Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

No place beats Budapest Past Review

By (Political Science and Government., Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/06/2013 to 12/14/2013 with

Bard College: Budapest - Study Abroad at Central European University (CEU)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Deep understanding in the region. It was incredibly valuable since it is a largely ignored region of the world.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Very intense graduate level coursework. As rigorous as a competitive private American university. Native English speaking was a competitive advantage since most full time grad students studied English as a second language. Excellent archive resources, but overall mediocre library resources.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Very disorganized but well intended. Organized activities were uninteresting but available.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Beautiful and spacious flat in the city center.

* Food:

Students are on their own for food, but Hungarian cuisine is unparalleled and remarkably inexpensive.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Extremely we'll integrated within the CEU community, but definitely felt like a resident expat in Budapest and not a full fledged Hungarian. But that is more about the pride in and national defense of Hungarian nationality than anything else.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A

* Safety:

Totally and completely safe. Not an issue at all.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

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

I came home with money to spare and I didn't live sparingly. Budapest is a crazy cheap city.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Around or under $100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Don't make large shopping trips for fresh produce, buy it as you want it. If you buy too much at one time it will go bad before you use it. Hungary doesn't pump it's produce with preservatives like the US does so food doesn't last as long.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

Hungarian is hard.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? No one will let you speak it, everyone speaks really excellent English.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

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

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The freedom and independence
  • The city
  • The true international nature of the program
* What could be improved?
  • The Bard programming didn't add anything to the experience. More interesting could have been better.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That there were only 8 exchange students total in the program. I had expected a much larger group of students.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.