Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

I really enjoyed Hungary Past Review

By (Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 02/13/2017 to 07/07/2017 with

Eotvos Lorand University / ELTE: Budapest - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to communicate with non-native English speakers, I learned about a lot of difference cultures, and how to travel responsibly. It was amazing!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall the professors made the assignments and the class work very straight forward.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Once I arrived at ELTE, they had great resources for helping us enroll, and meeting other students and were very helpful throughout the semester.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I used the company SRS, since the dorms were already full. However I recommend SRS since the dorms are very far away from campus.

* Food:

I never ate campus food

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was able to meet a lot of other international students, but I did not meet a lot of local Hungarians.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never needed health care assistance

* Safety:

I always felt very safe in the city, everything is well lit at night and public transpiration makes it very easy to not walk very far at night.

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

Budapest is a huge European destination, but not for Americans. I loved this because I became best friends with people from all over the world, excluding America which I think makes this experience unique. Budapest is a great city to live in, the public transportation is amazing, everything is cheap compared to the USD and the night life is amazing for college students.

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)

VERY easy, living in the city is very affordable in Budapest

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Maybe 50 USD on food and drinks (I am not exactly sure but Budapest is very cheap)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? NA

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

It was encouraged to take the course, but Hungarian is very hard and mostly everyone speaks English in the city.

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? None
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? I took three years of Spanish in high school
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Learn the basics: hi, bye, thank you, excuse me / sorry

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

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

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • 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?
  • Not a lot of Americans (at ELTE)
  • they provide a lot of ways to meet people (movie nights, pub crawls, etc)
  • The social science classes were very interesting
* What could be improved?
  • communication with ELTE before we left
  • Provide realistic date on when you will finish exams (it says July 7 but we finished before the end of June)
  • My flat having AC (theres no AC in Hungary though) - I honestly couldn't think of anything else)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew more about the Hungarian culture before I came.

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.