CIEE Business + European Studies in Budapest, Hungary

Name: CIEE Business + European Studies in Budapest, Hungary
Brand: CIEE
SKU: 229692
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

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Location

Hungary
- Budapest

Term

Academic Year, Fall, Spring

Subject Areas

Arts Business Computer Science Cultural Studies Economics History Linguistics Political Science

Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships

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Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Degree Level

Bachelors

Housing

Dormitory

Language

Hungarian

Pricing

Price Details

To help you budget, keep in mind that students are responsible for the cost of international airfare, books and supplies, visas, and personal expenses. In addition, ask your college or university study abroad advisor if your school charges additional fees for study abroad.

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Classes Travel Insurance

What's Not Included

Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers Meals

Last Updated: Apr 06, 2020

Last Reviewed: Dec 04, 2019

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About Program

Budapest is a grand place to explore Central and Eastern European history while building knowledge in business, economics, finance, management, and marketing. Students take classes in English at CIEE’s partner school, Cornivus University, which is located on the banks of the Danube, as well as CIEE Budapest, which is located on the Cornivus campus. The location is ideal for exploring the beautiful architecture and historic sites of both Buda and Pest and for taking part in an internship for real-world international work experience. All courses are complemented with CIEE co-curricular activities and excursions beyond the city to enhance classroom learning and provide intercultural understanding.

This program is no longer offered. View more programs from CIEE.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

See how daily life compares in a country that’s a relative newcomer to NATO and the European Union (EU).
Get a taste of rural life with an overnight trip to hidden gems of former Hungarian territories in neighboring countries where history and traditional customs are still alive. Explore the places foreigners seldom do.
Zero-in on all things Hungarian with classes that range from art to politics, and access courses at a leading business university.

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating

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Academics 4.5
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Fun 5
Housing 5
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With the help of the on-site staff, my cohort of the CIEE Fall 2019 program was quickly acclimated and felt at home in this new city. From the moment we stepped off the plane, we were greeted by CIEE staff and were in their direct care.

After a fun-filled first week of orientation and field trips, like to Lake Balaton, the CIEE activities continued with staff and a Hungarian peer, including a trip to Transylvania (yes, it's a real place)!

The academics in this program were interesting and showed information I had learned from a different perspective and it allowed me to interact with international students from all over the world, gaining varying insights on political and historical issues.

If I were going abroad again, I would 100% pick CIEE Budapest again.

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Prior to studying abroad, I had never travelled to Central or Eastern Europe before and did not know what to expect. Now having spend nearly four months in Budapest, and visiting the surrounding countries, I am beyond grateful I chose to study abroad here. Budapest is alive with culture, food, music, and new experiences that set it apart from Western Europe. The city is affordable for college students, easy to navigate, and beautiful in summer, fall, and winter. In November christmas markets and ice skating rinks pop up all over the city! There are many museums, restaurants, memorials, thermal baths, and festivals to enjoy. Because it is so central you will also have the opportunity to travel all over Europe, and visit many countries you may have never considered visiting before. If you are looking for a fun, central, and colorful city - than Budapest is for you!

What would you improve about this program?

It would be helpful to have some support with meals, whether that was a small stipend for food or a provided meal everyday.

This is one of the most famous churches in Hungary, and my personal favorite!

This is the Szimpla Kert ruin bar, which becomes a market on Sundays. It was the first "ruin bar" which is a building that was damaged in WWII and has been turned into a bar or restaurant.

Budapest is so central that traveling around Europe on the weekends is so easy and accessible! This is a picture from one of my favorite trips to the Julian Alps in Slovenia!

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

Although I am a double major in Media and Society and American Studies, I somehow was ahead of my requirements, which allowed me to pick anywhere to study abroad. After doing some preliminary research and narrowing my search to a few locations, I really dug deep into CIEE and Budapest. This combination of both program and location seemed perfect to me: CIEE is a renowned study abroad program and Budapest is a location where not many people get to study abroad.

I also wanted something a little more unique than going to London or Paris, as many students do. I wanted culture shock. Budapest was the perfect place for this because, having lived in the United States my whole life, I clearly never lived in a post-Communist country. It is so cool to walk down the street and see a gorgeous building from the 19th century right next to a building from the Communist mid-late 20th century!

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

I technically had to apply to the Budapest program twice--first, I had to get approved from my school (which picks 2 students each semester for this program), and then, once I got accepted through my school, I had to apply through CIEE. Hobart and William Smith work closely with CIEE, but there were a few times where I contacted the liaison for this program in the CIEE office in the US.

CIEE basically has everything planned for you, including housing, bedding, some day trips, and even a trip to Transylvania. The only things I had to do myself for this trip were planning my trips that weren't organized through CIEE.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

One piece of advice I would give to someone going on this program is to take advantage of Budapest's location! It is so centrally located that there are so many cool places to visit. It is a little farther east than other major cities, so don't let that go to waste. Visit places you wouldn't think of visiting, like Slovenia and Slovakia.

My personal mindset was that I'll easily be able to visit the UK and Spain at other points in my life because those are really accessible from the US, but when am I going to be able to get on a bus and go to Krakow for a weekend again?! Take advantage of every opportunity for traveling, but also spend time in Budapest-- you chose to be in this city for a reason!

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Students in this program take 5 classes (or 4 if you opt to do an internship) at Corvinus University, which is located 2 metro stops away, or a 25-minute walk, from the provided housing.

Some classes meet once a week for 3 hours, or twice a week for 90 minutes each session. Every student in CIEE only has classes on Monday-Thursday, leaving ample time to travel and explore on weekends.

No food is provided in the program (besides on organized trips), so students are on their own for meals, but for a substantial dinner, I would pay around $6-8. There are some really great restaurants located near Corvinus and groceries are very cheap as well.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear before arriving was not being able to maintain my studies and homework with the traveling that I wanted to do.

At my home university, I spend many hours every night studying and working, so I assumed it would be the same scenario here. It wasn't at all! The professors understand that part of the abroad experience is seeing and doing, so the workload is not very extensive. There is still homework and group assignments, but they are easily achievable during the week, so you don't have to worry about them on the weekend.

Also, you get the syllabus for each class at the beginning of the semester, so when I was planning my trips for the semester, I would make sure that if I had a big project due on Monday, I would take that into account when making my plans.

Is there any other advice for prospective travelers?

The way I split up my semester, I spent an equal amount of weekends in Budapest as I did in other countries. There's no "right" way to do abroad, which is something that I had to find out myself.

At my home university and from other people who studied abroad, I always hear people trying to one-up each other with how many places they visited. Like I said before, I chose Budapest for a reason and I wanted to spend time here! I didn't want to be a tourist in my temporary home, I wanted to find my favorite local coffee shop and interact with locals. Weekends in Budapest are some of the best memories I have of the city because that's when it really comes alive. The first trip I took was to Krakow and it was after I had been in Budapest for a month and had become acclimated.

My biggest piece of advice is to be open to new things! Try new foods, go to a city you never would have thought of going to. You can meet some of the best people and have life-changing experiences if you keep an open mindset and being abroad is the perfect time to do this!

About CIEE

A nonprofit, non-governmental organization, CIEE is the world leader in international study and exchange programs. For more than 75 years, CIEE has helped thousands of students, professionals, and educators gain the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world by offering the most...