Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the beautiful city of Vienna, the capital of Austria until I was 15 years old. Then I moved to Linz (also in Austria) before I decided to come here for my studies!
If you already did studies in your home country, what were they like?
I haven’t done any studies in my home country.
Why did you decide to study in Tilburg?
I would say mostly because of the study program (CSAI). I though the combination of cognitive science and artificial intelligence was really interesting. The communication from the university was also nice and helped me in making my decision.
What did you find difficult when you arrived here?
I guess adapting to the Dutch culture, especially in terms of academia. Even though Austria and the Netherlands aren’t that far apart, I think that the Dutch culture is quite different in terms of power distance between university staff and students.
What do you think is best about Tilburg University with regard to internationals?
That almost everything is in English. Obviously the lectures within CSAI are all in English but also in the cafeteria you won´t run into problems if you don’t speak Dutch and the study associations (aka Flow) are also really good with keeping everything international-friendly.
What is the biggest difference from studying in your home country?
I don’t have any first-hand experience but from when I talk to friends that study in Austria then I get the feeling that professors here tend to care more about individual people and their needs. I also think that the university staff here is more tech-savvy than at most Austrian universities.
What do you love about Tilburg?
I think the city has a nice size where I don’t feel like I´m missing out on anything while also not getting that feeling of being lost that you sometimes get in really big cities. The distances are still small enough to comfortably cycle everywhere and people here are generally easy-going.
What is the best place to go for internationals arriving in Tilburg?
The Flow Office! You´ll probably meet some lovely people there that you can ask whatever question might be on your mind and you´ll also get to know about all the activities they are organizing where you get to meet other people from your study and explore all that Tilburg has to offer!
