"The past months have become the brightest in my life and taught me to be even more courageous, not to be afraid of any difficulties, to meet new people first, to think more broadly and accept other people's opinions and views", - shared Daria Smetanina, telling about her experience of living and studying in Hungary within the mobility programme

Darya Smetanina, a 3rd year student of the Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics programme at the HSE Graduate School of Business, visited the University of Pécs, Hungary. Read the review of the four and a half months of the mobility programme.

Choosing a university and preparing documents

I have recently returned from a mobility programme at the University of Pécs, Hungary. When applying and choosing a country, I took into account a number of factors at once: mentality, accommodation provided by the university, local language, language certificate requirements, number of places available and so on. In the end, my first priority was the University of Ljubljana and my second priority was the University of Pécs, where I was nominated. As time passed, I realise that I was very lucky, because the climate and weather conditions of Peć suited me much better, and I was able to travel to Ljubljana later.

The process of preparation and paperwork was very stressful because I got my visa two days before the flight. The first and most important tip: make an appointment at the visa centre in advance! In my case it took 35 days to receive it. I would say that the wait was definitely worth it: already in the first days I understood how busy the autumn semester would be. It is important to note that I was combining my online work with my studies, but I had enough time for everything!

The processing of residence permits, insurance and housing documents was already a lot easier and more relaxed. The following advice: go to the migration centre upon arrival and check the status of your residence permit in the first week - this will help to make the process easier. Remember that the international office at the university is always ready to answer questions and help. The Faculty of Economics and Business has a "reception centre" on the ground floor of the campus: there is an electronic queue with an invitation, all difficulties are solved, so don't hesitate to get in touch!

Accommodation and urban environment

The city of Pécs itself is sunny, cosy and small: you can get from any point A to B by bus, which takes 15-20 minutes. English is spoken at a basic level almost everywhere, so basic questions can be solved without too much difficulty. Moreover, there are a lot of international students from all over the world in Pécs!

I lived in the Szántó Kollégium student hostel, sharing a room with a girl from the HSE University. You can and should ask to room with your friends - they will gladly let you do it! There is all the necessary infrastructure near the hostel building. I paid 180€ a month for a room. On average you can rent accommodation for 200-220€, so it's your choice. But if you want to experience international student life to the fullest, I would recommend living in a student hostel - it's a great way to find close friends.

The university is divided into buildings depending on the faculty. The Faculty of Economics and Business is located in the centre of the campus. It is modern, well-equipped and similar in many ways to the GSB.

Learning process

I was completely satisfied with the learning process! My timetable included classes three times a week: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. As luck would have it, the courses I chose were open for enrolment only on those days.

I took courses at the Hungarian university with both masters and bachelors. I studied information systems, international business communications, strategic management, project management. The rest of the days I watched online courses in other subjects, travelled and worked. The lecturers were very positive towards international students: we often joked and discussed different topics. The classes were almost always interesting and engaging, and it was easy to ask questions and clarify what we didn't understand.

The format of the classes and forms of control were the same as in the GSB: we worked a lot on group projects, writing reports and preparing speeches. International teams proved to be a unique space to exchange experience. Every day I was able I was able to see the world from the perspective of another country that a particular student represented.

Extracurricular life

There were many extracurricular activities at Pécs. I recommend subscribing to the accounts of the ESN, an organisation that offers all kinds of meetings for international students, where you can make new friends and learn more about other cultures. This is useful especially at the beginning of the mobility programme, when everyone is just getting to know each other: ESN organised daily city tours, sports events, parties, country presentations and much more.

As far as travelling is concerned, it was comfortable due to Hungary's location and the timetable that allows it. For flights you can look for tickets from low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, and between countries you can use FlixBus. We often left our luggage at Luggage Store Bounce. I highly recommend travelling as much as your studies and budget allow! It gives you a huge boost of motivation, inspiration, broadens your world view and gives you a lot of new knowledge. For example, if you know students from the GSB who are on a mobility programme in the same semester in another country, you can arrange to meet and get to know each other. These are some of the most interesting evenings that allow you to join a new community of students from different countries and expand your contacts!

The past months have been the brightest in my life. I learned to be even more courageous, face any difficulties, meet new people first, think more broadly and accept other people's opinions and views. I have become even better at seeing the strength in each person and realising the power of communication in international teams. I strongly recommend applying for the mobility programme and going if you are still hesitant to do it for some reason!