Eötvös Loránd University
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Studying Abroad in Budapest: Lessons from the First Semester
Nadine Brachi, ELTE University Moving to Budapest for a semester abroad felt exciting, daunting, and uncertain all at once. Leaving behind familiar routines and studying in a new country forced me to adapt quickly, both academically and personally. From navigating a different education system to learning how to feel at home in an unfamiliar city, the first few months have been a period of adjustment, reflection, and growth. Now, at the end of my first semester, I’ve begun to see how much this experience has already shaped me. Studying abroad in Budapest has been less about grand, cinematic moments and more about the small lessons learned through everyday challenges. This…
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A Love Letter To Budapest.
Nadine Brachi | ELTE University, Budapest In this blog post, my main aim is to convey why leaving the comfort of what I knew – Manchester, home, my friends, my dogs – for a new life in Budapest was one of the best decisions I could have made for myself and my future. Joining the year abroad programme was always in my mind. Having spoken to fellow students who were preparing to leave or had recently returned, I was captivated by their excitement and how it inspired them. I was also fortunate enough to have several friends also considering a similar pathway as me. In fact, picking Budapest as my…
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Festivals and Events You Cannot Miss in Budapest
By Louis Hazeldine-Cosgrove, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary Studying in Budapest is more than just lectures and libraries, this city knows how to celebrate. Whether you’re here for a semester or a full year, experiencing its festivals and celebrations will leave you with a lasting impression on Hungarian culture. From traditional folk events to cutting-edge music festivals, here are some of the best festivals and events in Budapest you should not miss. 1. Sziget Festival (August) If there’s one event Budapest is internationally known for, it’s Sziget. Held on Óbuda Island in the Danube, this week-long music festival transforms the city into a bustling place for music lovers from all over…
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How to Master Budapest’s Public Transport (Without Losing Your Mind)
By Louis Hazeldine-Cosgrove, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. When I first arrived in Budapest, I was more concerned about not getting lost; than getting to my actual destination. But quickly, I realised that Budapest’s public transport system is not only everywhere—it’s actually pretty amazing. That said, the network of metro lines, trams, buses, and trolleybuses can look like a maze when you’re new. But once you become familiar, you will see why they are considered as one of the best public transport systems in Europe! So if you’re heading to Budapest for study, travel, or just to soak in the views along the Danube, hopefully this blog will be able to…
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Hungarian Superstitions & Traditions You’ll Run Into as a Student in Budapest
By Louis Hazeldine-Cosgrove, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. Living in Budapest as a student is an adventure: new places, new people, and a lot of traditions and superstitions that might not expect. Hungarians have a long history of folklore and while some of their superstitions are just fun quirks, others are taken pretty seriously. Here are a few you will probably encounter while living here: 1. Do not Clink Beer Glasses! If you’re out for drinks with some new Hungarian friends, do not clink your beer glasses together. Back in 1849, Austrians celebrated the execution of Hungarian revolutionaries by clinking their beer glasses. Hungarians swore not to do it for 150 years…
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Solo Travelling in the Balkans:
By Louis Hazeldine-Cosgrove (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.) The Balkans is an infamous area of Eastern Europe, where there is not universal definition on what it consists of. But it is widely known as the belt of post-Yugoslavian and newly established countries: like Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo and so on. Many of which who belong to the ‘balkans’ hold negative connotations. Where war, ethnic instability and political turmoil overshadow the beauty of many of these countries.
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Travelling around Central Europe✈️
By Isabelle Lydon, Eötvös Lorànd University, Budapest To end our year abroad my friend and I decided to do a bit of travelling around Europe. We thought what a better way to end such a fantastic year. Let me tell you we were right. In this post, I will be telling you about how I saved for, planned and what I did for just under four weeks travelling around Central Europe. These are all my own experiences, and this may differ from person to person so please do bear this in mind.
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Things I Wish I Knew Before Going on a Year Abroad✈️🌍
By Isabelle Lydon, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest As I reflect on the end of my study abroad, I was thinking about things I wish I knew before going that are not stressed enough or that nobody tells you about. I thought this would be a good post for people to read before they go. This post is completely based on my own personal experiences and encounters on my time abroad and it may be different to what you may or have experienced so please do bear this in mind.
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Academic Differences I Noticed in Budapest📝👨🏼🏫
By Isabelle Lydon, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest On my year abroad, I attended Eötvös Lorànd University (ELTE) in Budapest. ELTE is considered one of the best universities in Hungary and is in the top 2% of universities worldwide. It consists of 9 faculties and has over 20,317 courses. They have 528 Erasmus partner universities and luckily UOM was one of them. I study Law at UOM, so I was a part of the Faculty of Law at ELTE which has to have been one of the most stunning university buildings I’ve ever seen.
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How to Tackle Homesickness on your Year Abroad🏡
By Isabelle Lydon, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest It is inevitable that at some point into your year abroad you will experience some form of homesickness. Some of us may experience it more than others depending on how far away from home we are, but I think we all experience it one way or another. Feeling any type of homesickness is perfectly okay. Living in a new country alone is a really daunting experience, especially a non-English speaking country, because you are thrown completely out of your comfort zone. I think we all deserve a pat on the back for how courageous we have been this year (or semester). Whilst I…
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My First Week in Budapest🇭🇺
FYI: these are all my personal opinions and experiences! By Isabelle Lydon, Eotvos Lorand University, Hungary I began my first week in Budapest feeling extremely nervous yet excited. Luckily my first week did not just consist of apartment hunting – my parents and I made sure we did loads of sight-seeing as well. On our first day we just walked around the city to get our bearings. One thing you should know about Budapest is that it’s actually quite a big city. I should probably mention as some people don’t actually know that the city is split into two parts by the river Danube – Buda and Pest. I would…
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Returning to Budapest and having to quarantine!
By Nicolas Purslow, ELTE University Coming back to Budapest in February 2021 was a little tricky, as it was right in the middle of the third COVID wave. Hungary was only allowing people with certain exemptions to enter the country, and one of those justifications was if you were returning to study. To prove this, I had to get a certificate of student status from my ERASMUS coordinator in Budapest and then apply for permission to cross the border from the Hungarian police. Thankfully, the process was pretty straightforward, and I received my permission the day after applying for it. At the airport, I just had to show my permission…