My background
My name is Iana, and I'm from the Republic of Moldova.
I graduated from a high school that followed the Moldovan National Curriculum. My high school was considered one of the best in my city and also in the country, so there was always a focus on both academics and involvement in extracurricular activities.
When I was in 9th grade, which is the last year of middle school in the Republic of Moldova, I applied to the FLEX program, but wasn't accepted. Then, I applied again in 10th grade and got in, which I believe was perfect timing for me, because that way I spent one high school year in my home country, then went to the U.S. and came back for my senior year.
Upon returning from the U.S., I gained the courage to try to move abroad to a country I don't know much about. I wanted to study somewhere in Europe in order to be at a moderate distance from home and graduate with a diploma recognized in the European Union. Romania was an option, but I felt like I wanted to go somewhere where I wouldn't know the language and generally challenge myself a bit.
Applying to Stipendium Hungaricum
I found out about Stipendium Hungaricum and Corvinus University from one of my sister's friends, as she was studying there at the time. I got in touch with her during the summer before my senior year to find out more details. That helped me to better understand the application process as well as learn a lot about her university, since I wasn't sure which university in Budapest to choose. That being said, I already knew that I wanted to study International Relations, especially after my exchange year in the U.S. My GPA was 9.4/10, and I took the Cambridge exam, where I got C1, as both the scholarship and the university required me to provide English proficiency scores. I didn't take any other exams because they were not required for my major; however, there are majors that require additional exams such as the SAT.
Speaking of extracurriculars, some of the most meaningful ones were my role as a vice president of my high school's student council, my FLEX year in the U.S., including the volunteering hours that I completed there, and participating in a couple of national workshops I attended in Moldova on civic topics such as children's rights. I think that my activities being relevant to my intended field of study has also benefited my application.
In addition to that, I had to write separate essays, also called letters of motivation, for the two universities I applied to, which were Corvinus University and ELTE. Both Corvinus University and ELTE offer good International Relations Bachelor's programs and are quite affordable, so that's how I narrowed down my choices. I did some online research, including student life too. I had my sister read my essays for a second opinion. This stage of the application process took me a couple of weeks, and at that time it felt stressful, yet when I finally submitted it, I knew I was done and just trusted the process.
After my submission was reviewed by the scholarship's national committee in Moldova, it was sent to Hungary to the two universities I selected, and then each of them contacted me for an interview. Despite some nervousness before the interview, I felt really confident during the interview itself. There were general questions about my academic motivation and interest in the university, as well as more specific questions directly related to my major. During the interviews, I got to learn even more about what those universities were looking for and what I could take away from them. Afterwards, I felt even more confident that I made a good choice by applying to this scholarship and these two universities.
Studying at Corvinus University
In my first year at Corvinus University, I felt like the coursework was manageable. I chose to attend all my lectures, even though that was not mandatory, and it was a great experience since the lecture and seminar teachers are different, and I had the opportunity to meet professors from different cultural backgrounds (Italian, American, Hungarian). Of course, I needed to prepare for end-of-semester exams, but overall it was quite balanced. My schedule allowed me to spend time with friends and discover Budapest. There are a lot of international students who are easy to make friends with, and I have also met many really nice and open Hungarian students. Another fact worth mentioning is that while all the classes are in English, Hungarian is still important outside of the classroom.
There is also a range of extracurricular activities such as clubs and seasonal events; for example, I joined a diplomacy club and thought the Freshman's ball was pretty similar to what we do in Moldova.
Scholarship and living costs
The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship covers my tuition fee, and I also receive 200 euros a month for living expenses all year round. That being said, in my first year I paid 145 euros for a dorm, so students should expect to cover by themselves expenses related to food, transportation, and going out. There are student discounts for many things, which is still nice.
Future plans
This year, as I'll be in my second year, I'll be able to choose a specialization for my major, and I'll probably choose European Studies. I am unsure of what exactly I'll do after graduation, but I would want to pursue a Master's degree in a narrower field of International Relations and, last but not least, gain a lot of international experience in different countries
