Rigorous Math, Wonderful City Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

BSM was a very rigorous math program, which explored many topics at a much deeper level than normally encountered in an undergraduate program. Some maturity in the field is definitely helpful - a solid basis of calculus is a must, and I definitely recommend taking both a real analysis class and a modern algebra class before going, and a first course in combinatorics if you have the chance. BSM offers all of those courses itself, but you really should have them ahead of time if you want to maximize the unique and interesting higher-level courses that this program offers. In particular, I recommend any of the advanced combinatorics classes. That's a specialty of many Hungarian mathematicians, and for good reason! This program is fairly intense, and you will have to work hard to do well. At the same time, I had plenty of opportunities to explore the city, and my class bonded really well and hung out together all the time. The experience is what you make it, and BSM is perfect for students passionate about math.

On-site administration of your program

The coordinator Anna and her helpers were very kind and helpful whenever there was a problem, and they worked very hard to make sure everyone was comfortable especially at the beginning of the program when we were all getting settled in. I think the field trip to get our residence permits was very hectic though, and could have been managed much better. I recommend that any students who go in the future do some research for themselves ahead of time and know themselves what they need to do & bring for the residence permit, so that they don't have to rely on the BSM administration to shepherd them through the process... because things might slip through the cracks unless you keep close watch yourself. Just be a responsible adult.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I looooooooved my apartment! It was on Rottenbiller, near keleti Palyaudvar, the subway stop closes to the school. My flatmates and I walked to school every day. It was a beautiful apartment, with wood floors and tall ceilings. I probably wont have an apartment that nice in the states until i have grey hair! It was one of the largest apartments in the program, I learned, so I hope whoever lives there next really enjoys it! But I was definitely pleased to arrive to such nice accommodations. When I've been abroad before to volunteer, it was much more like 'roughing it' than at this place in Budapest. Our landlady, Lilli, was wonderful. She spoke excellent English, although other students told me their landlords did not. In those cases the student coordinator Anna was very helpful setting up interpretation.

Yum. All the students in BSM are responsible for feeding themselves. This is a great excuse to get out in the city, and use a little Hungarian, and discover local grocery stores and markets and restaurants.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was exactly as integrated as I wanted to be. Classes were in English, which is good, since they were hard enough in my native language! I can't imagine adding a language barrier to that. There's an option to live with a Hungarian family or in an apartment with other BSM students - I was there primarily for the math rather than the cultural experience so I chose the apartment option, but if you wanted a more immersed experience, that is definitely achievable.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A I had no health issues.

It's a big city, so there are the same dangers there you might expect in any big city in the US. The most frequent threat is pickpockets... just watch your bags and pockets when you're out. Avoid walking alone at night. Be smart, especially the first few weeks before you're comfortable. "Bad guys" are less likely to prey on people who look like they confidently know where they're going, like they belong. So when in doubt, take a friend, and just pay attention. Overall it seemed like a pretty safe city to me. Also, most of the buildings in Budapest have an exterior door that leads to a courtyard, with the apartments branching off from there. So there were two doors between the apartment and the street, and most are on the 2nd floor or higher. Our apartment had bars on the windows and doors. I felt very safe in my apartment. You see police often throughout the city, especially downtown. The hungarian word is "Rendorseg" but they are easy to recognize, and most of them actually have the English word "police" on their vests as well. It's a very international city.

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

Eastern Europe was definitely an affordable part of the world! I ate on $20 a week or less, going out fairly often. My rent, per month, was about $350. I spent much less during my semester abroad, even including airfare, than I did for one semester at Trinity University.

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

There was a 2 week Hungarian language intensive at the beginning of the program that I recommend going early for, if only just to bond better with the other students in the program. the language component was okay, I wasn't very interested in it since I was there for the math, but the things we learned the first week were pretty useful for getting around the city. They offer language classes which continue throughout the whole semester as well, but I don't think they're quite as practical.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Excellent Academics
• Professors who are Leaders in their Fields
• Beautiful, Foreign city.

• Residence Permit Process

The Academic or Linguist