Challenging yet rewarding mathematical experience August 08, 2023
By Alec K (Mathematics and Computer Science, Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/06/2023 to 05/23/2023 with
BSM: Budapest - Budapest Semesters in Mathematics
Beyond the ability and confidence to do hard math, I think that I gained greater respect for a work/life balance. I also learned that I enjoy solo travel.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Math content was strong and problem sets posed a fun challenge. Definitely improved my problem solving and ability to construct and articulate mathematical arguments. Occasionally, the language barrier posed a challenges and some classes felt a bit disorganized. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Super friendly, and were very helpful with getting my residency permit. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living in a city was great since everything was so accessible. I liked the fact that I had my own room. However, the quality of the housing was poor, not just to what I was used to but compared to that of other similar programs in Budapest. |
| * Food: |
Not a problem with the program, but the food scene was under developed compared to the rest of europe. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Budapest certainly has a large population of international residents, however I felt that the language barrier posed a large problem for integration. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never needed nor recieved healthcare, so I cannot comment on this accurately. |
| * Safety: |
There were never any times at which I personally felt unsafe. However, some of my friends had cat-calling incidences. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Ultimately, the Math, Travel, and friendships were what made the program great. I don't think I would have gotten all three of those experiences anywhere else. |
Finances
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* 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) |
The dollar is very strong relative to the Hungarian Font, so the program and travel was definitely affordable. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $80 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Definitely cook your own food. It will not only be better than the local cuisine, but also extremely cheap which is extra money you can use to travel. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
The Hungarian language class was more focused on reading then speaking, which made it hard to interact with the locals. |
| 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? | Did not take a language course at Middlebury. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Picking the right classes is important and professors are certainly prone to inflating grades. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Graph Theory |
| Course Department: | Mathematics |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The professor was extremely knowledgable and passionate about the subject matter. Problem sets were challenging but rewarding. Pacing for the first half of the semester was great, and I felt that I had a very strong grasp of the material. However, second half was way too fast, especially given the rigor of the material. My biggest gripe with this class was that in-person exams were far too short for the type proof-heavy questions being asked. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not that I know of. |
