My name is KD, and I am currently studying abroad in Hungary. I am participating in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics (BSM) program for the Fall, and I return to Colby in the Spring. I came to Budapest in June to complete a summer semester of BSM, where I took an introductory course in real analysis and began studying Hungarian. For the fall, I will be taking a few algebra courses and continuing my studies in real analysis. The classes are interesting. I think the most notable thing about my experience so far is how different the learning culture feels within BSM. At Colby, I feel that effort is recognized; if you’re committed to struggling through something, but your results are lackluster, you still get some acknowledgement of your work. However, here, it seems that the result is the only important part. Furthermore, the professors have made themselves far less available, compared to those at Colby. Most of the professors have no official ‘office hours,’ and scheduling a meeting with the professor is not encouraged. Being a student almost feels like a burden to them. The change in dynamic has been an interesting experience. 

I am also taking Hungarian language and culture courses. I think the most interesting part of studying abroad is language, and that is something to consider when choosing a study abroad program. How many people speak English or your native language in your destination country? Will communication be difficult? How fluent are you in the destination country’s language? How interested are you in actually learning that language? Colby requires three semesters of study in your location’s language, but how confident do you feel communicating in that language? Being comfortable is not necessary; immersion is one of the best ways to learn a language, after all. However, you need to be tolerant toward struggling if you don’t already have strong skills in the language.

There were many things that motivated my choice of Hungary as an abroad destination, but the ultimate motivator for me was the language. I came to Hungary knowing that Hungarian is a unique language, almost isolated from any other language. I also knew that the structure was interesting, but I would not have been able to articulate why. I knew zero vocabulary, zero grammar, and zero cultural context. That was appealing to me; my goal with studying abroad was to study a language and culture that I knew little to nothing about. Now, I can string together super basic sentences. If you want me to say that your cat is here, I’ve got it. I’m excited to continue studying the language, and it may be the number one thing I am looking forward to.

Viszlát,

KD