feel like the language barrier will be less of a problem when you are working in a team on achieving a sporting goal.

Regardless of how challenging it is, I believe in maintaining a positive state of mind, as well as anticipating that plans won’t necessarily be followed word by word and remaining flexible, while having back up plans will assist in making this exchange an unforgettable memory.

Larissa Phung
Bachelor of Accounting
Stuttgart University
Germany

For more information about the UTS Global Exchange program please visit: www.global-exchange.uts.edu.au