Farewell gathering for international students

The spring term went by in a blur, and on May 27 we had a farewell meetup on the beautiful rooftop of the university building at Kazinczy street. Of course, we all had much fun, and enjoyed the lovely environment, and had nice national snacks and treats, but that was not the only purpose. These meetings give us, international students from different programs, a great opportunity to meet in person and out of class, to talk to each other, to discuss about our studies, research and learning progress, conferences, summer schools and other events we take part in or plan to attend.  We share the news and plans, and these are not the formal “small talks”, we interact and communicate in the spirit of cooperation, which makes us a real community.

This time we talked much about exams and theses preparation, and had a very fun activity aimed at reflecting back on the academic year. We brainstormed to recall what we learned – not only in the courses and sessions, but we learned a lot out of the classroom as well. Some of the students are in their final month – getting ready to graduate and get their final jump out of the university nest, and it was a very meaningful discussion on what they have got during the studies and what they will take away from  ELTE to their future lives.

We enjoyed the international atmosphere of the meeting that included students from different countries and cultures, very diverse but at the same time united by our university and the faculty. The students were given an opportunity to contribute developing their educational programs by dropping their ideas into a “suggestion box”, and I am sure all of them will be heard. This Institute is really a place where students’ voices matter.

 Here is what participants thought about the farewell event:

“We had an enjoyable gathering on the rooftop of our Faculty. It was great to have a chance to meet fellow students and professors, celebrate the end of the semester, and, for some of us, the end of the entire study program. While reflecting on what we have learnt during this past period, we concluded that choosing ELTE as our higher education institution was a great decision. The well-thought-out design of the programs, friendly attitude and commitment of our professors, and the intercultural environment are just some of the things that made our experiences special” (Danijela Petovic, MA Student).

“The end-of-term Fun Gathering of ELTE PhD and Master Students was amazing. I didn’t expect our faculty rooftop to be that much beautiful and lively. Today, thanks to Professor Helga Dorner and organizers, we had a great chance to enjoy this moment of reflection and reunion.” (Phyu Phyu, PhD Student)

The riport was prepared by Elena Klimkina PhD student and Helga Dorner habil. associate professor, director of institute.