Summer@BSME

The BSME program was such an amazing experience. As a math and education double major, the program is a perfect combination of these. The classes focus on the teaching of math, which is such a unique and specific area of study. I learned so much about the different methods of teaching math in Hungary, and I gained many skills and new ideas to bring back to the US, things I know I will use all the time as a future math educator.
The city of Budapest is absolutely wonderful. It is easy to get around the city with public transportation or sometimes walking, and there are so many cool things to do. As a BSME student during the pandemic (fall 2021), we were not able to leave the country, but even then there are so many great places to visit within Budapest and great day/weekend trips around Hungary. I gained valuable life skills in navigating the city and living outside of the dorms for the first time, and I am so glad for these experiences.
In addition to the great classes and city of Budapest, I met some of the greatest people. I made lifelong friendships and have so many great memories spending time with this group of people. I know I will stay in touch with many of my classmates, as well as be great supports for each other when we start teaching in our own classrooms in just a few years.
I highly recommend the BSME program to all math education students, and also all math students who are even the slightest bit interested in education.

The BSME program has provided me with new problem solving skills and introduced me to a new style of teaching math. In the program I took a practicum course where I went to Hungarian schools and observed teachers teach math (translated in English by my professor) using the Hungarian approach of teaching. I also took a Gamification course which explored different ways to make math more engaging for students using games and manipulatives. The last BSME course I took was a Geometry Problem Solving course where I saw geometry again for the first time since 9th grade. This course was very beneficial for teaching geometry and providing students with problems that tailor to the discovery learning method of teaching. Although I only took three BSME course, there are a few others also offered.

During my time in Budapest, I have made many genuine friends with people I would otherwise have never met. Being from a small town, this is experience has broadened my understanding of the world and strengthened my sense of responsibility as a young adult.

Overall, there is so much more I could say about this study experience for future math educators, but I think you should go experience it for yourselves.

Choosing to come to Budapest for a semester through BSME is one of the best decisions I have made. As a rising junior, my studies had begun to stagnate. I was feeling the senior slump since freshman year. Classes weren't giving me a better sense of "what I wanted to do with my life;" I was monotonous, dispassionate, and simply going through the motions. But BSME flipped that around from Day 1. BSME provides a safe learning environment for me to start rethinking the way I process math. I am pushed out of my comfort zone into exploring concepts that are unfamiliar and a culture that is completely new. The BSME curriculum allows me to visit Hungarian math classes and experience alternative teaching methods that we are not exposed to in the US while helping me improve my critical thinking and reasoning skills.

One of the famous Hungarian mathematicians is Posá, who developed a method called "discovery learning" where the goal is to lead students to deriving generalizations on their own through iterated problem solving. Even though only one of the BSME classes focuses on discovery learning, it has been the theme of my semester. Whether I am discovering underground pubs, a new cafe, friendships, how to cook for myself, or new math tools, I am learning in an environment where mistakes are celebrated and thinking outside the box is encouraged.

This program could not have been better. The teachers were all incredible and obviously very talented at what they do, and presented problems that were both challenging and hard to stop thinking about. The visits to Hungarian math classrooms were fascinating and gave me tons of ideas for practices I would like to use in my own class. The administrators were all incredible supportive, and were always checking in to make sure we were adjusting well to living in a foreign country. I made friends I know I'll never lose, and who all shared a love for math or math education. The city is beautiful, safe, inexpensive, and full of festivals and delicious food, as well as a great starting point for travel anywhere in Europe, especially the Czech Republic and Austria. I really couldn't have asked for a better study abroad program or a better place to spend four months of my life.