Now we’re talking Business: Is BBE the right choice for you?

The BBE bachelors degree is the next “hot thing on the block” when it comes to degree choices at the WU and Austria in general. Being the first English taught bachelors degree it rightly receives an enormous amount of attention, especially during the admission period. To answer the most frequently asked questions about BBE, YouTuber and Student Blogger Jacob (from Jacob’s hustle) decided to sit down with Benjamin Schemel, a Business and Economics BSc Degree student who told us his impressions about his first semester at the WU. You can watch the full interview here on Jacob’s YouTube channel.

Jakov: For whom is BBE a good degree choice?

Benjamin: When we started in October 2018, people from 23 nationalities including Guatemala, Brazil and other remote parts of the world were admitted. That makes for this incredible international environment which is really hard to find on other Austrian universities. If you are looking for this kind of environment, then BBE is the right choice for you.

Jakov: The first semester is now over. Your thoughts?

Benjamin: I had high expectations for the BBE programme and I must say that they were mainly satisfied. We have small, interactive classes and a very tight community of students which is a rare sight at most Austrian universities. There are only 140 of us after all.

Jakov: Should people be afraid of the entrance exam?

Benjamin: Not really. If you are coming from a HAK secondary school (a school with the focus set on economics and business) you will already be familiar with most of the mathematical and statistical terms and expressions which are used in microeconomics. If you have a different background, however, familiarising yourself with those terms and expressions as soon as possible will prove to be very useful in the months to follow after you get admitted. Let´s put it this way; studying for the entrance exam also builds a great base for the next chapter of your education.

Jakov: What are the Welcome Days?

Benjamin: The welcome days are an event designed to encourage networking between newly admitted BBE students and show them around the WU campus, the place where they will spend the next 3 years together. Tight friendships were formed during those couple of days, we even went skiing together this winter. I´ve also met my roommate during the Welcome days so, by all means, I strongly encourage you to take part in this event.

Jakov: Any final advice for future BBE students?

Benjamin: Don’t be afraid of the title of Business and Economics. The Programme is much broader than that. BBE offers a whole new perspective on how the world functions. If that is what interests you and you want to broaden your horizons internationally, the BBE is certainly the right programme for you.

About me

My name is Jakov Crnjak, I come from Zagreb, Croatia and I am a first-year BaWiSo student here at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Right at the time when I was starting my studies in Vienna, I decided to make a YouTube channel and post videos about my journey as a student in a foreign country in the hope they would go on to help future WU students with some helpful advice as well as entertain them with authentic student content.