My New Home Past Review
By Kaitlyn DeTrinis (SUNY - College at New Paltz) - abroad from 08/29/2017 to 01/12/2018 with
University of Pecs: Pécs - Direct Enrollment
I learned that even though every city is completely different, filled of its own treasures, people are the same more or less everywhere. From each friend I made from different countries I took a small piece of their culture and added it to my own. I learned it is much better to have a diverse understanding of the world
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were much easier than my home university and slightly different, but probably because the professors really help and understand that you are an international student and they want you to have a good experience. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living in dorm was great most times because of the community and ease, but occasionally frustrating |
| * Food: |
There are some great restaurants in Pecs and they are all very affordable, but Hungarian cuisine does not compare to other places |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It is hard to be integrated with the local culture due to the language barrier. If you want this experience it is possible, but requires more effort than you might initially think. However, with time you start to understand and connect with the culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never needed any health care, but one time I went to the dentist and used a third party to find an English dentist. Everything worked out perfectly fine |
| * Safety: |
There was never a time I felt unsafe in this city and often I felt more safe than my home university |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would absolutely this experience again because Pecs turned out to be the complete international experience. It was very easy to travel to the rest of Europe from here, there was an awesome international student base, you get a real feel for Hungarian culture, and it is fun to discover this city. Due to its cost of living I was able to spend more on travel and it was always nice returning to Pecs after traveling because it is small so it felt like a nice, relaxing break each time I came back |
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) |
Pecs is very cheap on compared to most US student cities |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $40 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook every meal and avoid the city center because everything will be much more expensive |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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 |
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| 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 |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? |
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? | I wish I really understood what traveling meant and what it entailed. I also wish I had planned my timing better with my travels. I wish I had the knowledge of the city that I do now when I got here |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
