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Anja Rumpold, student in the StudyXplore orientation program, aspiring biomedical analyst

Through the StudyXplore orientation program, I was able to prepare specifically for my desired degree program, take exams in advance, and at the same time explore other fields of study, which gave me additional confidence in my choice of major.

Anja Rumpold from Wolfsberg already knew fairly precisely which direction she wanted to take even before the StudyXplore orientation program: biomedical analysis. Since she didn’t get accepted into her program on her first try, she decided to enroll in the StudyXplore orientation program instead of just waiting–a decision that paid off in more ways than one. That’s because exams like anatomy or terminology, which she took as part of the orientation program, can later be credited toward her degree. This demonstrably helped her during her second admission interview.

Although she had already decided on her field of study, she took advantage of the program’s flexibility: During orientation week, she visited all the campuses and also learned about radiology–a field that surprisingly piqued her interest and helped her choose a well-informed second choice for her application. This is an advantage that her friends also confirm.

Anja sees another benefit in having previously met the professors: In some admissions interviews, she already knew the professors from her day-to-day academic life–which helped ease some of her nerves. She also sees herself at an advantage in terms of time: she has already completed exams such as anatomy, which allows her to focus fully on other subjects like chemistry in her first semester.

This proved particularly practical for Anja in the anatomy course: heart, eye, and kidney specimens–some of which were shown live via projector–gave her direct insight into the human body. “That was really cool,” she recalls. She also practiced preparing for job interviews, writing her resume, and putting together application materials intensively as part of the program.

Her personal highlight: the field trip to Ljubljana, for which the group even learned their first Slovenian and Italian words–and the day she dissected a heart herself during anatomy class.