Reading and comprehension: The best way to prepare for the special admission procedure

Several special admission procedures for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes have already started at the University of Klagenfurt. Dmitri Blüschke, programme director of the English-language Bachelor’s programme in “International Business and Economics”, shares some tips on how applicants can get the most out of the preparation process.

In order to study “International Business and Economics”, what specific interests should students have?
Applicants should be interested in and enthusiastic about studying in an international environment. They should enjoy learning about how the economy works in a global world, what drives companies to find international success, and how to benefit most from a team of employees representing different cultures and languages. Anyone who is interested in questions of this kind will find that this degree programme is the perfect choice for them.

And this requires a special admission procedure.
Yes. But I would like to take this opportunity to dispel the underlying fear in this regard. The special admission procedure is demanding, but it is definitely manageable. The entrance examination covers two topics: Mathematics and general economic reasoning. In the case of mathematics, we want to ensure that applicants have an affinity for numbers. A standard school-leaving certificate level is sufficient here. The same applies to the economic subjects. The purpose of the exam is to find out whether you have a certain grasp of these subjects.

How much time should prospective students devote to preparing for the special admission procedure?
As a general rule, prospective students have until 30 April to apply for the special admission procedure. The only thing to keep in mind is that these procedures only take place once a year. The first step is to register online, then upload a letter of motivation and the online exam takes place in July. The relevant chapter from the book “The Economy” has around 45 pages. It is quite difficult to specify exact times for exam preparation. This is because the amount of time needed to properly absorb the main points of this chapter’s content is, naturally, very individual. But this assignment also offers a valuable indication of whether or not students have chosen the right course of study.

What kind of questions will be asked during the exam?
The entrance examination has two parts: On the one hand, there are exam questions on a chapter from the book “The Economy” and on the other hand, there are mathematics problems that are slightly below the school-leaving examination level. This should demonstrate that the applicants have an interest in economics . The mathematics tasks are intended to signal that studying economics nowadays requires quite a lot of mathematics. This knowledge is taught during the degree programme, but a certain affinity should be present from the beginning.

Do you have any tips on how to write the letter of motivation? What information is particularly important?
The letter of motivation should be personal and express your own motivation. It should demonstrate that you have thought about your choice of study programme and university. There’s not much you can do wrong. However, copying from templates on the Internet is an absolute no-go. Additionally, candidates should use the letter of motivation to briefly discuss the topical issue of inflation in order to illustrate their genuine interest in pursuing the degree programme and their sincere motivation to do so.

The online exam and the entire degree programme are conducted in English. Should applicants be worried about the necessary language skills?
Such concerns are unfounded. The B2 level entry requirement is relatively easy. If students have any difficulties with the language, and this will become apparent when reading the examination literature, support is provided from the first semester onwards. What is much more important, however, is the international environment in which you find yourself every day. We have students from almost every country in the world and the majority of the students on this programme are not German speakers, so English is all around you from the very first day. This means that students will improve their language skills more or less automatically.

What advice would you give to prospective students to help them pass the entrance exam successfully?
The literature relevant to the examination is listed on the programme website. The literature sources for the topics are available online and are open access, so that anyone can take a look at them at any time. So: Reading and comprehension is the best preparation and the most important recommendation.

 

Further information on the special admission procedure for “International Business and Economics”.