Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Five months of exploration and personal growth - it is what you make it. Past Review

By (idcc, Bentley University) - abroad from 01/25/2013 to 05/15/2013 with

Corvinus University of Budapest: Budapest - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned more about myself than I thought.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Professors are nice, fairly easy graders and approachable. There is a 75% attendance policy (aka: you have to attend 75% of your classes). Pretty fun school with cool programs organized for students.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Never had any issues that Gita couldn't solve.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I rented an apartment on my own through Catherine Dickens Realtor Company.

* Food:

Don't really like Hungarian food, but it wasn't bad~

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Even though we hung around with mostly Americans, we made about 10 international friends that were pretty cool. Locals don't really talk to you though.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I was in Budapest for 5 months, traveled for about 25 days and spent $7000 without trying at all to live on a budget.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Complete waste of time - although our professor was really nice :)

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? None
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The professors/classes were great
  • I actually made some really good friends
  • Traveling was really easy because budapest is very centra
* What could be improved?
  • The wifi
  • The school should offer dorms with a meal plan - cooking sucked
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That studying abroad isn't this glorious 5 months of constant, hugely exciting adventures. Your life becomes normal after a month or so... I expected to be in a constant state of wonder throughout my entire study abroad, and that just wasn't the case. Also, no one prepared me for how difficult it would be emotionally... no one ever talks about how hard it is and how lonely it can be. It made me feel really ungrateful and depressed at times. I remember them saying that the positive and negative modes come in stages, but that doesn't accurately prepare you.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Personality Types and Team Dynamics
Course Department: Psychology
Instructor: Mark Newell
Instruction Language: English
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: