Have you ever wondered what a workload of 30 ECTS per semester exactly means? Is studying really that hard and time-consuming as everyone tells us? Every single exam is comparable to the A-levels? Having a job and studying at the MCI and MCiT – don’t even give it a chance, this seems to be hopeless!? We can promise you, it happened way more than once that we asked ourselves all those questions. But after three semesters and 90 ECTS of workload, we finally know the answers!
As you certainly know, minimum attendance at each course of 75 % is mandatory at the MCI and MCiT– you probably can compare the attendance to a regular week at school. This can be seen both positive and negative. But since you’re within the walls of MCI for a significant time, the homework at MCiT usually is much more limited than in other studies.
Especially the 3rd and 4th semester are strongly influenced by projects and different written papers with deadlines, which usually take some time to elaborate. However, the processing time normally is regulated in a way that the main work takes place in the courses themselves and the necessary finish must be done from home.
The number of exams per semester depends on the semester you are in, but normally you will have to pass one exam per course. Occasionally there is a midterm and an end term exam and it could also be that projects, written papers or presentations will give you the necessary ECTS. The exam dates are prescribed by MCiT and usually take place starting from half of the semester extending until holidays. Mostly they are well divided so you can prepare yourself sufficiently for each exam. The question "How long do I have to study for an exam?" is a very personal question and of course, the learning time varies from exam to exam. However, on average we prepare for about 5 days.
If you eventually fail an exam someday – do not worry, you can still enjoy your semester break to the fullest. The repeat exams usually take place only at the beginning of the following semester. So, your holidays are going to be fine, even if you have to repeat exams. But you should not underestimate the preparation effort, especially after a long break. For the majority of our fellow students, icing to another country is just as much part of their everyday student life as coffee is for learning materials.
If you are wondering if it is possible to have a job besides studying MCiT, we can reassure: the answer is "YES"! Apart from a few times in 3rd semester, we never had to visit university on Saturdays, so this means: Your weekend job is already confirmed! You won’t have any time problems. Some of the MCiT students even have a part-time job. Otherwise, you can still rely on the good old flexible student jobs.
At the end we would like to ensure that studying MCiT of course can be pretty exhausting from time to time, BUT it’s also a lot of fun and your student life will definitely not be forgotten!
Authors: Angelika Stecher & Simon Pittl
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