I made a really great choice picking Budapest. Not only is the city breathtaking and offering up so many delicacies, but the education here is also wonderful. I cannot believe that UCL maintains its world standing or that the UK education system carries on the way it does. I really think that within 10 years the UK will begin to decline and will be overtaken by these hardworking Central & Eastern European countries. The lazy attitude, "I want to be a WAG or a celebrity" and lack of care about the future culture in the UK is ridiculous. But it's our own fault. We have never experienced any hardship in England like they have in Central & Eastern Europe. We all have the attitude that we deserve everything and we should be given everything immediately. The "want, want, want" and "give me, give me, give me" culture.
Whereas here in Eastern Europe the attitude is that you have to work hard to get what you want and hard work will always give you more. Working hard will help lift you out of poverty. They've known true hardship here and never want to return to it. Ultimately this is why Central & Eastern Europe will outgrow and outshine the UK. It's only a matter of time.
The education systems in Russia and Hungary that I have sampled have seemed vastly superior to that in the UK. Pupils actual want to work, the staff are supportive, you have to attend every class, you're given a good amount of work to do, there is an interesting and varied social scene and the university has beautiful & well equipped campuses. It almost makes me want to stay here in Hungary for my final year and switch universities. Given that I only have a maximum of 3 essays PER TERM in the UK and here in Budapest I have many papers, and reviews to do, a midterm exam & final exam, I am so much happier and more academically challenged - just like I was at school.
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| Main building of my University - Corvinus University - "Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem" |
In terms of classes, the variety here in Budapest is so much better than at UCL. I'm taking some very interesting classes with what seem like interesting professors, including one Prof who is working for the Hungarian Ministry of Defense.
The classes I'm taking are:
-->Hungarian 101
--> Political Problems of Transition in Central Europe
--> Economics of Transnational Corporations
--> American Government
--> Business and Society
Being away from UCL for a year gives me the opportunity to choose classes that I wouldn't normally take. Whilst I chose to take Politics as my degree, I do have a lot of interest in History and Economics. It's a shame that I can't take classes in the areas that I'm interested in whilst at UCL. But that's what my year abroad is for!
I'm really looking forward to this semester and I'm so happy that sorting out classes has proved so simple and easy. This is going to be a good 4 months.
