I Had No Idea How to “Study”

I really wanted to go to university – probably because no one in my family had ever studied before. It was an unknown world to me, but it seemed interesting and promising – studying! I grew up in a small village in Lower Austria, and from a young age I worked a lot in my parents’ business. Family life was working life; it was the same and quite normal. The prospect of extending my time at school and learning more – especially somewhere completely different – appealed to me. I was always the best drawer in my class. After my aunt, I was only the second person in my extended family to graduate from high school, which paved the way for me to start university.

But in this great freedom I was disoriented, so I started to study different things – law, languages, art history, economics, medicine, and I even tried other subjects. I had no idea how to “study” and so I looked at a lot of things, but I didn’t get anywhere. Then I did what my art teacher at school had advised me to do and what I had always dreamed of – doing the entrance exam for an art course. I attempted that for two years in a row at the Angewandte and failed both times. I was so sad and disappointed. But the third time I tried at the Academy, I got accepted. I really enjoyed my studies and felt very supported and well guided. That was great. That’s probably also the reason I was so happy to start working at the university. And why I still work here.