AIT-Budapest Computer Science Study Abroad Program

It has been months since I finished the program but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I think I should leave a review here for future students. It was definitely the best and most memorable time during my college life and I highly recommend any CS students to choose this program.

Budapest is a beautiful city. It is in the center of Europe so you could easily travel to any countries in the Schengen area. The cost of living is much more affordable compared to other countries so you could save a lot of money.

The program is somewhat selective and the academic is challenging compared to what I study in the US (especially math classes), but everyone is very supportive and helpful. You would be taking classes with very bright and smart students from top colleges in the US. Another good thing I notice about AIT is that you would always find your place. Some of my friends who went to different programs struggle to make friends because they go as an exchange student and people already form a friend group there. You won’t encounter this problem at AIT. Everyone is also studying away so they are open to making friends and ready to do things to make the most of their time there.

I can’t express enough how fun and memorable my time at AIT was and I still cherish every moment of it. It was definitely one of the best decisions in my life! I would highly recommend anyone who is considering this program to join!! Wish I could go back in time.

This is definitely not a cultural study abroad program, however the option to study Hungarian Language and Culture provide some opportunity for motivated students to fill this gap. Beyond that, the has some incredible professors/courses and some flops. If possible, talk to a recent grad of the program to see which are worth taking. On the whole, the program isn't particularly taxing, though it can be if enough courses are taken. This goes back to the cultural aspect of the program – most social experiences must be self-inititated. That isn't to say they can't be awesome, but for some that is a possible red flag.

AIT Budapest was an awesome experience. The academic program was well organized, and the city was always great to explore. Getting around can be a bit difficult at first, but very easy to get the hang of.

I participated in the summer term and had a very enjoyable and informative experience. The mobile software development course was both interesting and useful. We produced a lot of examples that demonstrated the best practices for each platform. The support staff made themselves available. Budapest is a fun city with great (and cheap) nightlife. Housing was made very simple. I was very pleased with my experience.

I had a great time at AIT. It's a small program, so it's easy to get to know everyone really well.

Course-wise, I was pretty pleased with my classes. They were all really interesting and not the kind of thing I would have been able to take at my home school. The professors were all great. More importantly, the classes weren't so difficult that I couldn't take weekend trips around Europe on a whim.

Budapest is an amazing city, and our apartments were right in the middle of the city, which was fantastic. If there is one thing I regret about my stay, it's not taking advantage of all Budapest has to offer. There were a few weekends where I stayed in and did work or something. Don't make my mistake.

For me, the highlight of the program was definitely the coordinators. They are all wonderful people who put a huge effort into their jobs, from spending a few hours with me when I flew in to help me get situated to arranging for a lot of awesome things for us to do like a weekend trip to Lake Balaton or entering us into a rowing competition.

Great balance of academics and free-time/culture. You can take as easy or as challenging a course-load as you like, and the professors are truly top-notch. The AIT staff are also incredibly helpful, and really welcome students into the program and Budapest. I couldn't have been happier with my time at AIT!

I initially chose AIT because I'm a Comp. Sci. Major, and this is one of the very few study abroad programs that fill core requirements in my major. AIT does offer some pretty serious core and upper level CS courses, as long as dual enrollment with a pretty prestigious math program. The professors are extremely qualified in their topics. I definitely got plenty of the 'study' part of 'study abroad' done. This isn't a cookie cutter 'see the world first and learn on the side' program like many of the other seem to be. With AIT you'll be putting down about the same work load that you would be at home.

That isn't to say that there isn't any time for travel! In fact, there were people traveling every single weekend we were there. There's very easy access to Eastern and Central Europe, and Western Europe is just a (comparatively cheap) hop, skip, and a jump away by Ryan or Wizz Air.

I didn't really know what to expect about Budapest, or Hungary before I got there, but I discovered that the city and Hungarian people are great. There's a lot to do in the city during the day and night, especially when the weather's nice (lots of really cool beer garden, 'ruin' pubs, and dance clubs). On sunny days its great fun to just hang out on the beautiful and bustling Margit Island, wander up to the Buda Hills to get a great view of the city, or just sit at a Kávé Ház (coffee house) and read. There are lots of great and beautiful cultural sites around the city, and you'll get to know them pretty well. I, for one, did not become a huge fan of Hungarian Cuisine (your mileage may vary). Luckily there are tons of restaurants in the city of other cuisines if you're of the same mind.

The staff here are absolutely fantastic. I really can't say enough about how great they were when I was there. They're a close knit bunch that have a great infectious chemistry. A lot of fun to be around, and extremely helpful in times of need.

My day to day schedule was usually getting up around 8am, hopping on the metro + bus connection to get to the campus for 9am classes(they house you in the city center where there's a lot going on, but the campus is actually in a really nice, but more suburban, tech office park). Usually I and the rest of the students that have class on a particular day would just chill in our lounge between classes and for lunch and study or play games, etc. I'd say that most people would stay until the end of the day, regardless of if they had classes all day or not. Everyone gets to know each other pretty well in that sort of environment. Weekends usually consisted of traveling around Europe, or the occasional AIT sponsored outing (weekend trip to Lake Balaton, bike tours, rowing competition, etc.), cultural events (Opera, symphony, ballet, etc.), or just meeting w/ other students at a pub to hang out. Plenty to do!