I would like to congratulate you on your successful application to the program Budapest Semesters in Mathematics. By now, you have probably talked to friends and looked up references about traveling and living abroad. You may even have looked up information about Hungary. Let me add some items of information for your trip.
It is possible to take the GRE
at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. It is, however, difficult to apply to graduate
schools and NSF graduate fellowships when you are away from your home college.
Try to get it done early.
Fall semester participants are encouraged to take the Putnam exam while in
Budapest. The North American BSM office will contact the Putnam advisor at your
home institution, but your home institution must list you on your home school
Putnam list to be eligible for participation.
Information about the visa application process is included in the acceptance packet and on-line (see website below). It is your visa that will allow you to live and study in Hungary for either one semester or the full academic school year. After arrival you will be required to register your address in Budapest at the mayor's office; the BSM office in Budapest will assist you. For fees, downloadable visa forms, and other information, please go to:
If you are a non-North American citizen, please check with
your home country consulate and the Hungarian Consulate General’s Office about
special documentation requirements
before departure.
ATM machines are readily
available in Budapest and accept most major credit and bank cards. They also
give a very good exchange rate. You can exchange dollars or travelers checks to
forints (the Hungarian currency) at the airport, rail station, or any of the
hotels or banks in Budapest. There remains a currency black market in Hungary,
but there is also a good deal of counterfeit currency in circulation; don't
trade currency with strangers!
It is not a good idea to exchange all your money at once. The bank will convert
only part of your surplus forints back to dollars and will again charge you for
the privilege.
Personal checks, cashier checks, money orders, etc., cannot be readily
exchanged. International banking is quite slow. Although you may deposit a
personal check at some banks, it may take several months until the check
clears. It is a good idea to bring some personal checks along in case you have
to mail away for something like a GRE registration.
If you’d like, you may exchange up to $200.00 into Hungarian forints before
departure.
Do not take any weapons or illegal drugs to Hungary.
You will be required to purchase Hungarian student insurance (about $80 per semester) for your stay. This will cover emergency medical benefits (including hospitalization) during your stay in Hungary but will not pay for treatment done outside Hungary. Again, for long term benefits and coverage outside Hungary, make sure you are covered by an insurance in the U.S. or Canada.
Similar to Pennsylvania. It can be quite windy near the river Danube (next to the campus). Note that in Europe, temperature is measured in centigrade.
Don’t forget your passport,
airline ticket, a major credit or debit card, and a sufficient amount of money
in cash and travelers checks to cover immediate expenses upon arrival. A dozen
extra passport-type photos may come in handy. The attached sheets contain
important names and telephone numbers; we recommend that you carry these sheets
with you in your carry-on luggage.
It is important that you bring an ample supply of any medicine you frequently
use. Take shoes and clothes appropriate for all seasons. Apartments come
completely furnished with such things as furniture, sheets, towels, kitchenware,
etc. Clothes dryers do not exit. Thick items, such as sweatshirts, take two to
three days to air dry.
While traveling, keep your passport, cash, and a week’s supply of any vital
medication in your carry-on luggage. Although unlikely, it may happen that checked
baggage is put on the wrong plane. At check in time, make certain your baggage
is labeled inside and out with your final destination: Budapest Semesters in
Mathematics; College International; Bethlen Gabor ter 2 in District VII.
The voltage used in continental Europe is 220. This renders most American appliances useless unless they are convertible, battery-operated, or you have an adapter. Note that the outlet geometry is also different. For battery-operated devices, it may be advisable to take a set of spare batteries along for the trip. Sometimes, it may be difficult to get the right size battery.
Two
semesters are offered each year; each semester comprises fourteen weeks of
teaching and one week of comprehensive examinations. There is a brief orientation program at the beginning of
each term.
A student may participate in either semester or in two
consecutive semesters. The academic program always begins on a Monday; the
Welcome Party for new students is held on Friday afternoon of the week
preceding classes; and the Farewell Party is held on Thursday afternoon during
final exam week.
The Spring semester includes a one-week break
usually before the Easter weekend.
There are no classes on March 15, May 1, Whit (or Pentacost) Monday,
August 20, October 23, November 1, and Thanksgiving. The office in Budapest will be closed on these holidays.
The Babilon Language School offers a 2-week intensive language course in Hungarian about two weeks prior to the beginning of each semester. This is an optional choice, not included in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Program fees. The cost of the optional intensive language class is approximately 80,000 HUF US and is payable to the Babilon Language School upon arrival in Budapest.
Babilon School of Languages
1075 Budapest
Karoly krt 3/a IV em
Hungary
telephone: (011) (361) 269-5531
fax: (011) (361) 322-6023
email:bab@mail.datanet.hu
www.babilon-nyelvstudio.hu
Beloit College also offers an intensive Hungarian language program each summer. For further information, please contact them at:
Beloit College Center for Language Studies
Beloit College
700 College Street
Beloit, WI 53511-5595
telephone: (608)-363-2277
fax: (608)-363-2082
email: cls@beloit.edu
http://www.beloit.edu/~cls
You may make travel arrangements through any experienced travel agent. Each of the agencies listed below has had experience arranging travel to Hungary for BSM students. Be sure to tell them that you are a participant in the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics Program.
STA TRAVEL
http://www.statravel.com
NORTHFIELD VIP TRAVEL CENTER, attn: Dan
309 Division Street
Northfield, MN 55057
phone: 1-800-657-4888 toll free
phone: 1-507-645-4458
fax: 1-507-645-4331
e-mail: dan@northfieldvip.com or customerservice@northfieldvip.com
www.northfieldvip.com
ON-LINE very
inexpensive student fares: http://www.studentuniverse.com
You should be aware that the cost of a flight to Budapest can vary as much as several hundreds of dollars from one travel agency to another or "on-line". Shopping around to compare prices is a good idea.
Program representatives will
meet you upon arrival if they know the time, date, and location of your arrival
(airport or rail station). It is therefore vital that the organizers in
Budapest are informed about your travel well ahead of time. Please send your
travel plans to the North American office as soon as they are made and we will
send them to Budapest. Under most circumstances, someone from the program will
meet you upon your arrival in Budapest and you will be taken to your residence.
However, if your arrival in Budapest is scheduled at an odd hour (between
8:00pm and 7:00am, for example), please find lodging at a hostel or hotel and
take a taxi to the Budapest Office (Bethlen Gabor ter 2) the next working day.
To call a telephone number in Budapest from the United States, you prefix the
number with 011-36-1. Dialing 011 summons the international switchboard, 36 is
the country code for Hungary, and 1 is the city code for Budapest. Calling
cards or Hungarian cell phones to the U.S. are cheapest.
Note the difference in time zones. When it is noon in New York and 9 a.m. in
San Francisco, it is 6 p.m. in Hungary. At 6 p.m. in New York, it is midnight
in Budapest.
Your mailing address in Budapest will be:
name of student (LETTERS ONLY)
College International
Budapest Semesters in Mathematics
1406 Budapest 76
P.O. Box 51
Hungary
name of student (PACKAGES or FedEx, etc)
College International
Budapest Semesters in Mathematics
1071 Budapest
Bethlen Gabor ter 2
Hungary
If you have indicated that you prefer living
with a Hungarian family, I should warn you that most families in Budapest live
in small apartments with just one bathroom. You may be asked to share your room
with a member of the family. Please let me know well before you leave if you
have special accommodation needs, e.g., do you have allergies, do you wish to
be in a non-smoking environment, etc.
A ''room match'' form was sent to you in your acceptance packet and can also be found
here. You can
indicate special needs or wants on this form. Please return the form to the
North American office so that they may apprise the Budapest office of these.
The person who meets your plane or train from the Budapest office should
accompany you to your housing and go over the lease with you. They should also
give you a mini orientation of your "environment" including your new
neighborhood and how it works [i.e., where to catch the public transportation
and how to use it; where the food stores in your area are located; and to mark
a route on your map of how to get from your location to both the Babilon
Language School (if you are taking the optional language course) and College
International on Bethlen Gabor ter].
Rents are payable in Budapest usually on a monthly basis. Rent will be payable
on the day of your arrival. Often a security deposit equal to approximately one
month’s rent is also due on the day you arrive. [The refundable housing
deposit you paid us is for bills or damage which are not invoiced before you
return home.] Please be aware that Hungarian customs and laws governing rental
properties varies from apartment to apartment and vary greatly from laws in
North America. It is possible that if you are attending the language program
and arrive in the middle of the month, you will be charged for the whole month
(either August or January). We have no jurisdiction over these issues. Do not
sign any lease agreements until you fully understand and are comfortable with
the terms. The landlord should be willing to give you a few days grace period
in which to do so.
The best way to get cash for the monthly rent is to use ATM machines. They are
widely available throughout Budapest and disperse funds in both US dollars
(USD) and Hungarian forints (HUF).
If any problems or concerns arise, or if you are dissatisfied with your
accommodations in any way, I strongly urge you to talk to the Program
Manager/s, instructors, or administrators of the program immediately, to
resolve the issue. [telephone 413-3038 or cell phone 36-30-474-3924] They will
help you sort out the problem and, if necessary, find another place for you to
live. Please be patient and flexible, as the process may take some time to
resolve; usually a solution can be found.
Be prepared to feel pretty tired and disoriented upon arrival, but things
usually get progressively better the more you get acclimated to your new
environment and get to know your classmates.
Although the Hungarian program directors try to make your stay in Hungary as educationally exciting and as physically comfortable as possible, there have, on rare occasions, been students wishing to withdraw from the program. If you choose to withdraw from the program within the first five weeks, the program will reimburse a portion of your refundable tuition according to the following schedule: less than 1 week, 90%, less than 2 weeks, 80%, less than 3 weeks, 60%, less than 4 weeks, 40%, less than 5 weeks, 20%.