My initial thoughts
As an international student in Finland, I have always wanted to experience studying abroad in a warmer European country. On my 2nd year of studies, I decided to apply for the Erasmus+ exchange program. I was accepted to study at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) in Hungary for the Fall semester of 2024. I was excited to explore the city and learn about the Hungarian culture.
Application process
The application process was straightforward. XAMK provided me with the necessary documents and information. Internation Office staff were helpful and answered all my questions. I had to submit my application, motivation letter, and transcript of records. After a few weeks, I received an email that I was accepted to study at BME.
Afterward, I had to apply for the Erasmus+ grant. The grant covered my travel and living expenses during the exchange period. The grant arrived in my bank account a few weeks before my departure.
Part of the application process was to fill the Learning Agreement. The agreement listed the courses I would take at BME. I had to get the agreement signed by my home university and BME. I had to make some changes to the courses I initially chose due to schedule conflicts and unavailability. This also my most stressful part of the application process.
Pre-departure
Finding accommodation in Budapest was challenging. The problem is that not many landlords comfortable with renting for only 6 months. They all asked for a minimum of 1 year. After a few weeks of searching, I found a shared apartment in the city center. The room was small but cozy. The apartment was shared with 1 other student.
One huge mistake I made was not having a proper House Rental Agreement. This made my living unofficial and caused some issues with the landlord. I would recommend having a proper agreement to avoid any misunderstandings.
Buying a flight ticket was easy. We got Finnair operated direct flights from Helsinki to Budapest. I packed my bags and left for Budapest.
Arrival
Before the trip, I researched about the public transportation in Budapest and it is one of the best in Europe. I took the bus 100E from the airport to the city center which cost me 2200 HUF (~7€).
However, some miscommunication between me and the landlord caused some issues. The apartment was not available as promised. Therefore, I had to stay in another place located in District 16 (luckily, only for a day). The house was far and the room was small, no utilities, and no internet.
After that, I moved to the apartment in the city center. The room was pretty small compared to my apartment in Finland, but it was cozy with great views of the city.
I bought the 1 month Budapest pass for students which cost me 3450 HUF (~11€). The pass allowed me to use all public transportation in Budapest for 30 days. However, there is another pass called Hungary Pass (Discounted price), which is for student with valid Hungarian student card. It cost only 1890 HUF (~6€) for 30 days. And you can travel to other cities in Hungary as well, carefully check MÁV if you plan to travel outside of Pest county.
Study experience
My exchange degree was Computer Engineering. At the beginning, I registered 9 courses, later added one Physical Education course. Ended up failing 2 courses and not a single time attended the PE course. Why? You may ask.
The 2 courses I failed were “History of Science” and “Introduction to Quantum Computing and Communication”. From my perspective, “History of Science” failed to outline the importance of the subject, during the entire courses, we were only teaching the history of some famous figures in general and their biography. In the other hand, “Introduction to Quantum Computing and Communication” was an advanced course, but it was being taught online, which made it hard to understand the concept. The lectures were poorly design with traditional slides and speech, no interaction with the students.
About the PE course, I registered it after the registration week, and I had to pay 5500 HUF in order to attend the course. However, I found no time to attend the course due to the amount of assignments and exams I had to do.
My favorite courses were “Ethics for Engineers” and “Artificial Intelligence and Ethics”. They were well-structured and the lecturers were engaging. Key takeaways from the courses were the importance of making ethical decisions, even though the term “ethics” is subjective. The courses also discussed the impact of AI on society and the ethical implications of AI. I would highly recommend these courses to everyone majoring in Engineering.
The course I struggled the most was “Artificial Intelligence” due to the amount of concepts and theories. Slides and contents from the course mostly were from the UC Berkeley course, a #12 ranked university in the world. Throughout the course, I had opportunities to use Google Colab to finish the assignments, which for me was very new but great experience.
Overall, the study experience was completely different from XAMK. The courses were more theoretical and required a lot of self-study. I had to take a written exam at the end of the semester for each course. The exams were challenging and required a lot of preparation.
Social life
Budapest is lively and vibrant. The city has a lot to offer, from ruin bars to thermal baths. I made friends with other Erasmus students and locals. We explored the city together, went to parties, and traveled around Hungary.
There are lots of ESN (Erasmus Student Network) events happening every week. However, due to the amount of school work, I did not attend at all. Also, most of them required a fee to attend.
Sport activies were various, I played basketball at the outdoor court in the city park. Always crowded during Summer and Fall. Players are at decent level, some are friendly and some are competitive.
Conclusion
The exchange experience in Budapest highlighted the importance of thorough preparation, adaptability, and open-mindedness. Despite encountering accommodation setbacks and challenging coursework, the semester abroad provided valuable real-world lessons, expanded cultural horizons, and fostered greater personal and academic growth.