Serious Math and fun in Budapest Past Review

By (MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS., Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/13/2014 to 08/09/2014 with

BSM: Budapest - Budapest Semesters in Mathematics

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learnt a lot of math and made friends with other students from many top North American university who also loves Math. Also two months' of staying in Budapest gave me a comprehensive understanding of this city. I am glad that I've chosen this program because it was really a wonderful experience from many aspects.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

You can take as many classes as you want and it won't affect the tuition, though two is generally recommended for the summer session.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My apartment was great and I had three other wonderful roommates. The only thing I didn't like that much is that there is no air-condition or electric fan in the apartment. There was a few days in the summer that it was hard to fall in sleep due to the high temperature.

* Food:

It is hard to get enough vegetables from most of the restaurants there. Life got better after I found some great restaurants in Budapest.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The great thing is that one of my roommates there is a real Hungarian. I were introduced to many of his friends, and played game with them.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Budapest is generally pretty sate. I lived fairly close to the city center and there was tons of people(mostly young people) on the street at night.

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)

Things are pretty cheap in Budapest, especially groceries and drinks.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? less than 80
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? You can find some restaurants that do not aim for tourists but mostly for local people. You can get some good food there without using a lot money.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

I didn't

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

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

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

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • other participants of the program
  • the professors
  • 1 week break in the middle of the program
* What could be improved?
  • Classes can start later(many classes start at 8)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Yelp doesn't work there and Tripadvisor is a good reference for good restaurants.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Advanced Combinatorics

Course Department: Math
Instructor: Dr. András GYÁRFÁS
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Though it is an advanced course in combinatorics, it doesn't really require any previous course in combinatorics. The course wasn't too intense so we got some time to visit the city and enjoy ourselves in Budapest. We have one homework every week with 5 problems and 2 extra problems.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Undergraduate Research

Course Department: Math
Instructor: Dr. András GYÁRFÁS
Instruction Language: English
Comments: In this course, I closely worked with Profesor Gyarfas and one other student in a problem combinatorics. It was a wonderful experience in math researching.
Credit Transfer Issues: