My Report
Last Mo dified: 0 8 /0 2/20 13
Filter By: Repo rt Subgro up
1.
Name (o ptio nal)
T e xt Re spo nse
Padilla
Victo ria Cherno va
Sarah Keller
Samantha Ro se
Lien Dang
Lien Dang
Danny Kisch
Katie Pasinsky
Charlo tte Yang
Sarah Pak
Pierre Liu
Raymo nd Lo u
Katie Chung
Stella Wilso n
Samantha Mead
Jo rdan Eselevsky
Katie Chung
Shirly He
Tandra Le
Julian Javo r
Kristena
No ur Celeste Go o dsi
Maddie Hald
Madeleine (Mimi) Bea
Caitlin Evans
St at ist ic
To tal Respo nses
Value
25
2.
E-mail Address (o ptio nal)
T e xt Re spo nse
sergio .padilla@usc.edu
cherno va@usc.edu
sakeller@usc.edu
liendang@usc.edu
ldang20 0 5@yaho o .co m
kisch@usc.edu
stitch0 9 22@gmail.co m
sasarahp@usc.edu
pierrepl@usc.edu
rlo u9 0 @gmail.co m
Katiechu@usc.edu
smwilso n@usc.edu
smead@usc.edu
eselevsk@usc.edu
katiechu@usc.edu
shirlyhe8 @gmail.co m
tandrale@usc.edu
kkittle@usc.edu
go o dsi@usc.edu
hald@usc.edu
bea@usc.edu
St at ist ic
To tal Respo nses
Value
21
3.
Lo catio n
#
Answe r
39
Bar
Re spo nse
%
Aalto University Scho o l o f Eco no mics
0
0%
4
Australian Natio nal University
0
0%
6
Chinese University o f Ho ng Ko ng
0
0%
5
Co penhagen Business Scho o l
0
0%
3
Co rvinus University o f Budapest
35
10 0 %
37
Chulalo ngko rn University
0
0%
2
ESADE Business Scho o l
0
0%
40
ESCEM
0
0%
38
ESCP-EAP
0
0%
65
Fudan University
0
0%
13
HEC Scho o l o f Management
0
0%
7
Ho ng Ko ng UNiversity o f Science and Techno lo gy
0
0%
58
ICHEC Brussels
0
0%
63
IE Scho o l o f Business
0
0%
15
Ko rea University Business Scho o l
0
0%
16
Natio nal University o f Singapo re
0
0%
18
Natio nal Taiwan University
0
0%
27
Peking University
0
0%
14
Ro tterdam Scho o l o f Management
0
0%
61
Seo ul Natio nal University
0
0%
19
Singapo re Management University
0
0%
Thammasat University
0
0%
57
Universidade de No va de Lisbo n
0
0%
64
Universiidad de Carlo s Madrid III
0
0%
11
Universita Co mmerciale Luigi Bo cco ni
0
0%
62
University o f Ho ng Ko ng
0
0%
1
9
University o f Manchester, Manchester Business Scho o l
0
0%
10
University o f Melbo urne
0
0%
12
University o f Navarra
0
0%
17
University o f St. Gallen
0
0%
59
Vienna University o f Eco no mics and Business
0
0%
8
WHU Otto Beisheim Scho o l o f Management
0
0%
To tal
35
St at ist ic
Value
Min Value
3
Max Value
3
Mean
3.0 0
Variance
0 .0 0
Standard Deviatio n
0 .0 0
To tal Respo nses
35
4.
What is yo ur academic status this semester?
#
Answe r
Bar
Re spo nse
%
1
So pho mo re
0
0%
2
Junio r
16
46 %
3
Senio r
19
54%
To tal
35
St at ist ic
Value
Min Value
2
Max Value
3
Mean
2.54
Variance
0 .26
Standard Deviatio n
0 .51
To tal Respo nses
35
5.
What is yo ur expected date o f graduatio n fro m USC (Semester and year, eg
Fall 20 0 9 )?
T e xt Re spo nse
Fall 20 0 9
Spring 20 10
May 20 10
Spring 20 10
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 10
Spring 20 10
Spring 20 10
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
May 20 11
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Fall 20 11
Dec 20 11
May 20 12
Spring 20 12
Fall 20 12
Spring 20 12
Spring 20 12
May 20 12
May 20 12
May 20 12
Fall 20 12
Fall 20 11
Spring 20 13
May 20 13
Spring 20 13
May 20 12
20 13
Spring 20 13
Spring 20 13
Spring 20 14
May 20 13
Spring 20 14
St at ist ic
To tal Respo nses
Value
35
6.
What is yo ur majo r?
T e xt Re spo nse
BUAD
Business with an Emphasis in Internatio nal Relatio ns
BUAD/IR
Business Administratio n
Business Admin.
Film and Business
Business Admin
Cinema Studies and Business Admin
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n - Internatio nal Relatio ns
Acco unting
Acco unting and Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Acco unting/Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n & Acco unting
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n & Acco unting
Business Administratio n & Acco unting
Business administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n, Psycho lo gy
Business
BUAD
Business
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n and Acco uting
Business Administratio n
Business Administratio n & Critical Studies
Business
St at ist ic
To tal Respo nses
Value
35
7.
What is yo ur co ncentratio n (Business majo rs o nly)?
T e xt Re spo nse
MKT
internatio nal business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Entrepreneurship, Internatio nal Business
Real Estate Finance
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Glo bal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business and Entrepreneurship
Finance
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
Internatio nal Business
New Curriculum
NA
Internatio nal Business
Marketing, Entrepreneurship
Emphasis in Cinema
Marketing
St at ist ic
To tal Respo nses
Value
30
8.
Please indicate the term in which yo u were abro ad (semester and year, eg
Fall 20 0 9 ).
T e xt Re spo nse
Fall 20 0 8
Spring 20 0 9
spring 20 0 9
Fall 20 0 9
Fall 20 0 9
Fall 20 0 9
Fall 20 0 9
Fall 20 0 9
Spring 20 10
Spring 20 10
Spring 20 10
Fall 20 10
Fall 20 10
Fall 20 10
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Spring 20 11
Fall 20 11
Fall 20 11
Fall 20 11
Fall 20 11
Spring 20 12
Spring 20 12
Spring 20 12
Spring 20 12
Spring 20 12
Fall 20 12
Fall 20 12
Spring 20 13
Spring 20 13
Spring 20 13
St at ist ic
To tal Respo nses
Value
35
9.
I. GENERAL PROGRAM EVALUATION Please rate the fo llo wing items:
#
Que st io n
1
1. Yo ur o verall satisfactio n with the
pro gram.
Ve ry
dissat isf ie d
So m e what
dissat isf ie d
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
sat isf ie d
Ve ry
sat isf ie d
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
0
0
0
5
28
33
4.8 5
St at ist ic
1. Yo ur o ve rall sat isf act io n wit h t he pro gram .
Min Value
4
Max Value
5
Mean
4.8 5
Variance
0 .13
Standard Deviatio n
0 .36
To tal Respo nses
33
10.
No t at all
so
So m e what
so
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
so
Ve ry m uch
so
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
2. To what extent did the pro gram meet yo ur expectatio ns?
0
0
1
9
23
33
4.6 7
3. To what extent was yo ur participatio n in the pro gram a valuable
learning experience?
0
0
1
2
30
33
4.8 8
#
Que st io n
1
2
St at ist ic
2. T o what e xt e nt did t he pro gram m e e t yo ur
e xpe ct at io ns?
3. T o what e xt e nt was yo ur part icipat io n in t he pro gram a valuable le arning
e xpe rie nce ?
Min Value
3
3
Max Value
5
5
Mean
4.6 7
4.8 8
Variance
0 .29
0 .17
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .54
0 .42
33
33
To tal
Respo nses
11.
#
Que st io n
1
4. To what extent wo uld yo u reco mmend
this pro gram to o ther USC students?
Wo uld no t
re co m m e nd at
all
May re co m m e nd
wit h re se rvat io ns
Ne ut ral
Wo uld sure ly
re co m m e nd
Wo uld
re co m m e nd
m o st st ro ngly
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
0
0
0
1
32
33
4.9 7
St at ist ic
4 . T o what e xt e nt wo uld yo u re co m m e nd t his pro gram t o o t he r USC st ude nt s?
Min Value
4
Max Value
5
Mean
4.9 7
Variance
0 .0 3
Standard Deviatio n
0 .17
To tal Respo nses
33
12.
II. ACADEMIC PROGRAM
No t at
all so
So m e what
so
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
so
Ve ry
m uch so
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
5. To what extent were yo ur co urses intellectually challenging?
0
5
15
13
0
33
3.24
6 . Ho w co mparable was the quality o f instructio n and academic demand o f
classes to that o f USC?
4
15
9
4
1
33
2.48
#
Que st io n
1
2
St at ist ic
5 . T o what e xt e nt we re yo ur co urse s int e lle ct ually
challe nging?
Min Value
2
1
Max Value
4
5
Mean
3.24
2.48
Variance
0 .50
0 .9 5
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .71
0 .9 7
33
33
To tal
Respo nses
6 . Ho w co m parable was t he qualit y o f inst ruct io n and acade m ic de m and o f
classe s t o t hat o f USC?
13.
St ro ngly
disagre e
Disagre e
Ne ut ral
Agre e
St ro ngly
Agre e
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
7. The grading system used in the co urses was
explained.
0
2
4
15
12
33
4.12
8 . I was able to register fo r all the classes that I wanted.
1
5
7
11
9
33
3.6 7
#
Que st io n
1
2
St at ist ic
7 . T he grading syst e m use d in t he co urse s was e xplaine d.
Min Value
2
1
Max Value
5
5
4.12
3.6 7
Variance
0 .73
1.29
Standard Deviatio n
0 .8 6
1.14
33
33
Mean
To tal Respo nses
8. I was able t o re gist e r f o r all t he classe s t hat I want e d.
14.
No t at all
so
So m e what
so
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
so
Ve ry m uch
so
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
9 . To what extent were yo u prepared fo r the co ursewo rk?
0
0
1
9
23
33
4.6 7
2
10 . To what extent do yo u feel yo u were immersed in the culture o f the
ho st co untry?
0
2
1
19
11
33
4.18
3
11. To what extent did yo u gain a better appreciatio n o f the ho st
culture's perspectives?
1
1
0
11
20
33
4.45
#
Que st io n
1
St at ist ic
9 . T o what e xt e nt we re yo u
pre pare d f o r t he co urse wo rk?
10 . T o what e xt e nt do yo u f e e l yo u we re
im m e rse d in t he cult ure o f t he ho st co unt ry?
11. T o what e xt e nt did yo u gain a be t t e r
appre ciat io n o f t he ho st cult ure 's pe rspe ct ive s?
Min Value
3
2
1
Max Value
5
5
5
Mean
4.6 7
4.18
4.45
Variance
0 .29
0 .59
0 .8 2
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .54
0 .77
0 .9 0
33
33
33
To tal
Respo nses
15.
Ve ry
dissat isf ie d
So m e what
dissat isf ie d
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
sat isf ie d
Ve ry
Sat isf ie d
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
12. Please rate yo ur o verall satisfactio n with the co ntent o f
the co urses yo u to o k.
0
0
8
19
6
33
3.9 4
13. Please rate yo ur o verall satisfactio n with the quality o f
instructio n.
1
5
9
14
4
33
3.45
#
Que st io n
1
2
St at ist ic
12. Ple ase rat e yo ur o ve rall sat isf act io n wit h t he co nt e nt o f t he
co urse s yo u t o o k.
Min Value
3
1
Max Value
5
5
Mean
3.9 4
3.45
Variance
0 .43
1.0 1
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .6 6
1.0 0
33
33
To tal
Respo nses
13. Ple ase rat e yo ur o ve rall sat isf act io n wit h t he qualit y o f
inst ruct io n.
16.
#
Que st io n
1
14. Please rate the o verall level o f faculty interest in
students.
Ve ry
lo w
So m e what
lo w
Ave rage
Highe r t han
ave rage
Ve ry
high
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
0
2
16
8
7
33
3.6 1
St at ist ic
14 . Ple ase rat e t he o ve rall le ve l o f f acult y int e re st in st ude nt s.
Min Value
2
Max Value
5
Mean
3.6 1
Variance
0 .8 1
Standard Deviatio n
0 .9 0
To tal Respo nses
33
17.
#
Que st io n
1
15. Please rate yo ur o verall satisfactio n with the
academic pro gram.
Ve ry
dissat isf ie d
So m e what
dissat isf ie d
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
sat isf ie d
Ve ry
sat isf ie d
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
0
3
4
20
6
33
3.8 8
St at ist ic
15 . Ple ase rat e yo ur o ve rall sat isf act io n wit h t he acade m ic pro gram .
Min Value
2
Max Value
5
Mean
3.8 8
Variance
0 .6 7
Standard Deviatio n
0 .8 2
To tal Respo nses
33
18.
III. LANGUAGE PREPARATIONIf yo u did no t take a fo reign language
class this semester, please cho o se "No t applicable" fo r each questio n.
No t
applicable
Po o r
Ne e ds
im pro ve m e nt
Fair
Go o d
Exce lle nt
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
16 . Ho w were yo ur language skills befo re the
pro gram?
27
3
1
1
0
1
33
1.39
2
17. Ho w were yo ur language skills after the pro gram?
26
1
2
2
0
2
33
1.6 4
3
18 . Yo ur living situatio n aided yo ur language
acquisitio n.
26
4
0
0
1
2
33
1.55
#
Que st io n
1
St at ist ic
16 . Ho w we re yo ur language skills be f o re
t he pro gram ?
17 . Ho w we re yo ur language skills af t e r
t he pro gram ?
18. Yo ur living sit uat io n aide d yo ur language
acquisit io n.
Min Value
1
1
1
Max Value
6
6
6
Mean
1.39
1.6 4
1.55
Variance
1.12
1.9 9
1.8 8
Standard
Deviatio n
1.0 6
1.41
1.37
33
33
33
To tal
Respo nses
19.
#
Que st io n
1
19 . If yo u studied a fo reign language o n the pro gram, please rate yo ur
o verall level o f satisfactio n with the language educatio n co mpo nent o f
the pro gram.
Ve ry
dissat isf ie d
So m e what
dissat isf ie d
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
sat isf ie d
Ve ry
sat isf ie d
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
1
0
31
0
1
33
3.0 0
St at ist ic
19 . If yo u st udie d a f o re ign language o n t he pro gram , ple ase rat e yo ur o ve rall le ve l o f sat isf act io n wit h t he language e ducat io n
co m po ne nt o f t he pro gram .
Min Value
1
Max Value
5
Mean
3.0 0
Variance
0 .25
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .50
To tal
Respo nses
33
20.
IV. SUPPORT SERVICESPlease rate yo ur level o f satisfactio n with the
fo llo wing catego ries:
#
Que st io n
Ve ry
dissat isf ie d
So m e what
dissat isf ie d
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
sat isf ie d
Ve ry
sat isf ie d
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
1
20 . On-site academic advising
2
6
16
8
1
33
3.0 0
2
21. On-site o rientatio n
0
3
0
19
11
33
4.15
3
22. On-site academic facilities (e.g. classro o ms, libraries,
co mputer labs), excluding ho using.
0
1
4
12
16
33
4.30
4
23. Co mmunicatio n with the USC Marshall o ffice in Lo s Angeles
0
1
3
11
18
33
4.39
5
24. Overall impressio n o f o n-site suppo rt services
0
0
13
14
6
33
3.79
St at ist ic
20 . On-sit e
acade m ic
advising
21. On-sit e
o rie nt at io n
22. On-sit e acade m ic f acilit ie s (e .g.
classro o m s, librarie s, co m put e r labs),
e xcluding ho using.
23. Co m m unicat io n wit h t he
USC Marshall o f f ice in Lo s
Ange le s
24 . Ove rall im pre ssio n
o f o n-sit e suppo rt
se rvice s
Min Value
1
2
2
2
3
Max Value
5
5
5
5
5
Mean
3.0 0
4.15
4.30
4.39
3.79
Variance
0 .8 1
0 .70
0 .6 6
0 .6 2
0 .55
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .9 0
0 .8 3
0 .8 1
0 .79
0 .74
33
33
33
33
33
To tal
Respo nses
21.
V. HOUSINGPlease rate yo ur level o f satisfactio n with the fo llo wing
catego ries:
#
Que st io n
Ve ry
dissat isf ie d
So m e what
dissat isf ie d
Ne ut ral
Mo st ly
sat isf ie d
Ve ry
sat isf ie d
T o t al
Re spo nse s
Me an
1
25. Ho using co o rdinatio n
3
5
11
7
7
33
3.30
2
26 . Lo catio n o f student ho using
1
1
12
7
12
33
3.8 5
3
27. Quality o f ho using
arrangements
2
1
2
11
17
33
4.21
St at ist ic
25 . Ho using co o rdinat io n
26 . Lo cat io n o f st ude nt ho using
27 . Qualit y o f ho using arrange m e nt s
Min Value
1
1
1
Max Value
5
5
5
Mean
3.30
3.8 5
4.21
Variance
1.53
1.13
1.23
Standard Deviatio n
1.24
1.0 6
1.11
33
33
33
To tal Respo nses
22.
VI. OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS 31. Why did yo u cho o se this pro gram?
T e xt Re spo nse
Because it was different and unkno wn. Everyo ne go es to co untries that they are likely to visit in the future, but I tho ught that I wo uld no t find myself very o ften in Eastern
Euro pe a sho rt perio d after graduatio n.
Reco mmendatio n
I met Hungarians studying at USC in 20 0 8 and they were a lo t o f fun. They gave me a to ur o f Budapest o n Go o gle Earth and it lo o ked really beautiful and they made it
so und like an exciting place to live.
Budapest o ffered an exo tic cultural experience and highly regarded academic pro grams.
Budapest pro mised a unique lo catio n, peo ple, and culture. It's different than the typical student cho ice and I wanted that variety. It's also relatively inexpensive.
Liked the lo catio n and heard that the exchange pro gram is very go o d there
I cho se this pro gram because bo th o f my parents grew up in Hungary. WIth mo st o f my extended family still living in the co untry, I wanted to have the chance to meet them
and explo re my cultural heritage while studying in Budapest.
I heard many po sitive things abo ut students studying in Budapest. I'm also Hungarian so I wanted to experience the culture. I also wanted a unique Euro pean experience as
many peo ple do no t care to venture to Eastern Euro pe when in actuality it is very fascinating and fun.
I cho se this pro gram because it's lo cated in the city center. Also , I tho ught it wo uld be interesting to go to a co untry that is so recently o ut o f co mmunism.
I cho se to co me to Budapest because I wanted to go to Euro pe (since I'd never go ne befo re), and Budapest seemed ideal because it's so mewhere to tally new and fo reign
instead o f the typical places where students study (e.g. France, Spain o r England) which meant I'd be getting an o nce-in-a-lifetime experience (who ever gets to live in
Budapest fo r 4 mo nths?). Also , lo gistically speaking it was a better financial cho ice since co st o f living is much mo re affo rdable than o ther places in Euro pe and Budapest's
central lo catio n wo uld allo w me to travel aro und Euro pe as well.
I tho ught it wo uld be a great o ppo rtunity to study in Central Euro pe.
Different fro m o ther "mainstream" o ptio ns. Friends did it the semester befo re and had a great time. Very different culture, cheap bustling city, and Eastern Euro pe
Fo r me, Budapest seemed like the mo st unusual cho ice o n the list. Having been to Eastern Euro pe o nce befo re, I was excited to live in a place that is so different fro m the
U.S. co mpared to Western Euro pe, and a place with such a distinct cultural feel. Additio nally, I was attracted by the fact that it is o ne o f the Marshall lo catio ns that actually lies
inside a majo r city, instead o f miles o utside it.
I liked that Eastern Euro pe was so mewhere that I had never experienced, and Budapest was very different then America. Also it was still accessible to Euro pe which was
nice. THe peo ple who had studied there befo re also to ld me ho w amazing it is
I cho se Budapest because it is an o ppo rtunity to go to a co mpletely different place and culture while still having the ability to travel thro ugho ut Euro pe. There are o ther
Euro pean destinatio ns where the primary language wo uld no t be English, but all o f these lo catio ns are still very much western natio ns like the U.S. Budapest was truly a
different experience than I have ever had befo re. Also , the fact that it is affo rdable allo ws yo u to really take advantage o f everything there.
It was the mo st unique pro gram and lo catio n in IEP. I felt that it had the best co mbinatio n o f co urses, culture, lo catio n, and internatio nal student suppo rt pro grams (in
Budapest). Mo re impo rtantly, I cho se the pro gram because o f the great feedback and experiences previo us students in Budapest had. I had a handful o f clo se friends who
went thro ugh the Budapest pro gram. All o f who m had zero co mplaints and seemed genuinely happy with their experience.
I have a lo ngstanding interest in Eastern Euro pe. This pro gram gave me the o ppo rtunity to explo re a culture and perspective o n do ing business which is co nsidered
atypical co mpared to mo st o f the Slavic cultures which which I am familiar.
I have a lo ng standing Interest in the in the eco no mies and cultures o f central-eastern Euro pe. As Magyar the culture and wo rld view differs so mewhat fro m that o f mo st
Slavic peo ples in the regio n, I cho o se the Budapest pro gram to better aquatint myself with the Hungarian perspective.
Because Hungary is an emerging Euro pean eco no my, I tho ught it wo uld be interesting to see what the co untry is do ing to po sitio n itself in the glo bal eco no my.
I wanted to go so mewhere very very different.
I had never been to Euro pe befo re, and I really wanted to go to Eastern Euro pe after taking a class at USC abo ut the Czech Republic. I had friends who had studied in
Budapest befo re, and I o nly heard AMAZING things abo ut it. I wanted a much different experience fro m the very co mmo n Western Euro pean study abro ad experiences in
Italy, France, UK, etc. I definitely planned o n visiting all tho se well-kno wn co untries in Euro pe as well, but I wanted to go to a lo catio n where I co uld really get to kno w the city
witho ut feeling like a to urist the entire time.
I wanted to learn mo re abo ut Eastern Euro pean culture first hand as my family is fro m Eastern Euro pe and this lo catio n was highly recco mended to me by a friend. I wanted
a pro gram that was in a city and had a lo t o f life so that I co uld experience that and also that wo uld draw a large internatio nal co mmunity.
I liked the large english co urse catalo g, the fact that this pro gram was in a city center, and that it is the o nly pro gram in Eastern Euro pe.
It was a great o ppo rtunity to lo o k into Central Euro pean co untries and to co mpare their develo pment and exquisite culture to o ther Euro pean and No rth American o nes.
Also it was very affo rdable co mpared to o ther Euro pean lo catio ns.
I have a lo t o f family in Budapest, wanted to learn to speak the language better and learn abo ut the culture mo re, and also knew that Co rvinus was a great pro gram fro m my
family member's wo rd o f mo uth.
I have always heard ho w unique & beautiful Budapest is & wanted to experience it firsthand. Also , the central Euro pean lo catio n is very co nvenient.
I wanted to study so mewhere in Euro pe that was central and had go o d transpo rtatio n. The co st o f living in Budapest is lo wer than mo st o f Euro pe which was a plus, and it
was mo re mysterio us and unco mmo n as a destinatio n which I liked.
I had no idea which pro gram to cho o se, but I knew I wanted to experience so mething different. After researching pretty much every scho o l and reading all these surveys
fro m students in the past, I had a go o d feel abo ut Budapest. And at first, I ho nestly knew no thing abo ut Budapest but it really so unded like a fun pro gram where I co uld
immerse myself in the Hungarian culture. I also read that the internatio nal pro gram at Co rvinus was very diverse and large; I liked the idea o f getting to meet peo ple fro m all
o ver the wo rld.
St at ist ic
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23.
32. Please co mpare these aspects o f yo ur pro gram with study at USC.
#
Que st io n
Equivale nt
USC/Abro ad Be t t e r
USC/in L.A. Be t t e r
T o t al Re spo nse s
Me an
1
2
1) Quality o f instructio n
4
4
20
28
2.57
2) Co ntent o f co urses
8
1
19
28
2.39
3
3) Intellectual challenge o f co urses
3
0
25
28
2.79
4
4) Faculty interest in/suppo rt o f students
12
5
11
28
1.9 6
5
5) Individual assistance pro vided
9
2
17
28
2.29
St at ist ic
1) Qualit y o f
inst ruct io n
2) Co nt e nt o f
co urse s
Min Value
1
1
Max Value
3
3
3) Int e lle ct ual challe nge o f
co urse s
4 ) Facult y int e re st in/suppo rt o f
st ude nt s
5 ) Individual assist ance
pro vide d
1
1
1
3
3
3
Mean
2.57
2.39
2.79
1.9 6
2.29
Variance
0 .55
0 .8 4
0 .40
0 .8 5
0 .8 8
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .74
0 .9 2
0 .6 3
0 .9 2
0 .9 4
28
28
28
28
28
To tal
Respo nses
24.
33. Ho w much study time per week do yo u reco mmend in o rder to keep
up with classes?
T e xt Re spo nse
Abo ut 3 ho urs per co urse, 18 ho urs depending o n class selectio n
4 ho urs
4 ho urs
5-6 ho urs
4 ho urs
1-2 ho urs
Depending o n assignments, anywhere fro m 3 to 10 ho urs per week.
7 ho urs o n average, mo re during test weeks
2
3 to 4
3 ho urs
1-3
Abo ut 4 ho urs o n average, mo re during exams.
Depends o n time o f the semester, maybe 3-4 ho urs to tal a week
Pro bably abo ut 1 ho ur during weeks witho ut tests, and 4 ho urs during weeks with tests.
1 ho ur o n easy weeks, up to 8 fo r midterms & finals.
5 hrs.
7 ho urs a week
2-3 hrs per week
5 hrs
0 -2 ho urs TOTAL fo r all 5 classes until the weekend befo re midterm week and finals.
1-3 ho urs
3 ho urs
6 -10 ho urs, depending o n a week
I studied appro ximately 5 ho urs per week
5 ho urs
2-4 ho urs
2-3 ho urs, so metimes mo re if yo u have a gro up presentatio n due
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25.
34. Ho w, if at all, do es the structure o f the co urses differ fro m tho se at
USC? Did yo u like o r dislike these differences?
T e xt Re spo nse
Classes meet as lecture/seminar, which was very similar to USC. Ho wever, classes o nly meet o nce a week so the rhythm o f the wo rk week is very different and can be hard
to o btain a serio us habit to maintain o n-schedule.
They were divided into lecture and seminar and I enjo yed the seminar po rtio n because it was interactive.
USC has a lo t mo re different types o f activities in each class. Co rvinus classes have a lo t o f cases and gro up wo rk. USC classes taught business theo ries better, while I
feel like I go t mo re hands-o n experience at Co rvinus. I welco med the change because I think I've reached the po int in my educatio n where hands-o n immersio n is
impo rtant.
Classes were mo stly gro up-o riented, much o f the grade being made up o f gro up pro jects. This was o ften difficult due to language and/o r scheduling restraints
Each class is o nce a week, which means yo u can manage squeezing all yo ur classes into 2-3 days and allo ws a lo ng weekend. Classes are 4 ho urs tho ugh, which is a
lo ng time to sit quietly.
Much less ho mewo rk, mo re weight put o n pro jects/exams. It made the co ursewo rk much less stressful and time-co nsuming than at USC
The co urse structure at Co rvinus is generally less rigid than the co urse structure at USC. No ne o f the classes required any o fficial textbo o ks o r o ther scho o l materials everything was pro vided by the pro fesso rs in the fo rm o f lectures, Po werpo int presentatio ns, and hando uts. Pro fesso rs are usually reachable in perso n, and almo st
always reachable via email. Overall, I much prefer the structure and co ursewo rk o f USC co urses, but the Co rvinus classes gave me a different perspective o n the academic
experience.
USC instructio n is immensely better. Hungary is a bit behind o n many things, quality o f educatio n being o ne o f them.
I didn't really no tice any differences
The classes are o nce a week and 3 ho urs lo ng, which is a very lo ng time (two 8 0 minute classes with a 20 minute break in between, o ften times the first o ne is the lecture
and the seco nd part is mo re o f a seminar/discussio n), which to o k so me getting used to . Ho wever, the benefits to this was that I had to go to the university less, as well as
since I co uld stack my classes between Tuesday evening tho ro ugh Thursday evening, I had a five-day weekend every weekend!
Attendance is mandato ry. Yo u can o nly skip 3 classes. Anything mo re can result in the pro fesso r failing yo u. In so me ways it is go o d because it fo rces yo u to go to class,
but yo u do n't get to travel as much if yo u have class Mo nday to Friday.
A lo t o f gro up pro jects. Seems really anno ying but pro fesso rs generally grade easy and are o ften impressed by o ur wo rk.
The classes are scheduled o nly o nce a week, which is hard because they are so lo ng, but is really nice because it allo ws yo u to take lo ng weekends to travel. They are very
heavy o n gro up wo rk, and mo st o f the grades are based o n o ne big pro ject and exams.
Lo ts o f gro up pro jects and presentatio ns. Mo st classes have an 8 0 min lecture sessio n then a 20 min break fo llo wed by ano ther 8 0 min discussio n. Each teacher did it
differently. So me had a mo re interactive discussio n sessio n. Overall mo st classes were 2 pro jects a final exam, so metimes a midterm exam o r small paper. They take
attendance and have "participatio n" but it is pretty easy since yo u are a native english speaker.
In mo st classes there is no t very much ho mewo rk, and yo ur grade will be based o n o ne o r two presentatio ns, a midterm, a final, and participatio n.
They o ffered a co rpo rate so cial respo nsibility co urse that I really enjo yed. It co nsidered the implicatio ns o f CSR o n business.
Overall it is the same. Mo st co urses requires a midterm, final and in so me cases a few sho rt papers. Mo st causes also require a presentatio n at so me po int. Co urses are
divided into the equivalent o f discussio n and lecture sectio ns, but bo th o f these are lead by the pro fesso r and in mo st cases are just ano ther lecture. I think that weather
so meo ne likes this is a matter o f perso nal taste. Pro fesso rs o ften wo uld make up classes missed because o f ho lidays. These were o ften in co nflict with co urses which
wee scheduled at the make up time and they were usually badly attended.
Mo st co urses do no t have a discussio n sectio n as we think o f it here. even If it lo o ks like there is o ne when yo u register it is in practice ano ther lecture lead by the
pro fesso r, and the amo unt o f student invo lvement depends o n the pro fesso r. On the do wn side pro fesso rs give 'make-up' classes at times o f their cho o sing to make up
fo r things like natio nal ho lidays. If yo u canno t make it to o ne o f these due to a preexisting co nflict it is co nsidered to be the student's pro blem.
Attendance is mandato ry in mo st classes. Yo u may miss o nly abo ut three classes. This may co mplicate yo ur travel plans, but at the same time it helps yo u get to kno w
Budapest better.
No thing was set in sto ne. Midterms, finals, pro jects, assignments are o ften no t given o ut until the very very last minute. Be prepared to adapt to anything and everything!
I rarely had any ho mewo rk at all. Reading is no t required befo re lectures. There were gro up pro jects and presentatio ns but they give yo u a to n o f time, and the gro upwo rk is
co mpletely do able o n yo ur o wn in o ne night........ All in all, it was much mo re relaxed than at USC. Yo u really do n't have to wo rry abo ut anything until midterms and finals
besides getting to class. I liked it a lo t fo r this semester because it made it really easy to go o ut every single night and travel all weekends since I scheduled my classes fo r
o nly Mo ndays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
The structure is fairly similiar which I liked. There is usually a midterm, o ne o r two big pro jects/papers/presentatio ns, a final and a participatio n grade. Class attendance is
mandato ry (if yo u miss mo re than 3 classes i think yo u auto matically fail?) which no t everyo ne liked but it is fairly easy to schedule classes o n 2-3 days. It is nice tho ugh
having a 15% easy bo o st in yo ur grade just fo r sho wing up tho ugh. Overall I preferred this structure becuase in three o f my classes I had already passed befo re we to o k the
final because I did well o n everything all semester and the final was o nly 25% o f my grade so its nice to no t stress and just be able to enjo y the city even during finals :)
Fairly similiar which I appreciated- there was usually a midterm, a paper, and a final. Main difference is that attendance is mandato ry. If yo u miss mo re than 2 co urses yo u
auto matically fail unless yo u talk to the pro fesso r. Its no t that bad tho ugh becuase it is fairly easy to get all o f yo ur classes o n 2-3 days :)
A lo t o f Euro pe/co untry specific examples. I like the difference.
There is an attendance requirement that is lo o sely enfo rced depending o n yo ur faculty, and there is a lo t less ho mewo rk checking and mo re just examinatio n.
The class size was much smaller and the pro fesso rs seemed much mo re engaged with the students. In general, the classes were much mo re So cratic. My classes o nly
met o nce a week which was bizarre to acclimate to at first.
Classes usually meet fo r the entire semester twice a week fo r 8 0 minutes each. So metimes lecture is o ne day and "seminar" is ano ther, but seminar is o ften immediately
after lecture. Mo st classes require 75% attendance to pass (but missing up to 25% will negatively impact yo ur grade). Textbo o ks aren't really necessary. Lectures seem
"fluffy" and mo st o f the real co ntent is in readings which are usually po sted o nline. There are very few assignments generally (tho ugh each class differs). There is usually a
midterm (and/o r a gro up assignment/presentatio n) and a final. Essay type exams are co mmo n (usually better than multiple cho ice because the pro fesso rs try to give yo u
so me po ints even when yo u are pretty o ff). My final exams ranged fro m 20 %-40 % o f my grades. I also felt like classes were mo re so cial in the sense that almo st everyday
we had to break up into gro ups to discuss so mething o r perfo rm so me activity o r simulatio ns.
The intellectual aspect o f the classes is easier, but what I enjo yed abo ut the classes at Co rvinus was the level o f invo lvement. The teachers required interactio n and gro up
pro jects, which I really liked because I go t to meet so many different peo ple. Being able to wo rk with peo ple fro m different co untries was interestingly challenging, but really
fun! The teachers really cared abo ut their students, the class ro o m size wasn't to o big, and the tasks/gro up wo rk was clear and made class fun.
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26.
35. Are there co urses o r pro fesso rs that yo u wo uld particular
reco mmend? Please explain:
T e xt Re spo nse
Pro ject Management is an interesting co urse, albeit the pro fesso r's English can be hard to understand Internatio nal Business Marketing is mo re so business-to -business
marketing and fo cus mo stly aro und cases Internatio nal Marketing is taught by Al Sabea's Hungarian Twin Supply Chain Management is clo ser to Operatio ns Management
than true Supply Chain Management and Lo gistics Management
Yes- Decisio n Making and Nego tiatio n Skills with Kinga Ko czey was my favo rite co urse. I also enjo yed Presentatio n Skills with Laszlo Kascirek.
Pro ject Management is an extremely rigo ro us co urse, but we went thro ugh a 10 week simulatio n o f implementing a pro ject. I think the experience will pro ve invaluable in the
future. Electro nic Co mmerce is a decent class.
Pro fesso r Erszebet Czako 's Glo bal Strategy and Co mpetitiveness was a great class because she was a very kno wledgeable and engaging pro fesso r teaching interesting
and applicable ideas.
Change Management was go o d and easy, very simple and quite interactive. Electro nic Co mmerce was especially easy.
Jo y Chan - Investment Analysis; o ne o f the few co urses/pro fesso rs that will actually teach yo u anything meaningful during yo ur time there
These are the co urses I reco mmend: Investment Analysis with Jo y Chan - past USC students also reco mmend her. She is o riginally fro m Singapo re and currently wo rks
fo r Bain as a co nsultant. She travels thro ugho ut Eastern Euro pe o n business during the week and returns to Budapest to teach each o f her fo ur o r five finance classes.
Altho ugh this was o ne o f the mo re challenging co urses we to o k, it was definitely manageable and wo rth it. In fact, the class was so po pular when I enro lled, that Pro fesso r
Chan tried to dissuade po tential students fro m taking the class by talking abo ut ho w challenging the co urse was - ho wever, if yo u have taken 30 6 o r o ther finance classes
at USC, yo u sho uld have few pro blems understanding the co ursewo rk. The o nly drawback o f this class is that it was held o n Mo ndays at 8 am (the earliest o f all o f my
classes). Decisio n Making and Nego tiatio n Strategies with Kinga Ko nczey - this class was also o ne o f my to p classes. The pro fesso r always made every class interesting
and info rmative. Altho ugh she co vers a lo t o f material fro m Organizatio nal Behavio r, the co urse is a great refresher as well as intro ductio n into nego tiatio n skills. I was
genuinely interested in the material and always enjo yed go ing to class.
Jo y Chen. She teaches all finance co urses and Investment Analysis. She's an amazing po wer wo man fro m Singapo re and teaches because she likes to - no t because
she needs to . She is helpful and teaches what is applicable in the real wo rld.
Cro ss Cultural Marketing and Management: This class was a chance fo r a class o f students fro m all o ver the wo rld to discuss cultural stereo types, differences, and
co mmunicatio n barriers. Yo u get to meet everybo dy in the class because o f all the discussio ns that go o n.
Cro ss Cultural Co mmunicatio n and Marketing with Erszebet Malo ta Retailing Management with Irma Agardi Electro nic Co mmerce with Andrea Ko Bo th classes were a lo t
o f fun with a lo t o f interactive learning and info rmatio n, as well as no t to o difficult to pass.
Take Cro ss Cultural Marketing and Co mmunicatio ns. The class is filled with internatio nal kids and we talk abo ut culture and marketing in tho se cultures. The pro fesso r
really makes an effo rt fo r everyo ne to participate and yo u really get to kno w yo ur classmates. We even had class dinners.
Co rpo rate So cial Respo nsibility and Decisio n Metho ds
Internatio nal Human Reso urces Management - the instructio n wasn't that great, but we did a lo t o f wo rk with very culturally diverse gro ups, and it was a great learning
experience abo ut wo rking and interacting with o ther co untries.
Stephen Wirtz Glo bal Business Strategy. Yo u will no t learn much abo ut strategy but he is immensely entertaining, Best class I to o k. Decisio n Techniques was pretty
interesting, and very manageable (Richard Szanto and Reka Mato lay)
Advertising Management- VERY easy, pretty much spend all o f class watching ads o n yo utube Services Marketing- Easy, similar to ad management Decisio n Metho dsEasy
Decisio n Metho ds, Service Marketing and Co rpo rate So cial Respo nsibility.
Take 'Practice o f Internatio nal Trade' o r' Applied internatio nal business metho ds' ( they are the same co urse) fro m Dr. Cesko Kalan. This was the o nly truly intilectually
challenging co urse I to o k. The pro fesso rs is mo re than willing to help the students grasp co mplicated legal co ncepts, and is dedicated to their pro gress. Her teaching stile
made useful info rmatio n memo rable beyo nd the test.
Take 'practice o f Internatio nal trade' o r 'applied internatio nal business metho ds' (they are actually the same co urse) fro m Pro fesso r Cseko Katalin. The co urse was the
mo st intellectually stimulating I to o k in Hungary. The pro fesso r is very suppo rtive and skilled at explaining the implicatio ns o f legal co ncepts to her students in
understandable and memo rable ways.
Dr. Kelemen Zita fo r Co nsumer Behavio r. If yo u take this class, yo u will have so me cases to read but the pro fesso r is very kno wledgeable and funny. To urism Marketing
&Management and Co rpo rate So cial Respo nsibility are great classes.
Co rpo rate Go vernance, Cro ss Cultural Business Co mmunicatio n -- bo th easy A's!
Decisio n Techniques and To urism Management and Marketing are REALLY easy. Definitely take these classes. Services Marketing is also easy. Glo bal Business Strategy
with Wirtz is a masters level class but it was the best class I had - never had to go to class, and he was always really co o l abo ut it.
Wirtz fo r Glo bal Business Strategy- His class is so rt o f crazy and unstructured but he had a lo t o f interesting o pinio ns and new perspectives o n different cultures. The class
itself is very easy with o ne presentatio n and a final, and o verall he cares mo re abo ut yo u thinking abo ut the wo rld in new ways then the class itself. Lo ts o f crazy metho ds
but I liked it. Also To urism and Marketing Mangement. Its taught by two really nice female pro fesso rs who always have great recco mendatio ns o f things to do aro und the
city and the class is co o l cause USC has no thing like it. Fairly easy o verall with o ne pro ject, midterm and final. Also we went o n two cute field trips which was fun!
Glo bal Business Strategy- This class had the least amo unt o f wo rk and yet is pro bably the class that taught me the mo st. Pro fesso r Wirtz is rather unco nventio nal but I
fo und him very interesting and amusing.
Yes, Bank Finance - very challenging co urse, but extremely kno wledgeable instructo r, Film and Histo ry - gives an insight into why Hungary is the way it currently is o ur days.
Decisio n Techniques pro fesso r is incredibly pro ficient in English and a very adept teacher. His name is Richard Szanto .
I lo ved Reka Mato lay's Co rpo rate So cial Respo nsibility. She was amazing. Very interesting co urse. I also really enjo yed Human Reso urces Management with Ferraro
Pasquale.
Co rpo rate So cial Respo nsibility with Reka Mato lay - The class was really interesting because o f Reka. She is really nice and I talked to her o ut o f class o n multiple
o ccasio ns. She is a very fair grader also and the exams were fair. There is a paper (but it's really straight fo rward) To urism Management and Marketing with Ivett Sziva and
Livia Pinter - Really fun class with a site visit. There is essentially no reading/wo rk except a gro up presentatio n a midterm and a final. Internatio nal Business Law with
Jeffrey Allan - The class seems a little daunting the first few weeks, BUT he was SO straightfo rward abo ut the exams. He essentially gives yo u the essay to pics o f which
yo u have to cho o se a few so yo u can prepare an o utline and get a really go o d grade. There is also no t much wo rk - a midterm, final, and participatio n. Hungarian fo r
Beginners with Agnes Mester Walsch - Also a fun class if yo u want to learn so me Hungarian. I tho ught it was useful (it also came in handy in Po land and Serbia where
so me o f the wo rds are similar (and in Serbia English isn't as co mmo n as o ther places)).
Co rpo rate So cial Respo nsibility with Reka Matalo y - great pro fesso r! Kno ws all o f her students by first name and makes class interesting! To urism Management and
Marketing is rather bo ring, but if yo u're lo o king fo r an easy class, it's just that.
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27.
36 . Are there co urses o r pro fesso rs that yo u wo uld advise against taking?
Please explain:
T e xt Re spo nse
N/A
Yes- Entrepreneurship with Emeric So lymo ssy but he was no t a permanent pro fesso r at the university. The pro fesso r was very rude and I did no t gain a valuable
experience fro m his co urse.
Co rpo rate Go vernance is a co mplete jo ke. The pro fesso r canno t teach. Perspectives o f Info rmatio n Systems is incredibly bo ring.
While Pro fesso r Jano s Ho o s' Co rpo rate Go vernance was a great class, his teaching level is extremely basic (due to his lack o f English kno wledge) and the entire grade is
based o n a o ne-questio n final.
DO NOT TAKE PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Yo u will regret it. There are weekly assignments, the material isn't reflective o f the usual pro ject management co urses, and the
teacher has terrible English that yo u'll suffer trying to understand. It is frustrating and generally inco mprehensible.
No
The o nly co urse I stro ngly reco mmend against is Hungary, Civilisatio n Co urses in English and Basic Hungarian with Judit Magyar. I tho ught the class wo uld o ffer a mo re
dynamic and hands-o n appro ach to Hungarian histo ry, but instead, the class was very dull and bo ring. Every class co vered a different aspect o f Hungarian
culture/histo ry/etc., but the presentatio ns were so mewhat thro wn to gether with little to no directio n. Altho ugh I learned a lo t abo ut Hungary, I o nly reco mmend this class if
yo u are very interested in learning abo ut Hungarian histo ry.
Internatio nal Human Reso urce Management. Pro fesso r was terrible and I didn't learn o ne thing.
Hungarian civilizatio ns is really dry. It's just a lo ng histo ry o f Hungary and the pro fesso r is really hard to listen to .
Business Valuatio n with Jo y Chan...it's an advanced finance co urse that as no n-finance co ncentratio n was rather difficult fo r me Pro ject Management with Go ro g Mihaly
was a lo t o f wo rk with weekly assignments and a very co nceptual co urse that the pro fesso r co uldn't always teach in the best way
Do n't take Internatio nal Financial Management. The pro fesso r is a very smart and successful man, but he do esn't kno w ho w to teach. It is a bo ring class and can be difficult
if yo u do n't keep up with the reading.
Service Marketing is dry and bo ring. Teacher is mo no to ne and so ft spo ken. Advertising Management. Mo st ridiculo us class ever... the teacher do esn't even kno w the
subject well. Internatio nal Human Reso urce Management is bo ring and all we do is present to the class.
No - ho nestly, the level o f instructio n is no t o n par with USC at all, but there were no particularly bad classes.
no t really. Do ra Ho rvath fo r Advertising Management did no t kno w english well eno ugh and was really unclear abo ut the final exam and pro jects. Sando r Takacs fo r
Internatio nal Human Reso urces was a pretty po intless class, and it was at the end o f o ur day so no o ne co uld pay attentio n
Management Info rmatio n Systems- no t so enjo yable, no t very challenging material at all Internatio nal Human Reso urce Management- no t that hard, but the pro jects are no t
enjo yable
No
Avo id taking anything fro m Ferarro Pasquale at all co sts. The pro fesso r's o verbearing teaching style is unsuitable fo r teaching a gro up o f students, mo st o f who m are no t
native speakers o f English. he wo uld criticize students English in general when they did no t use vo cabulary terms which wo uld never be used in the no rmal language.
When half the class sto pped talking o r co ming to class o ut o f fear , he spent the time yelling at tho se that did co me.
Avo id taking anything fro m Pro fesso r Ferraro Pasquale. This pro fesso r's teaching stile might wo rk in a ro o m full o f native English speakers. Ho wever, when teaching a
mo stly Euro pean gro up o f exchange students it was disastro us. He wo uld publically and harshly criticize students' English skills fo r no t awkwardly using vo cabulary terms.
Many o f them quickly became to o afraid to talk in class and/o r sto pped attending it. The pro fesso r respo nded to this by yelling at the students who did co me and participate.
Do no t take Electro nic Co mmerce. The name o f the class makes it so und interesting, but yo u will o nly learn definitio ns.
No .
Do NOT take No npro fit Management with Ferraro . It's a masters level class, and his grading was ridiculo us! His midterm was the o nly midterm that I REALLY studied fo r
o ut o f all 5 o f my classes, and I go t a 6 1% (higher than my friends) when I go t 9 8 %s o n my o ther midterms witho ut studying mo re than 3 ho urs all semester. I wo uldn't even
study mo re if I co uld go back and redo the midterm, it was entirely due to his (lack o f) grading system.
No n-Pro fit Management with Pasqual Ferraro . The class was SUPER bo ring and the pro fesso r was AWEFUL. He thinks he is cuper impo rtant but has no t do ne anything
great and lo o ks do wn o n everyo ne. On the midterm exam when the highest grade was an 8 2% he yelled at all o f us telling us that we were stupid and sho uld have do ne
better and that he co uldn't understand ho w we all did so badly. It was extremely frustrating and he did no t curve the midterm. Also his class teaches inco rrect info rmatio n
and is all abo ut his perspectives, no thing abo ut the real wo rld.
No n-Pro fit Management- This class is mo re abo ut memo rizing the bo o k then anything else. He wants yo u to use his wo rds to explain everything instead o f explaining
co ncpets becuase he has applied new meanings to wo rds that do no t apply anywhere o utside o f his class. No t wo rth the time and the co ntent was no t useful. On the
midterm the highest grade was an 8 2% and it was never curved.
Yes
No t particularly.
No .
Brand Management with Ro bert Braun: He seemed really interesting the first day o f class, but he was a ho rrible unfair pro fesso r. Expectatio ns were unclear and befo re
finals the entire class had no idea what their grade was so far. We also had o ne-page summaries due every class o f the readings (so metimes fo r 3 readings). The final
was also awful, co mplete memo rizatio n o f useless things.
N/A
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28.
37. Has participatio n in this pro gram influenced yo ur academic o r career
go als? Ho w?
T e xt Re spo nse
Perhaps has influenced so me o f my understanding o f business and the way that things o perate in different co untries. Has helped me fo cus o n a mo re perso nal level as
this pro gram seems to be cho sen by individuals who are mo re adventuro us and independent.
Yes- I intro duced me to a new culture that I really enjo yed and I want to return to Euro pe so metime in my career.
Participating in a study abro ad pro gram in Euro pe makes me want to live and wo rk in Euro pe after graduatio n and learn mo re languages.
Yes, I kno w I want to mo ve to Euro pe as so o n as po ssible after graduatio n. I will no w fo cus my career searching abro ad.
Being in Budapest demo nstrated ho w much business as a study and science can really affect the so cial and eco no mic status o f a city and co untry. It sho wed me what
business-minded impro vements can po tentially do fo r a gro up o f peo ple.
Pro vided me with a much greater glo bal perspective
No t significantly.
Yes. It has reinfo rced the idea that I wo uld like to wo rk internatio nally.
This pro gram has definitely made me want to wo rk glo bally. I want to be able to travel and wo rk with o ther cultures.
After traveling in Euro pe fo r the first time and spending a pro lo nged perio d surro unded by peo ple fro m different cultures, o ne o f my career go als has definitely been to travel
abro ad fo r wo rk either o n sho rt assignments o r lo ng-term.
Yes. Being abro ad in general has o pened my eyes. I learned so much abo ut myself and met so many new peo ple.
It made me realize ho w right Acco unting is fo r me and that marketing and advertising are ho rrible (at least in these co urses)
Reinfo rced the idea that I wo uld like to wo rk abro ad at so me po int after graduatio n.
Yes, I am mo re interested into wo rking fo r an internatio nal co mpany, and po ssibly taking the o ppo rtunity to wo rk abro ad. Academically I appreciate USC educatio n mo re,
and I no lo nger want an advertising o r marketing class
Definitely has made me want to wo rk abro ad fo r a year as well as travel to mo re destinatio ns in the wo rld.
The pro gram will o pened up my pro fessio nal aspiratio ns in terms o f where I wo uld like to wo rk. Befo re go ing abro ad, I never co nsidered an internatio nal ro tatio n. Ho wever,
after living in Budapest, I wo uld lo ve to spend 6 mo nths - 1 year wo rking abro ad. I think the learning experience o f living in a fo reign co untry was so mething I never co uld
have learned in a classro o m at USC.
I am mo re certain that ever that I wo uld like to presue a career in the business wo rld o f Eastern Euro pe.
I am mo re certain than ever that I wo uld like to base my career in Eastern Euro pe, fo cusing in internatio nal trade.
Yes. I realized that I do no t want to go into the to urism industry, but mo st impo rtantly, I learned o f the value o f co rpo rate so cial respo nsibility in the co rpo rate wo rld.
Additio nally, the pro gram served to co nfirm my passio n fo r internatio nal business.
Yes, as it allo wed me to o pen my eyes to a many different po ssibilities.
No
Gave me a lo t o f perspective o n the wo rld and ho w different cultures interact and has made me much mo re interested in do ing wo rk that invo vles traveling internatio nally o r
wo rking with internatio nal clients.
I am much mo re interested in wo rking with internatio nal clients as I am no w co nfident in my ability to sucessfully relate to peo ple o utside o f my co mfo rt zo ne.
It gave me a bro ader understanding o f internatio nal eco no mics and ho w interrelated all the co untries are. Also I wo uld definitely want to learn mo re o f the histo ry o f CentralEuro pean co untries.
No t my academic o r career go als, but has certainly made me realize that I wo uld like to go to Hungary every year fo r the remainder o f my life.
Abso lutely. I disco vered I want to pursue a career in HR upo n co ncluding my HR Management class. I never expected to so lidify my career plans while I was abro ad.
I really wo uld like to wo rk internatio nally after this pro gram
It has made me mo re aware o f glo bal interactio n and mo re interested, willing to wo rk in a glo bal enviro nment!
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29.
Please tell us abo ut yo ur experience with the fo reign language o f yo ur
ho st co untry: 38 . Besides English, what is (are) the language(s) mo st
pro minently spo ken o n the campus o f the university where yo u studied?
T e xt Re spo nse
German (1/3 o r exchange students), Spanish, French (1/6 th o r so ), Hungarian (everyo ne else)
Hungarian/Magyar
Hungarian
Hungarian (Magyar)
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian
German, Hungarian, Dutch, French
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian, French (o ther internatio nal students)
Hungarian, Spanish german and French
Magyar, Spanish, German, French
Hungarian, German
Hungarian
Hungarian....... & all the o ther internatio nal exchange students' languages - Dutch, German, French, Spanish
Hungarian, German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian
Hungarian, French, German, Dutch
Hungarian
Hungarian
Hungarian & German
Hungarian, German
Hungarian
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30.
39 . Did yo u speak the ho st language, o r receive any language training in
the ho st language prio r to , o r during yo ur semester abro ad? If yes, please
explain:
T e xt Re spo nse
No t all, just whatever I co uld scrap to gether.
no
No
No , but I wo uld highly reco mmend an intro co urse.
Hungarian is extremely difficult.
I didn't speak a wo rd befo re I arrived. I to o k at 1-unit co urse while I was there fo r 1.5 ho urs/week, but the language is very difficult and yo ur language skills do n't pro gress
very far. It was a fun co urse and I learned quite a bit abo ut Hungarian culture, so I wo uld still reco mmend it to o thers who are interested
I speak basic/co nversatio nal Hungarian. Bo th o f my parents speak Hungarian at ho me, so I was able to pick up so me o f the language prio r to studying abro ad. While in
Budapest, I independently enro lled in a three-week intensive Hungarian language co urse. Altho ugh this significantly impro ved my understanding and use o f the language, I
do n't think that o ther students (witho ut so me fo rm o f Hungarian language backgro und) wo uld benefit fro m these co urses because o f the difficulty o f the language and
practical applicatio ns after studying in Hungary.
No
no
No , I barely learned any Hungarian besides a few basic phrases (hello , thank yo u, excuse me, yes, no , etc) to get aro und. Luckily, mo st peo ple kno w eno ugh English fo r
me to no t have to learn much Hungarian.
No
No and yo u do no t need Hungarian fo r anything. Almo st everyo ne speaks english.
No
No , but all o f the english classes have internatio nal students so yo u will here a lo t o f Dutch, French, Spanish, etc.
No t at all!
N/A
No . English is rather widely spo ken in Budapest, and my full business co urse schedule made it difficult to fit a language co urse in.
No .
No
No , no t at all.
No , Hungarian is impo ssible. Yo u do n't really need it - yo u can learn the SUPER basic wo rds. Mo stly, yo u can just smile and po int and mo tio n to things and it wo rks o ut.
No . I lo o ked up a few wo rds to get by and that is all I will leave with o nly a few mo re.
No - I learned 5 wo rds befo re I came and left with 8
No
I did. Because my family is Hungarian so I spo ke bro ken Hungarian befo rehand.
No pe.
Just during. I to o k a Hungarian class
I learned a few wo rds to get by, but mo st peo ple in the pro gram spo ke English.
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31.
Then rate:
#
Que st io n
Exce lle nt
Go o d
Fair
Po o r
T o t al Re spo nse s
Me an
3.9 3
1
1) Yo ur language skills befo re the pro gram:
0
1
0
27
28
2
2) Language training o n the pro gram:
1
2
4
21
28
3.6 1
3
3) Yo ur pro ficiency after the pro gram:
1
1
4
22
28
3.6 8
St at ist ic
1) Yo ur language skills be f o re t he pro gram :
2) Language t raining o n t he pro gram :
Min Value
2
1
3) Yo ur pro f icie ncy af t e r t he pro gram :
1
Max Value
4
4
4
Mean
3.9 3
3.6 1
3.6 8
Variance
0 .14
0 .6 2
0 .52
Standard Deviatio n
0 .38
0 .79
0 .72
28
28
28
To tal Respo nses
32.
40 . Did cultural/so cial activities spo nso red by the pro gram assist yo u in
language acquisitio n?
T e xt Re spo nse
Yes, the spo nso red events were very helpful o n a so cial scale
yes
No
Yes, a little.
no t much, besides wo rds fo r "beer" o r "exit"
A bit
Altho ugh there were cultural/so cial activities spo nso red by the pro gram, no ne o f them particularly assisted in language acquisitio n.
No
no
No t really, everyo ne speaks English
Yes. This was the o nly time that I learned any basic Hungarian wo rds.
No
No , they were really mo re abo ut having fun than learning the language.
No , but they have Erasmus which puts to gether activities fo r yo u
Only in the way that we wo uld be interacting with so me Hungarian students, and if yo u wanted to yo u co uld ask them ho w to say certain things to make daily life easier.
They taught us the basic wo rds such as "hello ", "thank yo u", and "cheers!"
Na
N/A
No
Only very simple phrases.
A tiny bit
N/A
o nly to say "cheers"
No , all instructio n and co mmunicatio n is in English
No t really. Hungarian is no t the type o f language o ne attempts to pick up in o ne semester.
I learned a few basic wo rds & phrases.
No t really
Orientatio n at the scho o l - taught us a few Hungarian wo rds; The ESN (Erasmus Student Netwo rk) o rganizatio n was made up o f Hungarians so if we ever needed help,
they were always there!
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33.
41. Did o utside/o ther activities help? Please explain.
T e xt Re spo nse
...sho pping at the sto re can be interesting
yes- so cializing with Hungarians
No
Meeting and talking with Hungarian students was nice because they helped with the impo ssible pro nunciatio n.
No t as much as anything else
Interacting with lo cals helped a bit
The o nly o utside activity that helped was the Hungarian Language Scho o l I enro lled in.
No . Mo st o f the exchange students speak English when interacting. I learned mo re French.
no
No t really, everyo ne speaks English
Yes, hanging o ut with my tandem partner and asking Hungarian friends ho w to say "thank yo u" and o ther vo cabulary wo rds helped.
No , everyo ne speaks English
I learned the mo st during day to day activities - gro cery sho pping, go ing to the bank, etc.
they were mo re put to gether to meet peo ple and impro ve o ther peo ple's english
Just go ing to the supermarket o r to restaurants wo uld help as yo u wo uld get the hang o f what different wo rds meant by seeing them asso ciated with certain things.
N/A
Na
N/A
No
Abso lutely! The mo re yo u go o ut, the mo re peo ple yo u meet!
--N/A
N/A
No , all instructio n and co mmunicatio n is in English
Mo st definitely, hungarian culture is quite diverse in activity do ing. There are great festivals to attend!
Befriending Hungarians
Eating o ut, sho pping,
Go ing gro cery sho pping in the market fo rced me to learn so me Hungarian wo rds so that I co uld co mmunicate with the peo ple there
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34.
42. What percentage o f students o n the campus o f yo ur ho st co untry
(wo uld yo u estimate) actively speak English?
T e xt Re spo nse
60%
90%
99%
40 %
45%
10 0
Between 20 % and 40 % o f the students speak English well. The majo rity o f students understand co nversatio nal English. The Hungarian students in the exchange student
pro gram (Erasmus Pro gram) speak English fluently.
Mo stly all.
10 0 %
Almo st 10 0 % speak pro ficient English
Everyo ne o n campus is able to speak English.
99%
90%
8 0 -9 0 %
99%
90%
80%
70 %
All o f the internatio nal students speak English frequently. Only a few Hungarian students speak English o n a regular basis.
10 %. Almo st o nly the internatio nal students.
We take classes with 9 8 % internatio nal exchange students so there aren't many Hungarians in class, and if there are, they speak very well.
40 % The students realize their language is dying o ut and kno w they have to make an effo rt to learn English if they want to go anywhere so the numbers are definitely
increasing. They speak to each o ther in Hungarian but will speak with us in English and are always excited to practice.
50 %
almo st all - 9 5%
A huge pro po rtio n o f Hungarian students at Co rvinus even to o k classes in English!
80%
9 5%
In the internatio nal pro gram, 10 0 % o f students/teachers speak English. I'm no t sure what percentage o f Hungarian students speak English because they aren't in any o f my
classes.
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35.
43. Ho w wo uld yo u reco mmend that students prepare fo r language
differences abro ad?
T e xt Re spo nse
Do n't expect to speak Hungarian pro perly when yo u are do ne unless yo u have a real perso nal mo tivatio n to learn. Be ready to kno w the key phrases o f so cial interactio n.
Pick up any o ther language.
Learn a few wo rds in Hungarian
Go ing so mewhere like Hungary, yo u can't expect to learn much o f the language. I have just beco me accusto med to speaking slo wly in English and being very patient.
So metimes I will change the wo rds in my sentence to make it mo re co mprehensible.
Learn the co mmo n co urtesies and so me fo o d and maintenance wo rds in the ho st language.
Have an o pen mind and learn quickly.
Just be o pen-minded
I highly reco mmend learning the basics o f the language so that yo u can at least respo nd to o thers, but yo u pro bably wo n't need to use it to o much. Usually, the Hungarians
yo u will speak to will respo nd in English when they see that yo u do n't speak Hungarian.
No thing is needed. Hungarian is an extremely difficult language, is o nly spo ken in Hungary, and is in fact dying, as the yo unger generatio ns are speaking o ther languages
including English.
While yo u're abro ad, yo u pick up basic things like "thank yo u" and "excuse me" but fo r the mo st part yo u do n't need to laern the language. Mo reo ver, in the study abro ad
pro gram, the peo ple that yo u meet are fro m all o ver the wo rld so yo u'll always be speaking english anyway.
Expect to be able to co mmunicate in English with yo unger lo cal peo ple, but with o lder peo ple who do n't speak English and if yo u do n't speak Hungarian, prepare to use
bo dy language, hand mo tio ns and many misco mmunicatio ns.
There's really no preparatio n. Yo u just have to learn useful wo rds here and there fro m Hungarians. Taking the language class can help a little, but no t very much because
it's so different fro m any o ther language.
No need to
Yo u do n't really need to prepare because everyo ne at the scho o l speaks English, but it's nice to learn a few wo rds like hello , thank yo u, so rry, etc. to use in o ther situatio ns
(sho pping, o n the metro ) because the o lder generatio ns do n't usually speak English.
It will seem like no o ne speaks english at first, but get used to using bro ken sentences and speaking slo wly and by the end yo u will feel that everyo ne speaks english.
I do n't think that it is necessary to prepare as yo u can get aro und with English.
I think the language differences were huge, but no t a big issue since almo st all students at Co rvinus spo ke English o r understo o d it well. Also , all the lo cal Hungarians,
even if they did no t speak English, were extremely patient and helpful (fo r the mo st part.)
Try to memo rize a few basic phrases befo re go ing abro ad. hungarian vo cabulary is different fro m any o ther endo Euro pean language so fo cus o n the names o f co mmo n
sto res etc... It will be hard to get aro und at first with o ut this info rmatio n.
The Hungarian Lexico n is co mpletely different fro m any o ther Euro pean language. I wo uld reco mmend memo rizing in writing the names o f every day places, gro cery sto re
pro ducts etc... as this wo uld make it much easier to get aro und and find things upo n arrival. While the reality o f have to take a full Business co urse lo ad means that it is very
difficult to take a language co urse will there, English is so mewhat widely spo ken in Budapest.
Yo u do no t need to learn Hungarian to get aro und o r to speak to students o n campus. Altho ugh so me Hungarian students struggle to speak English, mo st will be able to
co mmunicate with yo u fairly well. Because Budapest is a to uristic city, o nly a few o lder peo ple do no t speak English. Yo u can practice a few phrases and numbers if yo u
want.
Learn simple phrases befo re yo u arrive to the co untry. It'll help a lo t!
Do n't be afraid! It's to tally easy to adjust to being co nstantly surro unded by o ther languages. We're lucky because we speak fluent English, so it's easy to co mmunicate with
everyo ne since students are lo o king to practice and use their English.
Do n't wo rry, everyo ne speaks English and if they do n't its fairly easy to mime what yo u need. So metimes its a little crazy, but thats just a part o f the experience :) But
certainly learn basic phrases like hello , thank yo u and such- I think its nice to at least try and fun!
Do n't wo rry abo ut it, everyo ne speaks english, but it is mo re po lite to at least learn a few wo rds befo re yo u travel to different co untries.
Just do n't be scared, taking the level 1 language co urse might be helpful
Majo rity o f peo ple speak English no w in Budapest
Expect to be rather mystified in the first co uple weeks. Especially when it co mes to things like gro cery sho pping and finding restaurants. Trip Adviso r as well as o nline
translato rs were extremely helpful.
Kno w a few wo rds
It's no t a big deal here because a lo t o f peo ple can speak English. If so meo ne can't speak English, yo u'll still be able to po int fo r things yo u want o r find so meo ne else who
can speak English. I wo uld reco mmend learning a few wo rds befo re co ming here but the language is really difficult so do n't be scared!
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28
36.
Click to write Co lumn 2
#
Que st io n
No t Available
Available But No t Use d
Available And Use d
T o t al Re spo nse s
Me an
1
Ho using co o rdinatio n
19
6
2
27
1.37
2
On-site perso nal advising and info rmal suppo rt
6
14
7
27
2.0 4
3
Orientatio n in Lo s Angeles
4
2
21
27
2.6 3
4
Instructio nal facilities
0
4
23
27
2.8 5
5
Medical/dental facilities
8
15
4
27
1.8 5
6
Recreatio nal facilities
4
19
4
27
2.0 0
7
USC Financial Aid
6
8
13
27
2.26
8
Co mmunicatio n with o ffice in Lo s Angeles
0
11
16
27
2.59
St at ist ic
Ho using
co o rdinat io n
On-sit e pe rso nal
advising and inf o rm al
suppo rt
Orie nt at io n
in Lo s
Ange le s
Inst ruct io nal
f acilit ie s
Me dical/de nt al
f acilit ie s
Re cre at io nal
f acilit ie s
USC
Financial
Aid
Co m m unicat io n
wit h o f f ice in
Lo s Ange le s
Min Value
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
Max Value
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Mean
1.37
2.0 4
2.6 3
2.8 5
1.8 5
2.0 0
2.26
2.59
Variance
0 .40
0 .50
0 .55
0 .13
0 .44
0 .31
0 .6 6
0 .25
Standard
Deviatio n
0 .6 3
0 .71
0 .74
0 .36
0 .6 6
0 .55
0 .8 1
0 .50
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
To tal
Respo nses
37.
Click to write Co lumn 2
Unacce pt able
Be lo w
Ave rage
Ave rage
Abo ve
Ave rage
Acce pt able
T o t al Re spo nse s
Me an
Ho using co o rdinatio n
2
6
11
3
5
27
3.11
2
On-site perso nal advising and info rmal
suppo rt
2
7
12
3
3
27
2.9 3
3
Orientatio n in Lo s Angeles
0
0
5
12
10
27
4.19
4
Instructio nal facilities
0
0
8
10
9
27
4.0 4
5
Medical/dental facilities
3
4
16
2
2
27
2.8 5
6
Recreatio nal facilities
3
6
12
3
3
27
2.8 9
7
USC Financial Aid
1
3
10
5
8
27
3.59
8
Co mmunicatio n with o ffice in Lo s Angeles
0
0
9
9
9
27
4.0 0
#
Que st io n
1
St at ist ic
Ho using
co o rdinat io n
On-sit e pe rso nal
advising and inf o rm al
suppo rt
Orie nt at io n
in Lo s
Ange le s
Inst ruct io nal
f acilit ie s
Me dical/de nt al
f acilit ie s
Re cre at io nal
f acilit ie s
USC
Financial
Aid
Co m m unicat io n
wit h o f f ice in
Lo s Ange le s
Min Value
1
1
3
3
1
1
1
3
Max Value
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Mean
3.11
2.9 3
4.19
4.0 4
2.8 5
2.8 9
3.59
4.0 0
Variance
1.41
1.15
0 .54
0 .6 5
0 .9 8
1.26
1.33
0 .6 9
Standard
Deviatio n
1.19
1.0 7
0 .74
0 .8 1
0 .9 9
1.12
1.15
0 .8 3
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
To tal
Respo nses
38.
44. Did yo u live in...
#
Answe r
Bar
Re spo nse
%
1
Do rm
0
0%
2
Apartment
27
10 0 %
3
Other
0
0%
To tal
27
St at ist ic
Value
Min Value
2
Max Value
2
Mean
2.0 0
Variance
0 .0 0
Standard Deviatio n
0 .0 0
To tal Respo nses
27
39.
45. If yo u used STA Travel fo r transpo rtatio n arrangements, were yo u
satisfied? Please explain.
T e xt Re spo nse
N/A
NA
No t at all. They put me friend and I o n separate flights to Euro pe, even tho ugh we bo o ked to gether, and wo uld no t change it.
NA
yes
N/A
I did no t use STA.
I didn't.
na
Did no t use
Didn't use
No
Yes, it was much cheaper than when I tried to bo o k it alo ne
Did no t use
n/a
N/A
Did no t use
No t Used
Did no t use
N/A
--N/A
Haven't used them
No
NA
N/A
N/A
St at ist ic
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27
40.
46 . Is there any aspect o f the pro gram that yo u wo uld like to see changed
o r different? (VERY IMPORTANT!)
T e xt Re spo nse
The co urse picking pro cess was anticipated, but no t headacheless. I wo uld lo ve it if Co rvinus wo uld release po tential timetables at the time o f preliminary research as I was
o nly able to take o ne o f my six classes that I had signed up fo r. One was cancelled due to lack o f registrants after two weeks o f classes. Classes were added three weeks
into the semester, etc. Questio ns did no t always have answers o r the answer was "go to this o ffice" at which po int yo u repeat the same pro cess. As Sean said, so me
universities do no t o ffer the same level o f attentio n as HOH20 0 do es.
I did no t like the class registratio n system. The classes we o riginally signed up fo r were either unavailable o r o verlapped. It was very inefficient.
No .
When abro ad, I heard abo ut a 4 o r 6 -week language co urse o ffered by Co rvinus in August. I wo uld make this o ptio n available to IEP students, because the language
difference o ften go t frustrating.
Schedules o f the classes were no t co mpleted by registratio n time which made it extremely frustrating.
N/A
There weren't any glaring pro blems o r difficulties with the pro gram.
Ho using sho uld be arranged. It was difficult and co stly to do this independently. Language is an issue fo r ho using, thus yo u end up paying high additio nal fees wo rking with
an English speaking ho using agency.
I wish o ur ho using was arranged so that we co uld live in the do rms o r with a ho st family. I feel like because the exchange pro gram allo wed us to meet all internatino al
students, I didn't really experience the Hungarian culture in depth, so living with a ho st family wo uld have been a great experience. If no t that, living in the do rms wo uld have
been ano ther great way o f meeting peo ple.
I was very satisfied with the pro gram and at the mo ment canno t thing o f any big thing that sho uld be changed. I didn't enco unter any pro blems, so I was either lucky o r the
pro gram is already well established.
I'm pretty satisfied with the pro gram.
Have flats set up fo r us prio r to arrival. It was a bit o f a hassle to stay in ho stels in the beginning and search o n o ur o wn but it turned o ut well. Living with internatio nal kids
fro m all o ver the wo rld is definitely a great experience but it wo uld have been easier to no t wo rry abo ut finding flats.
The ho using pro cess is a little frustrating. Altho ugh I ended up with a great living situatio n, it was frustrating to have to spend my first days in Budapest, when I was really
excited and wanted to see and experience everything, lo o king fo r an apartment.
A bit mo re directio n abo ut finding ho using in the beginning. Also the scho o l gave us the fo rms needed to get a residence permit, but was no t very helpful beyo nd that at
describing certain signatures yo u needed o n the fo rms they gave us. Therefo re we all had multiple trips to the Immigratio n Office.
So me American students o n exchange in Budapest had the ability to live in university ho using while we did no t get that o ptio n. I DO NOT think that it sho uld be required to
live in university ho using as finding an apartment was o ne o f the mo st influential experiences o f the trip as we also go t to find ro o mmates fro m all o ver the wo rld. Ho wever,
if so me peo ple wo uld be mo re co mfo rtable with ho using set up fo r them, then I think it sho uld be o ffered as an o ptio n.
We didn't have much info rmatio n abo ut ho using until we arrived. Even then it was very minimal. I didn't mind having to find my o wn apartment. Even tho ugh it was a hassle,
it was wo rth getting to cho se o ur o wn apartments. At the same time, I wish the scho o l wo uld have pro vided us a list o f realto rs o r things to co nsider when lo o king into an
apartment. We had a lo t o f issues getting o ur depo sit back and setting up different things, (i.e. Internet, Resident Permits). So me realto rs that o ther students had used were
better than o thers (etc.)
The Tandem Pro gram is a jo ke. I never even met mine, and heard similar sto ries fro m o ther internatio nal student friends. if I really needed anything my landlady was mo re
then ready to help o ut, butI think this wo uld have been a pro blem if this were my first time in a fo rgin co untry.
The exchange pro gram is o rganized thro ugh Erasmus. This is fine, except fo r the fact that Hungarian and exchange students are kept so mewhat segregated. Fo r example,
mo st o f my classes were special exchange student classes. While I had the o ppo rtunity to get to kno w many peo ple fro m aro und Euro pe, I do n't really kno w any actual
Hungarian co llage students. While I realize that in the case o f classes there so metimes is a language barrier I still wo uld have liked to see mo re interactio n between the two
gro ups.
I wo uld have liked to meet mo re Hungarian students, no t just the exchange student co o rdinato rs. Almo st all o f the students in my classes were exchange students, and
o nly o ne o r two were Hungarian.
Many o f the internatio nal students at Co rvinus, even so me American students, had do rm arrangements. While it was kind o f co o l living in an apartment, it was very
frustrating hustling to secure an apartment with o nly a co uple o f days befo re scho o l started. I think the do rm experience wo uld be easier, very different, and wo uld allo w
mo re interactio ns with o ther internatio nal students.
No !
o ppo rtunity to take classes in the business pro gram at the lo cal university that do no t have an exact USC equivalent. in speaking with friends fro m o ther universities so me
o f their favo rite business classes were o nes that USC did no t appro ve fo r us to take.
Pro vide mo re instructio n abo ut available ho using - where to find it.
No t really - this was such a great pro gram! I can't say o ne bad thing abo ut it.
No pe!
No t that I can think o f right no w
The o nly issue abo ut this pro gram is that ho using is no t co o rdinated fo r the students, so at first, it's a bit daunting flying o ver to Budapest witho ut an apartment o r do rm to
stay in. If students realize befo rehand that staying in a ho stel fo r a week while trying to find a flat is pretty co mmo n here, then they sho uld no t have a pro blem. Staying in a
ho stel fo r a few days was pro bably the greatest thing I did here to meet peo ple! I'm still great friends with everyo ne I met at the ho stel my first few days here! It wo uld have
been nice to have a few mo re class o ptio ns to cho o se fro m that transferred back to USC. Altho ugh I am satisfied with the classes I'm taking, I wo uld have preferred to take
a marketing class o r an entrepreneurship class which was no t available to me.
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41.
47. Additio nal co mments o n services and co o rdinatio n.
T e xt Re spo nse
Everything was as expected, but again, the bureaucracy has given me a new transferable skill in paper pushing, do o r-kno cking, and o ffice so liciting.
NA
NA
The internatio nal o ffice adviso r was no t very helpful o r pleasant.
I'd reco mmend living with internatio nal students if at all po ssible
The o n-site o rientatio n o ffice had very rando m o perating ho urs, so be sure to check o nline o r with yo ur tandem partner to see when is the best time to go .
No te: Ho using in Budapest is insanely cheap co mpared to LA. Take advantage o f that and make sure that yo u search fo r a go o d deal because they exist.
Make sure that yo u get an apartment that already has internet. My ro o mmates and I tried to get o ur o wn and it to o k us like six trips all the way acro ss to wn, and also ended
up being pretty expensive.
Altho ugh yo u pro bably will no t cho o se yo ur place befo re yo u arrive in Budapest, it's a lo t easier if yo u start lo o king at realto rs/places befo re yo u get there. And nego tiate
getting yo ur depo sit back befo re yo u leave in yo ur lease.
n/a
Fo r the mo st part, I do n't see any majo r flaws in the services o r co o rdinatio n. Co rvinus ESN did a great jo b helping all the internatio nal student mingle, which I think made
the transitio n much easier. All in all, the Budapest pro gram was amazing. I can't imagine studying abro ad elsewhere. We had the best o f everything and I wo uld STRONGLY
reco mmend it to anyo ne.
It was fine.
Yo u are theo retically assigned a 'tandem partner', but I never even met mine despite trying o n three o ccasio ns. I heard similar sto ries fro m o ther exchange student friends.
Fo rtunately my landlady was ready and willing to help with any issues I ran into . I wo uld highly reco mmended Zsuzsa Ko llar and her apartment o n Kertesz Ut. to anyo ne. If
this were my first time in a fo reign co untry and I had no t been lucky in my cho ice o f acco mmo datio ns I think this co uld have been much mo re o f a pro blem then it was in my
case.
I did no t like the fact that we had to renew o ur student id during the middle o f the semester. It was very inco nvenient fo r us since we needed it to use public transpo rtatio n.
NA
Yo u are co mpletely o n yo ur o wn to find an apartment o nce yo u get here. It's easy tho ugh - I lived with a guy fro m Belgium and o ne fro m Ho lland, and it was easy eno ugh.
One fo und the landlo rd befo re we came to Budapest, and I was able to mo ve in within a week. I stayed in a ho stel fo r the first week and met many o ther exchange students
who all were lo o king at apartments and finding them in that same week. It's easy and fun to find yo ur o wn apartment - everything in terms o f ho using is WAY WAY WAY
WAY BIGGER AND CHEAPER than USC!
N/A
Great facebo o k co o rdinatio n o f events and students
NA
Sean gives wo nderful directio ns and instructio ns fo r every step o f o rganizing yo ur time abro ad. He answers questio ns very pro mptly. Abro ad, the internatio nal co o rdinato r
at Co rvinus was helpful and respo nsive as well.
It was pretty well o rganized and clear.
N/A
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42.
Please tell us abo ut yo ur travel experiences. 48 . Ho w did yo u find yo ur
arrangements to the ho st institutio n?
#
Answe r
Bar
Re spo nse
%
1
Travel Agent
1
4%
2
Online
25
9 3%
3
Other:
1
4%
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Ot he r:
Online / Yaho o gro ups fo r the exchange students
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Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
3
Mean
2.0 0
Variance
0 .0 8
Standard Deviatio n
0 .28
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43.
Wo uld yo u reco mmend this metho d?
T e xt Re spo nse
If yo u already are familiar with the city, yes. Otherwise wait to go to a ho stel and then meet up with peo ple and go apartment hunting fro m there. Ho using is plentiful.
Yes
Yes. Cheap flights aro und Euro pe can be fo und o n Skyscanner.net.
Yes
yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
yes
Yes, I used StudentUniverse.co m to find a pretty cheap ticket
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes, Kayak.co m and skyscanner.net=best friends
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes.
Yes, it's pretty cheap if yo u lo o k o ut fo r pro mo tio ns!
Yes, just bo o k yo ur o wn flight. It's so easy..........
Yes
Yes
Mo st definitely, very simple.
Yes! I fo und my acco mmo datio ns thro ugh the Facebo o k o rganized fo r the fo reign exchange students at Co rvinus.
Yes
Yes - I lo o ked at studentuniverse.co m and fo und so me go o d deals!
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44.
49 . What was the average co st fo r ro und-trip tickets to yo ur ho st co untry?
T e xt Re spo nse
120 0 do llars, Business Class to Switzerland, then 30 0 Geneva > Budapest
$130 0
$1250
$9 0 0
8 75
$9 0 0
Less than $1,0 0 0 . I spent abo ut $8 0 0 including the extra baggage fees.
It depends where yo u go and when yo u buy, but I wo uld say a little o ver 10 0 USD.
$120 0
$8 0 0 fro m Washingto n DC to Budapest
$110 0
120 0
$9 0 0 fro m Seattle
Fro m Chicago -Budapest $8 0 0 range seemed average
$8 0 0 after fees
$1,0 0 0
Abo ut $10 0 0
arro und $10 0 0
$9 40
$130 0
$70 0 -8 0 0
$8 0 0 if yo u bo o k in advance fro m the USA. Weekend trips were really cheap o n buses and airlines. The lo cal airpo rt has easyjet, ryanair, and wizz air so there are a to n o f
o ptio ns. Also since Budapest is so central yo u can get to a lo t o f places in under 7 ho urs by bus which are SUPER cheap :) like $20 ro und trip
$750 to $10 0 0
Aro und $10 0 fo r airfare o r trans.
$150 0 ?
$130 0
Fro m Atlanta to Budapest: $520 ; Fro m Budapest to Atlanta: $720 ; I bo o ked at different times so I had to do two o ne-way tickets
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45.
50 . Ho w o ften did yo u travel and to where?
T e xt Re spo nse
Almo st every weekend, excepting September. Mo st o f the surro unding co untries (Po land, Slo vakia, Czech Rep., Austria, Slo venia, Cro atia, Serbia, Mo ntenegro , Turkey).
Hungarian co untryside.
Traveled to Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Italy, Paris, and Krako w
I traveled during the summer befo re the pro gram started and almo st every weekend during the semester. I will stay after the semester to travel mo re. I will have been to
Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Spain, Italy, France, England, Slo vakia, Po land, Czech Republic, Serbia, Ro mania, Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Sco tland, and
Slo venia.
Every o ther weekend. Other Eastern Euro pean co untries.
6 trips in to tal: Cro atia, Munich, Krako w, Prague, Vienna, Dublin and o ther cities in Hungary.
Once every 2/3 weeks; mo stly thro ugh western and central Euro pe, also a bit thro ugh different parts o f Hungary
I made a po int o f traveling o ften during February and March because I wanted to spend the co ld mo nths away fro m Hungary (yo u can't do to o much when it is
sno wing/freezing every week). I knew befo rehand that Springtime in Hungary is incredibly beautiful - I wanted to get all o f my traveling o ut o f the way early o n so that I co uld
enjo y the warm mo nths in Budapest and explo ring Hungary. I traveled to Berlin, Vienna, Lo ndo n, Dublin, Geneva (Crans-Mo ntana), Paris, Madrid, Barcelo na, To ledo ,
Sego via, and San Sebastian. I spent, o n average, fo ur/five days in each lo catio n, with so me trips (Lo ndo n, Paris, Dublin, and Madrid) go ing up to six days o r mo re.
Every 2-3 weeks. Ro me, Prague, Amsterdam, Crans Mo ntana Switzerland, Cairo Egypt, Athens and Santo rini Greece, Slo venia, Cro atia, thro ugh the co untryside o f
Hungary
On average, I travel every o ther week. We went all o ver Euro pe (Austria, Slo vakia, and the Czech Republic and particularly clo se by, and the disco unt airline WizzAir flies to
many o ther co untries, including Italy, Belgium, and Netherlands), and we went to Egypt.
I traveled abo ut 8 weekends o ut o f the 16 that I had in Budapest, including a 6 -day trip. I was able to go to Lake Balato n in Hungary, Milan, Prague, Vienna, Krako w,
Bratislava, Ro me, Cinque Terre, Venice, Flo rence, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges.
Every week fo r the mo nth o f Octo ber, a co uple o f weeks in the mo nth o f No vember, and o ne week in the mo nth o f December: Munich, Prague, Vienna, Ro me, Naples,
Cinque Terre, Madrid, Flo rence, Venice, Pisa, Bratislava, Barcelo na, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Interlaken.
Averaged aro und twice a mo nth. Milan, Venice, Ro me, Cinque Terre, Lago Di Co mo , Bratislava, Prague, Vienna, Krako w, Dubro vnic, Sarajevo , Istanbul, Eger, Belgrade.
Every 2-3 weeks - Vienna, Krako w, Venice, Flo rence, Ro tterdam, Amsterdam, Serbia
every o ther weekend, and barely at all in the last mo nth. Amsterdam/Ro tterdamn, Prague, Vienna, Krako w, Berlin, Lo ndo n, Barcelo na, Vero na, Flo rence, Tuscany, Cro atia
(all o ver), Belgrade, Switzerland
Travel is what yo u make it while studying abro ad. Yo u are able to travel as little o r much as yo u want. Yo u will have no tro uble finding so meo ne in yo ur pro gram who wants
to go anywhere in Euro pe with yo u, and this is part o f the fun as yo u get to travel with many different peo ple if yo u wo uld like. I traveled abo ut every o ther week as we o nly
had class o n Tuesday and Wednesday (I wo uld reco mmend Mo nday and Tuesday because flights o n tuesday nights are always cheap). I went to : Vienna, Eger (Hungarian
wine co untry), Ro me, Prague, Krako w, Milan, Venice, Lake Co mo , Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelo na, and then finished o ff the experience o n a week-lo ng bus/train/car trip with
8 o f my friends to Serbia, Bo snia, and Cro atia (mo st beautiful place I traveled).
I made a to tal o f 7 separate trips o ver the co urse o f the semester. I visited, Vienna, Prague, Krako w, Bratislava (day-trip), Lo ndo n, Berlin, Milan & Venice, Amsterdam,
Belgrade, Cro atia, Eger (Hungary).
During the pro gram I traveled to Slo venia and no rthern Po land. Arrived in Euro pe in June and traveled to UK, Turkey, Greece, Slo vakia, Serbia, Macedo nia, Albania,
Mo ntenegro , and Bo snia Hercego cina. I also studied fo r the summer in Krako w Po land. In July and August
I arrived in Euro pe in early June, and traveled to Turkey, Greece and UK. I spent two mo nths studying in Po land. I then traveled to Slo vakia, Serbia, Macedo nia, Albania,
Mo ntenegro and Bo snia & Herzego vina befo re the start o f the pro gram in Hungary. During the pro gram itself I traveled o nly twice to Slo venia, and to No rtheast Po land.
Because I wanted to get to kno w Budapest first, I did no t travel my first two mo nths there. I traveled to Vienna twice, fo ur cities in Italy, Barcelo na, Prague and Istanbul. If it
wasn't fo r the fact that I had never traveled aro und Euro pe befo re, I pro bably wo uld have stayed in Budapest the who le semester.
I traveled nearly every weekend to mo st o f the big Euro pean cities.
2-3x a mo nth! Barcelo na, Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Bucharest (Sensatio n White!), Belgrade, Flo rence, Ro me, Venice, Krako w. & I'll ho pefully go to Cro atia and
Slo venia after finals.
Abo ut everyo ther weekend. I went to Prague, Vienna, Munich, Paris, Co penhagen, Flo rence, Ro me, Belgrad and No visad
Vario us Euro pean co untries (aro und 8 ) - no t in the beginning, but a lo t to wards the end o f the pro gram.
Traveled all aro und, pro bably 35% o f the weekends. Mo stly central and eastern Euro pe because I had already been mo st places in Western Euro pe. Hungary is such a
central lo catio n it's perfect.
I traveled o nly a few times. Plenty o f Americans traveled to many places tho ugh. I went to the Czech Republic, Slo vakia, & Austria.
Almo st every weekend after being in Hungary 3 weeks Lake Balato n, Hungary Bratislava, Slo vakia Vienna, Austria Prague, Czech republic Zagreb, Cro atia Bled, Slo venia
Ljubljana, Slo venia Maribo r, Slo venia Milan, Italy Ro me, Italy Munich, Germany Zurich, Switzerland Amsterdam, Netherlands Esztergo m, Hungary Visegrad, Hungary
Brussels, Belgium Brugge, Belgium Sto ckho lm, Sweden Belgrade, Serbia Krako w, Po land
I traveled pro bably twice per mo nth. I went to a smaller to wn o utside o f Budapest, Ro me, Zagreb, Bratislava, Vienna, Prague, and Krako w.
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46.
51. Did the structure o f the ho st institutio n's co urse schedule fo ster travel
o ppo rtunity o r prevent it? Why?
T e xt Re spo nse
Fo stered it, because classes o nly meet o nce a week it is very easy to co ncentrate the schedule to wards the middle o f the week and travel o n weekends (mo stly 3-day
trips), which is necessary when traveling by train. Had a class o n Friday, but it was canceled, so that helped.
Yes- we o nly had classes fro m Mo ndays to Wednesdays
Mo st o f the classes meet o nly o nce a week and I was able to schedule my classes Tues-Thurs. This allo wed me to travel Fri-Mo n.
Mo st o ften fo ster, teachers were understanding with a few absences per semester. Ho wever, the amo unt o f presentatio ns we had was a bit o f a hindrance to travel plans.
It fo stered it because I had three days o f class a week and co uld travel 5 days straight.
Only had class Mo n-Wed, so it made it very easy to travel. Ho wever, there was no Spring Break, so we didn't have any extended perio d o f time o ff fro m scho o l
The co urse schedule definitely fo stered travel o ppo rtunities. I had class Mo nday thro ugh Wednesday, so I was able to fly o ut o f Budapest o n Wednesday afterno o ns and
return o n Sunday nights. Overall, mo st o f the exchange students were able to put to gether a schedule that allo wed them to travel o n these extended trips.
Fo ster it depending o n yo ur class schedule. Often times classes were cancelled with little no tice, which allo wed spo ntaneo us travel.
Our schedules allo wed us a lo t o f time to travel because all o f o ur classes were o n Wednesday and Thursday so we had five day weekends.
I was able to schedule my classes in three days which allo wed lo ng weekends which I co uld have plenty o f time to travel fo r, and I was allo wed 3 absences per class which
also allo wed me to take a few lo nger trips.
It really depends o n yo ur class days. I o nly had class Wednesday and Thursday so I was able to travel Friday-Tuesday. The mandato ry 75% attendance reco rd is kind o f
anno ying, but if yo u schedule yo ur classes aro und travel days, it's no pro blem. Midterms and finals can be a hassle tho ugh.
Yes, o nly had classes 2 days a week.
Fo stered travel - classes met o nly o nce a week, I o nly had classes o n Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a little bit difficult because there were so many gro up pro jects that
required meetings, but if yo u get started a bit ahead o f time yo u can do meetings during the week and then it's no t a pro blem. Also , everyo ne else wants to travel to o , so
peo ple are usually acco mmo dating and understanding.
Fo ster, yo u can stack yo ur classes to gether when yo u register. So all o f the peo ple in o ur pro gram o nly had class 2 days a week.
It was SO easy to travel as we o nly had class two days a week and the pro fesso rs were very understanding with taking weeks o ff o f class.
Fo stered it. Each class was 3 ho urs a week, but all 3 ho urs o f instructio n were schedule o n a single day. Also , since there were so many classes to cho o se fro m, I easily
stacked my classes o n Tuesdays and Wednesdays, leaving Thursdays-Mo ndays o pen.
Yes. the student go vernment even o rganized gripes to vario us Euro pean cities. It is rather easy to get a schedule co nducive to travel as well.
It depends o n yo ur co urse schedule, but yes, it is po ssible to travel during the pro gram. The Student go vernment even o rganizes trips to vario us Euro pean cities fo r
exchange students
There aren't that many breaks but, if yo u schedule yo ur classes in three o r fo ur days, yo u will be able to travel o n the weekends. But, believe me, yo u do no t want to travel
every weekend because then yo u will miss o ut.
It depends ho w yo u o rganized yo ur schedule. I to o k 7 classes, but o nly had 2 days o f class.
DEFINITELY FOSTER. Never ever ever ever had to wo rry abo ut any wo rk while I was traveling o r even making up wo rk while I was traveling. All 5 o f us fro m USC scheduled
classes o nly Mo nday-Wednesday so it was great to be able to go o ut and enjo y Budapest Sunday night, Mo nday night, Tuesday night, Wednsday night, and so metimes
Thursday night, then go travel so mewhere and repeat.
It was great fo r travel becuase I finished everyweek at 11am o n wednesday! It was great being able to catch a flight o n a wednesday night and have to ns o f time to explo re
cities
Fo ster - co uld make a schedule where I wo uld have classes o nly 3 days a week.
Yes! I o nly had class Mo nday Tuesday and early Wednesday
Co mpletely fo stered it. The instructo rs were very acco mmo dating fo r travel in terms o f the co urse lo ad. They were attendance po licies that were enfo rced ho wever.
The co urse schedule didn't allo w as much travel as so me o f the o ther scho o ls (where classes wo uld meet fo r a week straight and be o ver), but I had all my classes in 3
days and so did many peo ple and 4 day weekends were fine. At so me scho o ls yo u might have 2 weeks co mpletely free, then 2 weeks o f heavy classes, so it depends.
Yo u co uldn't miss a class mo re than three times, but if yo u want to travel yo u co uld set up yo ur schedule so that yo u do n't have class o n Mo nday, o r Thursday and Friday. I
just so happened to have class Mo nday and Thursday, but I was able to still travel and no t miss mo re than three classes.
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47.
52. Do yo u have any tips o r info rmatio n abo ut traveling while abro ad that
yo u wo uld like to share with upco ming exchange students preparing fo r their trip?
T e xt Re spo nse
Plan the trains in advance, if yo u want to fly so mewhere do it way ahead o f time, make sure to talk with peo ple and travel with them. The scho o l's spo nso red trips (ESN) are
very go o d and have a to ur guide and a lax schedule, which makes traveling very enjo yable. Destinatio ns are generally go o d and allo w to see things in a pre-o rganized
manner.
I wish I had traveled aro und Central Euro pe mo re and no t as far away (especially since it was very expensive). Take advantage o f yo ur lo catio n and do mo st o f yo ur travels
at the end when it is sunny because everything is so much nicer. Definitely try to ro adtrip to Cro atia and the Balkans with the Euro pean exchange students after classes end.
Buses are cheaper than trains. Trains are usually the mo st expensive way to travel. Lo o k fo r the regio nal bus co mpany that serves yo ur lo catio n. Also , Euro lines is go o d.
Train times but no t prices can be checked at Bahn.DE. Cheap flights can be fo und o n Skyscanner.net.
Do n't miss the train...
Do n't plan all o f yo ur trips/weekends away unless there's a place yo u really really must go and it's a lo t cheaper. Yo u will eventually get burned o ut fro m traveling, o r there
will be gro ups o f friends go ing places and yo u wo n't be able to go because o f yo ur current plans. Leave so me weekends to go with the flo w because traveling with these
new fo und friends will be o ne o f the best experiences.
Be o pen-minded and spo ntaneo us
These are just a handful o f the tips I reco mmend o ff the to p o f my head: Keep in mind the weight restrictio ns o n carry-o n luggage with the budget airlines. Invest in a go o d
quality carry-o n sized duffle bag (preferably witho ut wheels because tho se o nly add unnecessary weight). Also , be sure to read all o f the rules and restrictio ns o n yo ur
bo arding passes befo re yo u arrive at the airpo rt - in Dublin, we were fo rced to return to the check-in co unter to get o ur bo arding passes stamped, even tho ugh we didn't
check any o f o ur baggage. Many o f my friends were pick-po cketed while traveling, so be sure to make pho to co pies o f all o f yo ur impo rtant do cuments and keep them in
yo ur bag/o n yo ur perso n at all times. It also helps to invest in a go o d quality lo ck (o ne medium and o ne large sized lo ck with keys) fo r when yo u travel to ho stels that
pro vide yo u lo ckers fo r yo ur belo ngings. If yo u travel with friends, it is eno ugh to take just o ne lapto p to use while abro ad to lo ad pictures and check email etc. If yo u are
go ing to a particularly sno wy place, waterpro o f yo ur sho es/bo o ts as best yo u can so that yo ur feet stay warm (highly reco mmend - o r at least take an extra pair o f sho es if
yo u can). If yo u are traveling in the Spring, be sure to pack extra jackets, sweaters, etc. - the weather was pretty unpredictable.
So meo ne to ld me this bit o f advice, and no w I will tell yo u: SAY YES. Get o ut o f yo ur co mfo rt zo ne and say yes. If a mutual friend invites yo u to a ski trip in Switzerland, say
yes, if a rando m gro up o f Euro pean students with who m yo u are unacquainted with go o n a ro ad trip, ho p o n bo ard. If no bo dy yo u kno w is go ing to an event put o n by the
university, go anyway. Meet peo ple. Say yes. Or as Nike puts it, Just do it.
Space o ut yo ur trips because it's very tiring being o n the go all the time. Take so me time to just stay in yo ur city and get to kno w it. Do n't rush thro ugh a city. I did a 12 day
trip in Italy and was able to stay in each city fo r three o r fo ur days, and I was able to enjo y it a lo t mo re than when I had to rush thro ugh Madrid and Barcelo na in two days.
As so meo ne to ld me and I to o k this to heart, "Spend mo re mo ney than yo u sho uld, stay o ut lo nger than yo u ever imagined po ssible, and never say no to an adventure
because yo u’re tired… yo u can always sleep when yo u co me ho me.”
Use Orangeways fo r co untries near Hungary like Austria, Slo venia, Czech Republic. Use Wizzair (Hungarian disco unt airline) to travel farther. Yo u'll have to fight fo r yo ur
seat because there are no assigned seating. Yo u also need to make sure that yo u pay fo r checked-in luggage befo rehand o r they'll charge yo u a lo t o f mo ney if yo u checkin at the airpo rt. Lufthansa is an aweso me airline, but is expensive.
Go to all the really co o l cities in Eastern Euro pe. It's clo se and cheap and Western Euro pe is so much mo re accessible to travel to o n later dates.
Really take advantage o f being in Eastern Euro pe. Chances are, yo u'll make it back to Lo ndo n and Paris so meday, so really travel to places that yo u might no t ever have
the o ppo rtunity to visit again. Also , it can be really expensive to travel to the far Western co untries.
Plan so me trips ahead if yo u want to save mo ney, Enjo y Budapest when it gets warm, plus that is when all o f the internatio nal kids really stay. If yo u travel in big gro ups
lo o k into daily apartment rentals, a lo t o f times they are cheaper than ho stels. Check o ut famo us ho stels. co m and ho stelwo rld.net... Travel with internatio nal students yo u
meet if yo u get the chance
I wo uld say that if yo u live in Budapest, yo u sho uld travel mo reso in the beginning because o nce it gets a little nicer in April and May, everyo ne will be wanting to visit yo u in
Budapest and it truly is beautiful there in these mo nths.
Best sites to use: SkyScanner.co m and Ho stelWo rld.co m. Be o pen to places yo u may no t kno w much abo ut. Travel with a flexible schedule and keep in mind that anything,
abso lutely anything, can happen!
It is much cheaper to explo re the co untries near Hungary rather than flying all o ver Euro pe. All o f them have a lo t to o ffer. If yo u are go ing to slo vakia, the seco nd largest city,
Ko sice is much nicer then the capital o f Bratislava.
Instead o f flying back and fo rth to and fro m Western Euro pe during the pro gram explo re so me o f the co untries aro und Hungary. Taking the train and bus aro und eastern
Euro pe a cheep way to get o ff the main to urist ro utes in lesser kno wn co untries which have a lo t to o ffer. Also if yo u have the time travel befo re and after the pro gram, and
get to kno w Budapest while yo u are there.
Try to find Euro pean ro o mmates! I stayed at a ho stel when I first arrived in Budapest. There I met my ro o mmates Anais (french) and Lena (german). Because I lived with
them, I was able to learn a lo t abo ut Euro pean culture.
Be careful, but do n't be afraid to travel alo ne! I perso nally think it's a great gro wing experience.
Travel a lo t but make sure yo u save so me time fo r Budapest. Budapest has an AMAZING nightlife, and o n this pro gram, there are gro ups o f peo ple who go o ut literally 6 x a
week. Yo u do n't want to miss o ut o n anything!!! If yo u're go ing to travel a lo t, be prepared to go o ut when yo u're actually in to wn even if it's Mo nday nights, etc. I ended up
canceling trips that I had wanted to go o n after a mo nth o r two o f being here so that I co uld spend mo re time with the peo ple here. Peo ple no tice if yo u're go ne all the time,
and if yo u want to really build these relatio nships, yo u can't travel every single weekend.
Make friends with students o utside o f the US. The best part o f my study abro ad experience is ho w much I learned abo ut the different cultures o f the Germans, Dutch and
French just thro ugh hanging o ut and realxing with them. Do n't be an ugly american and co mplain abo ut the differences between the US and yo ur ho st co untry. No o ne
co untry is perfect and there is so much to learn fro m everyo ne that yo u meet :)
Bo o k with lo w-co st airlines befo rehand - the tickets a cheaper that way. Travelling with a big gro up o f peo ple is better to neighbo ring (no t to o interesting lo catio ns), with
small gro ups - better to lo catio ns where yo u want to see a lo t o f things.
Just make sure no t to be silly and wander o ff. There was a po rtuguese kid o n o ur trip who drunkenly stumbled into the Danube. That are the types o f things that sho uld no t
be do ne.
Decide who yo ur flatmates will be after yo u get to kno w the o ther exchange students during the first week activities.
Keep yo ur belo ngings secured (especially o n trains). Use co mmo n sense. Living near 24ho ur transpo rtatio n will save yo u mo ney. Ibis Ho tels are nice and an affo rdable
alternative to ho stels. Get to flights early. Usually avo id to urs and do it yo urself. Travel with mo re than o ne perso n unless yo u really kno w them and trust them.
I kno w yo u'll mo st likely want to travel, but it's nice to have so me time to spend at yo ur ho st co untry. I lo ved traveling, but it was extremely exhausting. I fo und the weekends
I co uld just relax and spend time with my friends in Budapest were so me o f the best weekends. I wo uld reco mmend traveling ryanair o r wizzair. But also lo o k into train
o ptio ns at the train statio ns in yo ur ho st co untries. I also fo und so me buses (euro lines) that were cheaper o ptio ns, as well!
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48.
53. EXPENSES: Ho w much spending mo ney FOR THE ENTIRE
SEMESTER wo uld yo u reco mmend that the next participants budget fo r this
pro gram?
#
Answe r
1
General (including fo o d, entertainment, lo cal transpo rtatio n)
2
Ho using/rent
3
General travel during semester
4
Bo o ks & miscellaneo us supplies
5
Other expenditures (please explain)
Ot he r e xpe ndit ure s (ple ase e xplain)
Evening so irees
residence permit
sho pping
flight
Min Value
Max Value
Ave rage Value
St andard De viat io n
9 52.40
6 0 0 .0 0
4,0 0 0 .0 0
1,9 42.59
1,20 0 .0 0
2,30 0 .0 0
1,6 27.78
30 5.19
350 .0 0
5,0 0 0 .0 0
2,18 7.0 4
1,30 6 .32
0 .0 0
50 0 .0 0
9 7.0 4
118 .51
0 .0 0
2,10 0 .0 0
141.11
46 6 .76
49.
54. Did yo u experience any fo rm o f crime, o r were yo u in danger at any
time (such as the victim o r witness o f assault, ro bbery, etc.)? If yes, please
explain:
T e xt Re spo nse
No , so me exchange students go t their apartment ro bbed twice within o ne mo nth. Petty theft here and there. Saw two peo ple fighting o n the street o ver a large, fluffy do g.
no
No , but 2 o f my friends were mugged and the apartment o f 4 Americans was bro ken into and a lo t o f expensive electro nics and mo ney were sto len.
No pe
no
Attempted ro bbery while in Madrid; I was walking alo ne at night with a map o ut (so it was mo stly my fault), but I fo ught o ff the guy and walked into a well-lit plaza where he
co uldn't fo llo w
Fo rtunately, I was never the victim o f any crime, no r did I witness crime take place.
No , ho wever, I was the victim o f seeing a man pee in the street. This is co mmo n. Also , do no t be surprised abo ut the vast amo unt o f ho meless peo ple and beware o f the
gypsies. Then again, USC is in So uth Central, so yo u sho uld be used to it.
No , but a few o f my friends had their perso nal items sto len - wallet o n the metro , lapto p fro m the library. Yo u just have to be aware that it happens and be careful o f yo ur
belo ngings.
I had so meo ne attempt to reach into my bag while o n a tram in Amsterdam, but o ther than that I felt no such danger as lo ng as I was aware o f my surro undings and smart
abo ut what I was do ing. Ho wever, many o f my friends had go tten pickpo cketed, mugged o r even had their lapto p sto len at the library.
No . Budapest is very safe. Just be careful fo r pick po ckets at night. Be smart. Use yo ur head and yo u'll be fine.
Other peo ple had stuff sto len but never happened to me.
I was pickpo cketed o ne night while o ut at a club. Almo st everyo ne in o ur gro up was pickpo cketed at o ne time, so I wo uld advise that yo u no t bring o ut with yo u mo re than
what is abso lutely essential - this go es fo r mo ney, IDs, etc. Make sure yo u have mo re than o ne debit/credit card with yo u, and never carry them all at the same time. Other
than the o ccasio nal pickpo cketing, Budapest is very safe.
No , besides small pickpo cketing (watch yo ur stuff! and check yo ur bags at co at check)
No , Budapest is very safe, and I felt very o k walking the streets at night even alo ne.
Yes, I go t pick po cketed at a bar in Budapest. Ho wever, the bar o wner did find my wallet. I just lo st my cash, which was o nly equivalent to $10 USD.
A Ro ma tried to attack me in bro ad day light in fro nt o f the eastern train statio n, fo r no apparent reaso n. Other then this, no .
No .
NA
No - I had a few friends who had purses o r wallets sto len at clubs. I was co nscio us o f my purse at all times, and I was fine.
No and either was anyo ne I kno w. There is a very lo w crime rate in the city.
Yes, my friend go t her purse sto len in the club
no .
No
At an "Internatio nal Student Welco me Party," at a club in Budapest, so meo ne sto le my pho ne. It was in the fro nt zipper o f my small sho ulder bag and it happened as I
walked thro ugh a big cro wd. There was apparently a gro up o f peo ple who sto le many o f the students' belo ngings (purses and pho nes mo stly). This happened to
numero us peo ple I kno w and o n multliple o ccasio ns. Also , o n the train returning to Budapest fro m Belgrade, two men attempted to steal my backpack thinking that I was
asleep. I also saw two yo ung men steal an o ld wo man's wallet exiting the tram sto p at Co rvinus
No , but I was fo llo wed o ne night because I was walking ho me alo ne late at night. Since then, I do no t walk ho me alo ne. I was just fo llo wed and the guy was saying
so mething to me in Hungarian but I started walking faster and igno red him and he went away.
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50.
55. Befo re departure fro m USC, o r upo n immediate arrival to yo ur ho st
co untry, do yo u think yo u were adequately warned and/o r prepared to deal with
mo st incidents mentio ned in the Health and Safety sectio n o f this evaluatio n?
T e xt Re spo nse
Yes
yes
Yes
Yes
yes
Yes
Yes.
Yes.
Yes
Yes, I was sufficiently prepared and educated befo re I came to Budapest.
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes, but there were no pro blems
Yes
Yes.
Yes.
Yes
Sure
Yes
Yes
Yes.
Yes
yes
No ; I wish I knew mo re abo ut taxi services and lo cal transpo rtatio n. But o nce I go t here, I quickly learned.
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51.
56 . If yo u did no t feel adequately prepared (respo nse to questio n #55),
what do yo u think yo u needed to kno w o r hear in advance? Ho w co uld yo u have
been better info rmed and/o r prepared?
T e xt Re spo nse
N/A
NA
NA
no
Yes
N/A
N/A
na
N/a
Just keep yo ur belo ngings clo se and watch o ut fo r suspicio us perso ns
N/a
N/A
n/a
N/A
N/A
N/A
NA
--N/A
--I felt info rmed, but I had been to Budapest many times. I kno w that the girls that I went with were surprised abo ut certain things.
Sean did a great jo b preparing us.
Make sure yo u take taxis that are registered - they sho uld have a meter inside o f them. Be careful with yo ur belo ngings, especially o n public transpo rtatio n. Pick-po cketing
happened pretty frequently here to a few o f my friends.
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52.
57. Were yo u kno wledgeable abo ut yo ur USC o verseas insurance
co verage po licy?
T e xt Re spo nse
Yes
yes
No t really because I never had to use it.
No t really.
yes
Yes
Yes.
No .
sufficiently so
I skimmed the po licy befo re leaving and had all the info rmatio n readily available in case I wo uld need it, which I luckily didn't.
No t really
Yes
No , I never needed it but the peo ple who used it fo und it very simple.
so mewhat
yes
Yes
No t really
Yes.
Yes, but the claims pro cess was no t very clear.
--Yes
Yes but it wo uld helpful to emphasize that yo u have to call the SOS insurance agent befo re yo u go to a do cto r - they have to accept yo ur claim and pro vide letter o f
guarantee.
Yes
Mo re o r less.
Yes
I was a bit co nfused at first having to use it, but then I figured it o ut. The SOS insurance was extremely helpful when I needed to find a do cto r fo r pink eye/co ld.
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53.
58 . Did yo u experience any negative treatment that yo u feel was related to
yo ur ethnicity, race, natio nal o rigin, gender, sexual o rientatio n, o r religio n? If yes,
please explain:
T e xt Re spo nse
No , just awkward stares so metimes fo r being aro und drunk and lo ud Americans
no
No
No
no
No
No .
Yes. The Hungarians are natio nalists. There are extreme right wing parties (that are no w taking o ver again due to financial difficulties), that despise fo reigners. While o n the
tram, a drunk man to ld me, "This is NOT yo ur co untry." Iro nically, he did no t kno w that it in fact IS my co untry, as I am 50 % Hungarian and have a Hungarian Passpo rt
pending.
no
As an Asian, many peo ple (especially vendo rs at markets) wo uld try to get my attentio n by speaking to me in vario us Asian languages but since I am first and fo remo st an
American, I was mildly o ffended.
No . I experienced mo re negative treatment because o f my race in places like Spain and Italy than in Hungary.
Peo ple do n't see to o many Asians but it wasn't really a pro blem o ther than their curio sity
No t really. There were a few negative co mments abo ut being an American, but fo r the mo st part peo ple were just curio us.
No , no t really
no
Yes, I had a few racist "ching, cho ng" asian references. Ho wever, I did no t feel that I was in any danger. They were usually Mo ro ccan mino rity in Budapest.
No
No .
Since there were VERY little Asians in Budapest, peo ple wo uld co mment o n my ethnicity a lo t. Ho wever, I believe (and ho pe) it wasn't o ut o f bad intentio ns, just curio sity.
No
No
No
no t particularily. So me guys do n't like to hear that yo u're American.
No
No
No
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54.
59 . What was the best part o f the pro gram?
T e xt Re spo nse
The peo ple, the city
Being friends with o ther Euro pean exchange students at the university and learning abo ut their co untries and cultures
All o f the great friends I made and all o f the so cial pro grams that the Erasmus Student Netwo rk arranged fo r us.
The peo ple.
The peo ple. Tho se who co me to Budapest are generally a different type o f peo ple: o pen-minded, unique, and up fo r a challenge.
Meeting so many peo ple fro m different parts o f the wo rld
Meeting so many incredible peo ple. The Co rvinus exchange pro gram had nearly 30 0 internatio nal exchange students fro m every co rner o f the wo rld. Altho ugh traveling
acro ss Euro pe was an incredible experience, it was the friends yo u shared tho se experiences with that made the trips unfo rgettable.
Creating friendships with the o ther exchange students. Co rvinus is fabulo us fo r this because many students fro m all o ver the glo be are drawn to study in Budapest fo r its
beautiful setting, rich culture, and fabulo usly affo rdable and wild nightlife. Thus, Budapest draws an interesting cro wd o f unique individuals fro m every co untry. Co rvinus
also do es well in planning events fo r the students and if yo u take advantage o f these arranged gatherings yo u will get to kno w many, many peo ple, very quickly.
making friends with all the internatio nal students
Definitely getting to meet the many o ther exchange students in the pro gram, who were mo stly fro m o ther parts o f Euro pe. The 'Erasmus student netwo rk' did a great jo b at
ho sting parties, events and educatio nal sessio ns where we co uld meet each o ther and hang o ut. I was intro duced into a who le new so cial scene o f so much cultural
diversity where I learned and experienced a lo t, which is what I'll be taking ho me fro m my study abro ad time.
Meeting so many internatio nal peo ple. Living is much cheaper than o ther Euro pean co untries.
The peo ple!
Meeting all the o ther internatio nal students. Also , it was great the Hungary is so inexpensive because it allo wed me to have a lo t o f experiences (traveling, go ing o ut,
sightseeing, etc.) that I pro bably co uldn't have do ne in a co untry o n the Euro . Financially speaking, yo u wo n't have to say no to very many o ppo rtunities here.
The peo ple yo u meet that are fro m all o ver and USC. And the nightlife/citylife. Budapest is underappreciated fo r ho w beautiful it can be
The best part o f the pro gram was that all o f the exchange kids truly beco me a family o ver there as yo u are all put into an unfamiliar situatio n. I left the pro gram literally having
a co uch to sleep o n in every co untry in Euro pe as well as many o ther co untries aro und the wo rld. Yo u really create unfo rgettable bo nds and memo ries with peo ple as yo u
co nquer Euro pe to gether.
The diverse experiences Budapest had to o ffer.
Living day to day life in a majo r Eastern Euro pean city
Meeting and getting to kno w o ther exchange students.
Meeting peo ple fro m all o ver the wo rld!
The o ther internatio nal exchange students! There is a student o rganizatio n at Co rvinus that plans 1-2 huge parties a week fo r us. They have a facebo o k event and then all
the students just go to the club and it's nice to go o ut and party with peo ple yo u reco gnize fro m classes.
The internatio nal friends :)
Getting to kno w o ther students and learning abo ut ho w different each co untry's individuals mindsets are.
Just the peo ple that I met, etc.
I lo ved being immersed in a culture co mpletely unlike any I had enco untered in Euro pe. Budapest has such a rich and layered histo ry that is evident nearly everywhere
thro ugho ut the city.
Just experiencing new cultures and learning fro m o ther peo ple
The best part o f the pro gram was being able to live in Budapest and meet internatio nal students fro m all o ver the wo rld! Budapest is a wo nderful city and has such a great
night life - there is always, so metimes to o much, go ing o n! I was never bo red and so metimes had to fo rce myself to slo w do wn because I was running myself do wn and
eventually go t sick. The internatio nal student pro gram at Co rvinus was great! So many different natio nalities and such great peo ple who were all o pen to trying new things
and meeting new peo ple.
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55.
6 0 . What was the mo st difficult part?
T e xt Re spo nse
Bureaucracy, getting my residence permit was no t a happy time.
The first week--finding an apartment and staying in a ho stel (we were in a really gro ss o ne)
Finding an apartment, pro blems with the apartment, the language barrier, no t being able to find ingredients o r supplies I am used to at lo cal sto res.
Dealing with my landlo rd.
The language. It is the seco nd mo st difficult language in the wo rld, seco nd to Arabic, and extremely challenging to pro no unce co rrectly, even if yo u knew the wo rd.
Being away fro m ho me and things that are familiar
The mo st difficult part o f the pro gram was deciding ho w to make the best use o f my time. There are so many o ppo rtunities to take advantage o f while abro ad that it is
impo ssible to do everything, so try no t to rush things!
Finding ho using.
finding go o d mexican and asian fo o d
Having it go by to o quickly! And having to say go o dbye to the friendships made here.
I really wanted go o d Chinese fo o d, but can't find it anywhere. I also crave In-N-Out and Yardho use a lo t.
Leaving everyo ne at the end o f the semester
The first week - finding an apartment, getting internet set up, learning ho w to use the public transpo rtatio n.
When it was co ld in the beginning trying to fo rce yo urself to go o ut and meet peo ple and see the city
The mo st difficult part was leaving and adjusting back to American life (they just really kno w ho w to party o ver there in Budapest).
Getting o ur resident permit and/o r setting up internet in o ur apartment
the language barrier was a bit difficult at times. I am used to being able to decipher the street and business signs in mo st co untries I travel to , but this was no t the case with
Magyar. Many times I co uldn't help but feel that my Hungarian ho sts were a bit stand-o ffish, but this may have also stemmed fro m the language barrier.
Leaving.
Apartment hunting in a fo reign co untry, with abso lutely no kno wledge o f the language, cultural no rms, etc.
So metimes dealing with Hungarians and their systems (po st o ffice, ho spitals, po lice, sto re o wners, etc) is frustrating but it's no t a huge pro blem at all.
Adjusting to the slo w pace o f life
It gets really co ld in winter, no t kno wing the language so metimes.
Definitely the fo o d change
The mo st difficult part was the language barrier as well as the size o f the city and lack o f a centralized living space fo r students. The transpo rtatio n was fantastic tho ugh.
Having eno ugh time to do everything I wanted.
The mo st difficult part o f the trip was learning ho w to live so mewhere else. Learning the public transpo rtatio n, where to gro cery sho p, and finding a reaso nably priced
apartment were no t co nveniently handed to me, but I had to immerse into the culture and learn it myself. Also , co ming here as a vegan was pretty difficult to maintain
because Hungarian cuisine do esn't cater much to vegans.
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56.
6 1. Describe a situatio n that yo u experienced as a result o f culture sho ck
o r cultural misunderstanding. Ho w did yo u reso lve it?
T e xt Re spo nse
Large amo unts o f Public Displays o f Affectio n in every enviro nment po ssible. I reso lved it by igno ring it. Also , the ho meless can be a bit disheartening because they can't
be avo ided, reso lved the issue by avo iding the ho meless o r buying flo wers fro m the bro ke ladies selling them.
Wo rking in a team with ano ther Hungarian student--we didn't agree o n many things. Ho wever, I realized that he was very pro ud o f his ideas and that it was mo re impo rtant
to let him inco rpo rate them into o ur pro ject--even if they didn't fit--than to make him feel that we didn't respect his ideas.
I have yet to experience any significant o r unexpected issues.
Internet service is run very differently in Hungary, with zo nes and buildings assigned to specific co mpanies. After no t getting internet fro m o ur landlo rd fo r the first mo nth, we
walked to the internet pro vider do wn the street and tried to sign up fo r service. After spending an ho ur and a half to get a service perso n that co uld speak English, they
info rmed us that we co uld no t receive their service at o ur address. We had to visit o ur landlo rd in perso n to finally get internet.
I didn't have o ne.
Lo ts o f situatio ns with culture sho ck/misunderstandings, but no thing bad. It's just interesting to see different perspectives o n different things, like fo o d manners o r wo rk
styles
There was o ne time when we had to park o ur car at a lo cal parking lo t fo r an extended perio d o f time. No ne o f the attendants spo ke English, so I was fo rced to use the
Hungarian I had learned in my classes to co mmunicate o ur special situatio n. This wasn't necessarily a culture sho ck fo r me, but I guarantee that I sho cked that Hungarian
man with my language-speaking skills.
The largest culture sho ck fo r me was the underdevelo pment o f everything that is in Hungary. As I have traveled to a develo ping co untry (Nicaragua) befo re, I was no t
expecting Hungary to be as behind as it is. During o rientatio n, so mething as simple as a lo ng line to pick up packets that was no t efficiently planned o ut was sho cking to
me. There is no reso lutio n to this cultural sho ck. Yo u get used to it.
A lo t o f Euro peans, including Hungarians, kiss o n the cheek when they greet each o ther. Just remember that so yo u do n't have the awkward hug/kiss situatio n.
So me peo ple are surprised that yo u're Asian and can speak perfect English. Peo ple will have stereo types abo ut Americans befo re they meet yo u, so make sure to break
the bad o nes and reinfo rce the go o d o nes!
I was jamming with a friend at a guitar sto re and the emplo yees to ld us we co uldn't play. I tho ught we co uld just go inside a sto re and jam like at Guitar Center, but I to ld the
guy that we were so rry. They were very very nice abo ut it.
N/a
It's a really bureaucratic co untry, which was frustrating so metimes. Fo r example, do n't expect to get yo ur residence permit befo re any less than three trips to the immigratio n
o ffice.
Trying to o rder fo o d at places was strange, and it never expected quite like yo u tho ught it wo uld. Peo ple do no t really fo rm/respect lines. If yo u are standing behind
so meo ne that is at a register, they will easily walk in fro nt o f yo u. Things are pretty inefficient so metimes to o , at the immigratio n o ffice there were 8 peo ple wo rking, but o nly
2 o f them were actually wo rking. Also , just fro m a language difference peo ple can co me o ff rude so metimes, even tho ugh they are no t
I didn't really experience anything in particular, but o ne thing abo ut Euro pe is that yo u canno t get free tap water in mo st places. Whenever we wo uld ask fo r it we wo uld get
weird lo o ks fro m the waiters. Ho wever, o nce we learned ho w to say it in Hungarian we were mo re successful at getting it at restaurants.
When trying to set up o ur internet at a T-ho me sto re we had a huge language barrier when trying to pick a co ntract. Mo re impo rtantly, the wo rkers there wo uld co nstantly
answer perso nal pho ne calls o r chat with co -wo rkers and take custo mers whenever they felt like it. This happened to us multiple times with o ur landlo rd as well. This was a
huge culture sho ck because in America, a custo mer service representative wo uld no t answer his/her cell pho ne while serving yo u. Ho wever, in Budapest, this is co mpletely
no rmal. It was simply frustrating, but I learned to expect these types o f service enco unters to take twice as lo ng as they wo uld in America.
When I first mo ved into my apartment, two yo ung children, wo uld incessantly scream 'szya' when ever they saw me. I did no t kno w what this meant at first. Fo r so me
reaso n this really go t o n my nerves, and was made wo rse by the fact that Hungarians say this a lo t because it means 'hello '. fo r abo ut the first mo nth when ever so me o ne
wo uld say this to me it was anno ying, even tho ugh I knew they were just saying hi. I fo und that I had to start to fo rce myself to say it to Hungarians. After I fo und the fact that it
had bo thered me humo ro us.
My tandem partner had to explain to me that Hungarians, when greeting so meo ne, kiss a perso n's left cheek first and then the right o ne. Mo st o ther Euro peans, especially
tho se fro m Spain and Italy, kiss the right cheek first. When I greeted Hungarian and Dutch students, I made sure to do it their way.
NA
--Frustratio ns with my landlo rd due to slo w respo nse times, but eventually I adjusted because that is simply ho w business is do ne.
Peo ple are quite unfriendly o n the streets - just do n't mind them.
I was surprised with ho w many ho meless there were and ho w fo rward they were so metimes to wo men.
Wo rking in gro ups with students fro m all different cultural backgro unds and educatio n levels co uld be difficult at times and it was helpful to lo o k at the difficult situatio ns with
a sense o f humo r and po sitivity.
In restaurants, they do n't give yo u yo ur check auto matically, yo u have to hail do wn the server o r just get up and ask fo r the check (I'm no t sure if that was o k, but I didn't have
patience to wait aro und).
When a gro up o f us went o ut to dinner in Slo venia, I o rdered a so up and the rest o f the girls o rdered a entree. I received my so up befo re everyo ne else go t their fo o d; I was
expecting it to co me with everyo ne elses fo o d but it didn't. After I finished my so up, we waited fo r a lo ng time fo r the rest o f the fo o d to arrive. Even tables who had sat do wn
after I was finished with my so up received fo o d befo re the rest o f my table. Turns o ut that restaurants will serve an appetizer and then wait a lo ng time after the 'first co urse'
to serve the next co urse. We waited fo r abo ut an ho ur until we finally said so mething and the waiter apo lo gized and came o ut with the fo o d. The o rder was co mpletely
wro ng so the fo o d had to go back to the kitchen. When we co mplained to him he to ld us that it wasn't his pro blem and because I o rdered a so up that's why the fo o d was
co ming later than o ther tables. The way the situatio n was handled was ridiculo us; in the United States a waiter wo uld never say its no t his o r her pro blem. There was no
co mmunicatio n fro m the waiter to us, so we were just sitting there clueless. Eventually o ur fo o d came and he gave us a disco unt. I no ticed in eastern Euro pean co untries,
go ing o ut to eat takes a lo ng time. So metimes peo ple sit fo r 3 ho urs at a restaurant waiting fo r fo o d and taking their time. It was a lo t different than go ing o ut to eat in the
USA.
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6 2. Describe so mething that yo u are pro ud o f having acco mplished during
yo ur stay.
T e xt Re spo nse
I am pro ud o f making it o ut to 8 AM classes fo llo wing the mandato ry Mo nday night get-to gethers. Also , I am pro ud o f getting to understand the Hungarian culture much
deeper than befo re and finally was able to reco nnect all the kno wledge abo ut Austro -Hungarians that I had learnt in high scho o l. The current po litical climate is o ne that is
being echo ed thro ugho ut the wo rld and as much as the Hungarians feel that they are unique, their po sitio n is o ne that's faced by many cultures that feel as if they are being
diluted o r destro yed.
I was able to be friends with a majo rity o f the Euro pean students and adapted to their way o f so cializing. I didn't inhibit my experience by sticking to o ne gro up, and tried to
meet as many peo ple as I co uld.
Finding an apartment! Co o king lavish American meals with unfamiliar ingredients. Figuring o ut the city's transpo rtatio n system. Figuring o ut ho w to travel thro ugh Euro pe
o n my o wn. Go ing to o ut-o f-the-o rdinary destinatio ns such as Serbia and Ro mania.
Meeting so me o f the co o lest peo ple I've ever met.
Making friends fro m all o ver the wo rld, male o r female, yo unger o r o lder. The cultural experience was amazing.
Learned a bit o f Hungarian
Prio r to traveling abro ad, I had never kno wn ho w to use public transpo rtatio n. In fact, I made a po int o f avo iding public transpo rtatio n because I didn't kno w ho w it wo rked.
To day, I am pleased to say that I am a self-pro claimed expert o f metro s, trams, subways, and tubes.
Creating lasting relatio nships with friends fro m all o ver the wo rld. Traveling to o ver 13 cities. Living every seco nd to its fullest which is exactly ho w I wished and imagined
my experience to be.
I'm pro ud that we fo und a great apartment in a fo reign co untry all by o urselves.
I managed to keep track o f mo st o f my daily spending in an Excel spreadsheet, which came in useful fo r whenever I wo ndered where I had spent all o f my mo ney o n and
budget my spending.
I'm pro ud to have bro ken so many stereo types abo ut Americans and abo ut shy asian bo ys.
I made friends with peo ple fro m all o ver the wo rld and that I'll have peo ple to visit whenever I visit.
I acco mplished a lo t o f things that can be difficult even in LA (finding an apartment, using public transpo rtatio n) in a co mpletely fo reign enviro nment with different custo ms,
po licies, and a very significant language barrier. Also , standing up to my landlo rd who was kind o f an ass.
Having at least half if no t mo st o f my friends be fro m o ther co untries in the wo rld. A lo t o f the Americans were different and co o l, but yo u also get to mesh with lo ts o f
cultures.
I really was able to beco me a great navigato r o ver there and be able to use the metro systems everywhere we traveled. This will be a big part o f yo ur abro ad experience.
I was pro ud that I to o k advantage o f almo st everything the city had to o ffer. (We co mpleted almo st all the things o n o ur bucket list)
Fo r the first time in my life I payed my o wn bills, co mpletely planned my o wn life and was truly independent.
I became clo se friends with a variety o f Euro pean students, and thro ugh them I was able to learn abo ut their different cultures and mindsets.
NA
--Made genuinely go o d friends in 4 different co untries!
Getting co nfidence and gro wing up - as yo u have to do everything fo r yo urself (no o ne is there to help yo u), beco ming friends with so me amazing students that are all fro m
different co untries.
Living o n my o wn in a fo reign city
I am pro ud o f relo cating by myself to such a distinctive destinatio n so unlike the USA.
Upo n having a mishap with a travel buddy I ended up alo ne in Prague, and I didn't freak o ut abo ut it. Instead, I just explo red o n my o wn and ended up go ing o n a free to ur
where I met so me really co o l peo ple.
I am pro ud o f having traveled all by myself to Vienna. I've never had to travel o n my o wn to a who le different co untry, so after that trip I felt satisfied with finding my o wn way
aro und the city and learning the public transpo rtatio n fo r the day. It wasn't easy at first, but I was happy I go t to see all the to urist attractio ns I wanted to see in my o wn day
trip to Vienna.
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6 3. What do yo u wish yo u had kno wn abo ut befo re leaving?
T e xt Re spo nse
It's really co ld when it sno ws and the wind blo ws. ...also , avo id wearing po litically-mo tivated shirts that can be misco nstrued.
Mo re abo ut the travel o ppo rtunities aro und Budapest--such as the Balkans and Cro atia.
I wish I had kno wn I wo uld no t be able to find mo st pro ducts I am used to in sto res abro ad fro m fo o d, to clo thing, to scho o l supplies.
The language difference. I was warned, but I didn't realize ho w few peo ple spo ke English and ho w difficult it wo uld be to catch o n to Hungarian.
I might have cho sen to get a o ne way trip instead o f bo o king my ro und trip. It wo uld have been mo re expensive, but yo u might want to stay lo nger o r leave earlier.
N/A
Besides everything I have already mentio ned, I wish I had kno wn to pack my financial calculato r - there is no t a single financial calculato r in Budapest, so yo u are better o ff
just bringing yo ur o wn.
Ho using wo uld be terrible
220 do llars to fo rints is a go o d exchange rate. There is abso lutely no go o d chinese/ko rean/japanese fo o d in Hungary Reach o ut to yo ur tandem partner. They are so
willing to help yo u with EVERYTHING
Really sto p co mparing ho w things are abro ad to ho w things are at ho me, because yo u might end up disappo inted (e.g. 'the fo o d here isn't as go o d as back ho me' o r 'the
paperwo rk here is so slo w co mpared to USC'), and yo u will appreciate things so much mo re when yo u dro p yo ur pre-co nceived no tio ns and just accept thing as they are.
I wish I had kno wn that I co uld buy a mo nth lo ng student pass fo r the metro s witho ut a student card.
All the go o d restaurants in the city!
It is really, really co ld there in the winter, so try and do a lo t o f traveling and indo o r sightseeing during tho se mo nths because it's really to o co ld to be o utdo o rs fo r lo ng. It's
beautiful in the spring and summer, so leave a lo t o f time to just hang aro und and enjo y ho w beautiful the city is when the weather is nice.
Find an apartment that co mes with plates, pans, etc., Try to find a landlo rd who speaks english fluently, try no t to co mpare things to ho me to o much, Hungary is really
different so yo u have to just enjo y it, "Cho p VEE" means tap water, Dryers do no t exist in Hungary and the detergent is stro nger so do n't use a lo t
They do n't have ranch dressing in Euro pe.
Get a resident permit befo re leaving.
The web registratio n system at Co rvinus, exchange student bureaucracy as well as the equivalent o f blackbo ard is hard to navigate at first. I am no t sure what co uld have
been do ne abo ut this befo re leaving, but a mo re co mprehensive o rientatio n to this upo n arrival wo uld have been nice.
No thing. I lo ve learning while do ing.
Bring so me warm clo thes. Buying clo thes in Euro pe is expensive.
--The trips that my university was planning so I did no t schedule trips o n tho se weekends
Getting a laminated map o f the city and maybe a travel guide is very helpful at first. Definitely ask yo ur Tandem partner to meet yo u at the airpo rt it they can.
Ho w little vegetables there wo uld be in the winter time.
I wish I knew the city better befo re I co mmitted to an apartment.
Yo u can talk to everyo ne at ho me and friends there by internet. So yo u really o nly need a smartpho ne and get a data plan, which is mo re o r less what I did. Ho wever, the 3G
there drained my battery really fast so if yo u use yo ur pho ne as a camera to o and plan to use it a lo t, think abo ut buying an external backup battery (Mo phie fo r example).
Do n't exchange currency at the airpo rt. Lo o k into ho using befo re yo u leave and set up appo intments (I paid as mo re fo r my ho tel & ho stel fo r 5 days than my rent fo r the
mo nth!) Take no te o f the day yo u arrive.. I arrived o n a Friday evening... o f a three-day weekend. I co uldn't even start lo o king at apartments until Tuesday
It will be freezing weather until early April. And then the weather will all o f a sudden switch and it will beco me 75 degrees by mid-April! The Hungarians to ld me it was o ne o f
their rainiest and co ld winters, but I didn't realize I'd be wearing my winter co at still in April. I also wish I had a better understanding o f ho w much traveling wo uld co st and
living in ano ther co untry. I spent a lo t o f mo ney in the first few mo nths and wish I wo uld have saved so me o f it fo r different trips and also do mestic trips within Hungary.
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6 4. Do yo u have any travel tips to share?
T e xt Re spo nse
Travel in packs and give yo urself plenty o f time.
If yo u travel to wards the end o f the semester, yo u can go with larger gro ups since yo u will meet all the o ther exchange students. And the sun will make everything lo o k a
hundred times mo re beautiful.
Always search fo r the cheapest transpo rtatio n. Bo o k transpo rtatio n as far in advance as po ssible. Do so me research abo ut ho stels. Budget when it co mes to fo o d, even if
yo u can buy a who le platter o f meat fo r $8 . Do n't bring to o much stuff with yo u. Research a place befo re yo u go to it.
Buy a neck pillo w.
Sho p aro und. Ho nestly, do n't bo o k to o many trips. Tho ugh yo u may have friends fro m USC who are also studying abro ad, yo u can see them back in America. Do n't make
the mistake my ro o mmate made, which is to travel to see all his American friends and to miss o ut o n traveling with the internatio nal gro up. It's a o ne o f a kind time o f yo ur
life.
Travel as much as yo u can to take advantage o f the o ppo rtunity o f being in Euro pe, but do n't fo rget to spend time in Budapest as well. My best memo ries are fro m the
exchange pro gram and the friends I made fro m it, so enjo y that experience as well.
Aside fro m the tips I mentio ned earlier, be sure to spend time in Budapest, to learn abo ut its unique (and tro ubling) histo ry, to explo re the best restaurants in to wn (I have
plenty to reco mmend!), to visit the Hungarian co untryside at least o nce (there are numero us cities less than an ho ur away by train), to rent bikes and bike alo ng the Danube,
and, mo st impo rtantly, to take advantage every o ppo rtunity at yo ur dispo sal.
BE FLEXIBLE. Things will no t wo rk o ut as planned. That is a po sitive thing. Be adaptable and flexible to change, and as I said befo re... say yes! Spo ntaneo us trips are the
best o nes. We wo uld o ften decide several days in advance, so metimes the night befo re! Also , RESEARCH THE PLACE YOU ARE GOING TO BEFORE YOU GO. Do n't go
to a co untry no t kno wing what language they speak. Being an American yo u will auto matically have a lo ng list o f stereo types attached - do n't enfo rce them by being
o bno xio us o n public transpo rtatio n o r asking what language they speak in Slo venia. Also , learn a bit abo ut the culture o f the places yo u visit. Talk to a lo cal, learn abo ut
them. AND HAVE FUN!
Again, do n't burn yo urself o ut by traveling every single week. Leave space to explo re yo ur o wn city and hang o ut with yo ur new fo und friends. Take every o ppo rtunity to go
to the o rganized events to meet peo ple. As fo r traveling, take OrangeWays bus to Prague, Vienna, and maybe Bratislava fo r o ne day (no mo re, yo u'll get bo red). WizzAir to
everywhere else. Ho stelwo rld fo r ho stels. Go ing so mewhere where yo u kno w so meo ne who can sho w yo u aro und will make yo ur experience in a co untry so much mo re
enjo yable. It's amazing what the Tro jan netwo rk can do fo r yo u while yo u're abro ad, so do n't be afraid to reach o ut.
Traveling gets tiring, so make sure to make so me time to rest (and do laundry and stuff at ho me) and do n't try to travel to o much every weekend because yo u WILL miss
o ut o n the to n o f events they have in Budapest, remember yo u can always travel aro und Euro pe in the future but yo u can never again actually LIVE in Budapest.
I already stated it befo re, but use Orangeways fo r places like Vienna, Prague, etc. Use Wizzair fo r flights if they travel to the place. It's so metimes cheaper to take a flight and
a bus than a direct flight. Make sure yo u check in yo ur bags and pay fo r that o nline rather than at the airpo rt because it's a lo t mo re expensive there. Keep all yo ur perso nal
belo ngings very very safe. Try to stay at friends places when traveling because it's a lo t easier and cheaper than staying at ho stels. So metimes, it's better to pay a little
mo re fo r better ho stels than save mo ney o n cheap ho stels. Only bring what yo u need. I almo st never bro ught my lapto p when traveling because I just didn't need it. Travel
with o thers! Yo u'll bo nd mo re and keep tho se internatio nal co nnectio ns.
Pack light, buy tickets in advance, and budget travel spending well!
It's really fun to travel with the o ther USC students in yo ur pro gram, but also make sure that yo u accept/extend invitatio ns to so me o f the o ther internatio nal students. It's a
really amazing experience to visit a friend's ho me co untry with them.
besides the o ne's I mentio ned, just go with the flo w. It's hard, but I pro mise it will wo rk itself o ut. Pack light, and remember lo ts o f trains do no t have air co nditio ning... Travel
in gro ups, it makes the ride mo re enjo yable. So metimes cheap airlines are no t wo rth a small price difference, See Eastern Euro pe. It is cheaper, and way mo re co nducive
to a yo unger traveler
Go ing to the Cro atian co ast was the best trip o f the semester. It is so beautiful and no t very well kno wn here in America. I will definitely be returning there, especially
Dubro vnik.
Pack light and get a credit card o r debit card that do es no t have fo reign transactio n fees / internatio nal ATM fees. (Lo o k into a Capital One credit card and Charles Schwab
debit card.)
In Budapest, the eastern train statio n is cro wded and unsafe. the ticket purchase system is co mplicated and the lines are very lo ng. If at all po ssible leave fro m the west train
statio n o n the Buda side. It is much nicer. A lo t o f peo ple o nly travel to Bratislava, dislike it, and Judge Slo vakia based o n this. I wo uld reco mmend go ing to Ko sice and
eastern Slo vakia It is much nicer.
Bring yo ur driver's license o r find a gro up o f peo ple to rent a car with yo u and travel aro und different Hungarian cities and to wns. My biggest regret was no t go ing o n a ro ad
trip aro und Hungary.
Learn survival phrases fo r every new co untry yo u visit. Also , while traveling and seeing new things are extremely fun, make sure yo u spend time in yo ur ho st co untry. When
yo u travel all the time, with the same gro up o f peo ple, yo u miss o ut o n many great o ppo rtunities to meet o ther peo ple during o utings o ver the weekends.
Go to co untries that peo ple at ho me have never even co nsidered go ing to . Yo u'll always have time to travel to Greece o r Italy o r France, but go places like Ro mania o r
Serbia with yo ur friends o n yo ur study abro ad semester.
Do n't be o verly lo ud and american, the mo re gracio us yo u are when traveling the mo re that peo ple will like yo u and be willing to help yo u.
Bo o k everything befo rehand, travelling within yo ur study-abro ad co untry is pro bably as interesting as go ing to different co untries. Museums are expensive fo r the mo st
part. Make sure yo u travel with peo ple that have similar interests - no t everyo ne likes to lo o k at art fo r extended perio ds o f time, a lo t o f peo ple do n't like museums, so me
just want to walk aro und and chill (kno w what kind o f travelling yo u want to do befo rehand).
Bring a warm co at fo r the winter . It can be bo ne chilling
There is so much to explo re in such a small pro ximity. Rent a car if po ssible! It allo ws yo u to get o ff o f the beaten path.
USCCU debit card o nly charges $1 at the ATM and no charges o n purchases. Mo st o ther banks charge $5 and mo st credit cards charge 3% o n all purchases. Be o pen to
travel to different places. I didn't really care where I went, I just wanted to explo re. I just lo o ked fo r the cheapest flights fo r every weekend (keep in mind the disco unt airpo rts
are usually no t the main o ne and so metimes yo u end up dishing o ut ano ther $40 in the wo rst cases to take a bus into the city center)
Lo o k fo r cheaper o ptio ns - bus and trains. If yo u plan to travel by plane, I reco mmend the fo llo wing websites: skyscanner.co m edreams.co m drungli.co m wizzair.co m
ryanair.co m Staying in ho stels is yo ur best bet fo r ho using - ho stelwo rld.co m is a great website to find go o d ho stels.
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6 5. What wo uld yo u like to say to the students go ing after yo u?
T e xt Re spo nse
Say hello to my friend Ako s at the immigratio n o ffice, he hates me and the feeling is mutual. Make sure that yo u have all yo ur paperwo rk fo r the immigratio n o ffice ahead o f
time and that yo u are prepared to sacrifice 2-3 ho urs o f yo ur day to sit in a waiting ro o m (...quit po ssibly 2-3 o r 4 different times.) Get a Hungarian cellpho ne as so o n as
yo u arrive (take yo ur passpo rt w/ yo u) and buy the mo nthly Metro pass, yo u canno t escape the Co ntro ll peo ple and because they hate their lives, they will try to make yo u
miserable if yo u do n't have a metro ticket. Do n't get emo tio nally attached to yo ur schedule, it will mo st likely be destro yed by the time it's finalized. Bring go o d music with
yo u. And fo r the lo ve o f all that's ho ly, watch the ro ad when yo u are walking o n it, so ber o r o therwise.
So lucky!!! Co rvinus has a great exchange pro gram called Erasmus where yo u can meet a to n o f friends fro m o ther parts o f Euro pe--take advantage o f this! Budapest itself
is very easy to navigate and has so many dining o ptio ns and the nightlife is very interesting and different. Make sure to branch o ut and really immerse yo urself into
Euro pean culture--even if that means listening to techno music. And make sure to find an apartment near the Octo go n because yo u can get to scho o l easily fro m there (via
tram o r metro ) and all the best parts o f the city are there.
Have fun and enjo y every mo ment o f the experience. If yo u travel a lo t o n weekends, make sure yo u are very so cial during the week. Do n't o nly surro und yo urself with
Americans. Make sure yo u get yo ur scho o lwo rk do ne.
Have SO MUCH fun. Budapest is a huge city, so do n't leave regretting that yo u missed so mething and do n't spend all yo ur time visiting o ther co untries. Make an effo rt to
mingle with all o f the fo reign students, no t just Americans and Hungarians (find so me Irish!).
Yo u'll have so much fun. Take advantage o f the first few weeks o f meeting o utside the do rm befo re the parties. That's when yo u meet mo st peo ple and make an
impressio n. Diversify yo ur friends. Yo u're in a new co untry. Do n't hide in yo ur ro o m o n the co mputer. Be o pen-minded.
Take me with yo u
#1 I wish I co uld co me with all o f yo u. #2 The next few mo nths will fly by faster than yo u can imagine. #3 Be o pen to new experiences and cultures. #4 *Refer back to #1*
If yo u have ANY questio ns, please do no t hesitate to co ntact me. Really, tho ugh, I am happy to give advice and also have millio ns o f suggestio ns. kepasinsky@gmail.co m
Keep an o pen mind. It's crazy ho w much yo u learn fro m just talking to peo ple. Everything I learned wasn't even fro m class. Yo u learn a lo t by hanging o ut with peo ple fro m
different co untries, and yo u definitely learn a lo t fro m traveling with yo ur friends. Kinder Bueno (cho co late brand) is really go o d.
Yo u are go ing to have the time o f yo ur life, guaranteed! I am having the experience o f the lifetime and am insanely happy with the decisio n that I made to co me here.
I did a 12 day trip in Italy and traveled the entire co untry, but it was really tiring. The experience was great, but really be prepared to be drained if yo u travel that lo ng. Getting
the residence permit was a hassle. Make sure yo u have all the paperwo rk do ne befo rehand befo re go ing to Budapest because it's a lo t easier. Buy a student pass fo r the
metro rather than single tickets. Yo u do n't need a student id fo r tho se. Traveling to western Euro pe was aweso me, but I wish I had do ne mo re trips aro und Central and
Eastern Euro pe. Get to kno w internatio nal peo ple! Do n't just hang o ut with Americans, yo u can do that when yo u get back ho me. Sho w up to class and get to kno w yo ur
classmates, tho se are the peo ple yo u see at Erasmus parties. Make so me Hungarian friends so that whenever yo u need help, yo u can always ask.
Take the o ppo rtunity to do so mething crazy and co me to Budapest!
This is pro bably the o nly time in yo ur life that yo u wo n't either have a jo b o r be attending a rigo ro us scho o l (Co rvinus is a piece o f cake co mpared to USC), so live
irrespo nsibly. Budapest has the best nightlife o f any city I visited. Go o ut to o much, spend to o much mo ney, sleep to o little and have so much fun.
Enjo y it! I wish I co uld go back this seco nd, it was the best time o f my life. Budapest is amazing and I wo uld do it all o ver again.
Budapest is truly an amazing place and I ho pe that yo u guys pick it to be yo ur abro ad destinatio n. The nightlife, relaxed culture, and affo rdability is so mething yo u can't
miss.
Budapest is by far o ne o f the best places yo u co uld study abro ad in the IEP pro gram. It o ffers yo u everything yo u co uld imagine, large gro up o f internatio nal students, great
internatio nal student netwo rk (ESN), cheap, great fo o d and nightlife all in beautiful (and less to uristy, mo re ho mey) city.
Have fun and travel, but do n't view this as a 'o nce in a lifetime mad dash thro ugh Euro pe' Slo w do wn and live in Hungary. See what it feels like to no t be a to urist in Euro pe.
I wish I co uld go with yo u!
Be prepared to have the time o f yo ur life!! :)
Be o pen to everything! Say yes to last-minute trips! Go o ut to lunches, dinners, parties, etc even if yo u're tired and all yo u want to do is stay in and sleep - do n't waste a
minute because it literally FLIES by. Live in the mo ment, and enjo y having abso lutely no respo nsibilities. The academic life in Budapest is co mpletely o ppo site fro m the
academic life at USC, so really take advantage o f this semester lo ng vacatio n. :)
I'm so jealo us yo u get to go back and enjo y every minute! This experience is unlike any o ther
Spend a lo t o f time getting to kno w o ther internatio nal students - tho se times are priceless.
Please cho o se Budapest - It is such an eyeo pening experience!
Be sure to take part in all o f the Erasmus activities in the beginning o f the pro gram! They are lo ts o f fun and yo u will meet aweso me peo ple that way.
Yo u will have the time o f yo ur life
I have 30 days left here and the time has flo wn by. Do n't take any days fo r granted because this will be the best semester o f yo ur life. Yo u may be terrified, anxio us befo re
co ming o ver here, but keep in mind that as so o n as yo u get to yo ur abro ad lo catio n, yo u'll lo ve it mo re than anything (especially if yo u're co ming to Budapest!). Put yo urself
o ut there, try new things, meet as many peo ple as yo u can, and do n't skip o ut o n anything because o f mo ney o r being tired. I depleted my funds while being here, but I
co mpletely reco mmend do ing it. Mo ney is mo ney, and yo u'll always have time to make mo re mo ney. Yo u'll never have the chance again to study abro ad in ano ther
co untry! Experience it all!
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6 6 . Any final tho ughts...
T e xt Re spo nse
Lo ve it and has been a great experience. Also , make sure that if yo u like Mexican/Ko rean fo o d to eat as much o f it as yo u can befo re yo u leave Lo s Angeles. And serio usly,
bring yo ur street smarts with yo u.
Miss it already.
The study abro ad experience has been so amazing, and I'm glad I go t to experience it. I wo uld do it 10 0 0 times o ver if I co uld. I ho pe I have ano ther o ppo rtunity to live in
Euro pe.
I wo uld have given anything fo r a full year in Budapest.
It will be an amazing time. Make go o d friends with the USC gro up to o . It'll allo w yo u to reminisce to gether during the sho ck o f co ming back.
GREAT experience, I wo uld definitely reco mmend cho o sing Budapest o ver o ther cities
So k szerencsét és bizto nságo s utazás. Egészségedre!!!
Be safe, be smart, and have a hell o f a time.
BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE
I
I'm so happy I go t to study abro ad. Everyo ne wanted Barcelo na, but I'm so glad that I go t to be in Budapest. It's really a beautiful city with beautiful wo men. If I had kno wn
that my experience here wo uld be this amazing, I wo uld've put Budapest as my first cho ice. I went to Paris and Barcelo na and all tho se places, but there's just so mething
abo ut Budapest that gets me. Yo u'll have a lo t o f fun, but just put yo urself o ut there and get to kno w peo ple. Yo u can sleep when yo u get back to the states.
Peo ple underestimate Budapest and do n't really think o f it as a to p destinatio n to study abro ad but they are dead wro ng. This city is amazing in all aspects fro m culture to
peo ple. It's cheap and has so many things to o ffer.
Go ing to Budapest was o ne o f the mo st amazing experiences o f my life. Every time I traveled to visit a friend fro m USC, I was nervo us that I wo uld like their lo catio n better
and wish I had studied there, but it never happened. There are definitely easier places to study abro ad, but I do n't think that there is anywhere better.
IT'S AMAZING YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!
Go Budapest!
I lo ved Budapest, and I kno w anyo ne else who ends up studying there will to o . I have yet to hear anyo ne who has studied abro ad in Budapest dislike their experience.
I wo uld go again to mo rro w.
Be careful, and have fun!
CHOOSE BUDAPEST!
Enjo y!
Getting a laminated map o f the city and maybe a travel guide is very helpful at first. Definitely ask yo ur Tandem partner to meet yo u at the airpo rt it they can. I think that
everyo ne sho uld do a study abro ad semester - it is amazing ho w much yo u can learn abo ut yo urself and the wo rld aro und yo u.
NA
I can't imagine no t having had this experience. Co me to Budapest!
I lo ve Budapest, and wo uld definitely go back.
Yo u may no t kno w anything abo ut Budapest, but I pro mise yo u it has been the best five mo nths o f my life! Out o f all the places I traveled to , I was always excited to get back
to Budapest. It's such a cheap city - fo o d, drinks and partying are all really cheap. Budapest has so me o f the best nightlife in Euro pe! There is also a lo t o f culture here in
Budapest - sightseeing and to urist attractio ns aren't expensive either. Once the weather gets warm, there is so much to do ! Margaret Island has a running track aro und the
entire island and when the weather is warm, there are peo ple playing spo rts and having picnics o n the island. Do n't be afraid to cho o se Budapest because yo u do n't kno w
much abo ut it and it's no t the typical Spain o r France lo catio n. Trust me, yo u'll lo ve Budapest. Put it this way, yo u'll mo st likely have a chance to visit western Euro pe so me
time in yo ur life, but when will yo u have the chance to live in an eastern Euro pean co untry!? Yo u wo n't regret cho o sing Budapest! The scho o l is beautiful and clo se to all the
students apartments in the city. Yo u do n't have to travel a lo ng way to get to class. The Co rvinus ESN pro gram is pheno menal - they plan trips and activities fo r us all the
time and they are extremely helpful! They really want to help us all o ut as best as they can. I am clo se friends with a few o f the Hungarians in the ESN o rganizatio n and it's
so great getting to meet Hungarians and experience Budapest with them! They definitely kno w a lo t mo re abo ut Hungarian culture and are always happy to share
info rmatio n with us. If yo u have any questio ns abo ut the pro gram and Budapest, please DO NOT hesitate to email me! I wo uld lo ve to give yo u mo re info rmatio n abo ut
Budapest and Co rvinus University.
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