Fly-in offers college counselors a first-hand look at MU

The annual Counselor Fly-in gives college counselors the chance to experience MODUL University first hand through a two-day jam packed program introducing them to both the university and the city of Vienna. For the third annual counselor fly-in, MU invited a diverse group from international high schools in Switzerland, Germany, France, Bulgaria, England, Latvia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary.

In order to better inform their students about all that MU has to offer, their day began with a tour and introduction to MODUL University Vienna, led by various staff and faculty members who explained our many services. After meeting University President Karl Wöber, the counselors were informed about the study programs, Student Service Centre’s community-building activities, MODUL Career’s internship and job platform to help Modulians along their way and after graduation, and the admissions process.

The info session at the university was followed by a tour of MODUL Tourism College – out of which MODUL University originated and by definition the oldest still existing Tourism vocational training high school - , where they were treated to a buffet lunch cooked and served by MODUL Tourism College students. If they didn’t eat too much of the food prepared by the chefs of tomorrow, they took part in a wine and cheese tasting. The expert sommeliers helped them to get acquainted with the Austrian wine landscape, and offered recommendations for the right cheese pairing (with Austrian cheeses, of course!). After a few hours of rest and digestion, the counsellors finished off their first day at “Plachutta at the Opera”, a top Vienna restaurant famous for outstanding ‘Tafelspitz’ and ‘Wiener Schnitzel’ and owned by a MODUL Tourism College alumnus.

Day two of the fly-in introduced our guests to the city of Vienna, recently rated the 5th best student city in the world by QS World University Rankings. The morning started off with a visit to the traditional Kattus Winery to meet one of MU’s success stories, Modul University BBA ’10 and entrepreneur Matteo Attems.

Already a successful entrepreneur just three years out of university, Matteo runs the event management company Attems and Friends, which among other ventures such as running a bar in Vienna’s hip 7^th district, puts on large scale club evenings on the winery premises. After tasting the signature sparkling wine which Kattus is known for, Matteo showed the counselors his set up and discussed all the preparations to put on a bi-monthly evening for 500-700 people. This was just a taste of Matteo’s busy schedule, as together with his partner and 6 employees Attems and Friends offer a variety of services such as event planning and management, marketing and promotion, and film, video and photography. 

Vienna was a first for many of the counselors, and they had the chance to see the highlights on a guided bus tour. The group ooed and ahhed at the impressive architecture of the Ringstraße and was let out into the sunshine at the imperial Schönbrunn Palace to walk around the gardens.

And all this before lunchtime! Our hungry counselors and staff enjoyed a light lunch under the trees at the Glacis Beisl in MuseumsQuartier, Vienna’s modern cultural square highly frequented by both international students and locals. Not far from the museums of modern art and stylish cafés lies the world-famous Hotel Sacher tucked behind the Vienna Opera House. The Hotel Sacher is owned by an MODUL Tourism College alumnus, and a few of selected MU students have worked its glamorous halls. After touring the various monochrome dining areas, the party was lucky enough to see the hotel’s incredible presidential suite between tenants and take home a bite of their famous chocolate cake, the ‘Sacher Torte’.

Another element that makes Vienna special is the presence of major wine production within city limits. It is the only capital city in the world to lay this claim, and there are many opportunities to sample the local brew in the wine taverns, or ‘heurigen’ dotting the western hills. To end these lovely two days (and to put into practice the knowledge gained at the previous day’s wine tasting), the farewell dinner was held at a ‘heuriger’ MODUL University, with authentic Austrian food, wine, music, and dress, Lederhosen included and – of course – owned by a MODUL Tourism College alumnus

Both the invitees and hosts had a splendid time, and we look forward to version 2014! You can check out our photo album on Facebook – don’t forget to become a Fan!