Viktor Josa takes us through his time at McDaniel College
By Tobi Onuoha
I sat down with Viktor Josa from McDaniel College Budapest on the eve of his graduation to discuss his time at the college and how he felt to be graduating. Viktor spent a total of three years in the college and graduated with Bachelors in Political Science. During this time he has had many ups and downs which he was kind enough to share with me.
Q: Viktor, thank you for joining me today. So tell me; how has the ride been?
A: This semester was definitely my hardest semester, I had to really push myself and make sure that I was meeting all my deadlines. At the same time it was a great feeling knowing that it would all be over soon and I would have my degree! I was left with a lot of requirements that I still needed to fill from previous semesters and I had a very tight schedule but luckily no classes on Friday! Generally time went past really fast, in total I only had 6 semesters which I managed to do by taking from 6 to 7 classes every semester which would give me a total of 22-23 credits (allowing me to finish within 3 years).
Q: What would you say your highest points were?
A: Although I never made it to the Dean’s list I am proud of the fact that I have a 3.0 GPA and have passed almost all of my classes with top scores. Over the years I have had multiple A+s and I generally keep my grades in the A-B region (on rare occasions C).
Q: Describe your lowest point to me.
A: I took a course in my second semester called ‘Research Design and Methods’ where I wasn’t too happy with my final grade and wanted to improve it when I found out it would benefit me for my master’s studies. Unfortunately the second time around I failed my midterm and I was very disappointed in myself. I think I can definitely say that was my lowest point.
Q: What challenges did you face in your time at McDaniel?
A: 8:30 classes were always really hard for me! I think I had to become used to a busy schedule and really learn to prioritise. Another challenge I had was getting feedback from my professors on my papers. I think this is something that the school could work on to make sure that students are always getting the necessary feedback on at least their final papers.
Q: Last question Viktor; what do you have planned now you are a graduate?
A: I would like to go do my masters in Florida as my brother is also living there. I have applied to two universities; one being the Florida Atlantic University and the other the Florida International University. Here my masters would be on ‘International Relations and Diplomacy’. My other option is to move to Amsterdam where I have applied to do a one year programme on ‘Global Environmental Governance’ which I became really interested in after I did my thesis on ‘international environmental diplomacy’. Once I get answers from the universities I will have to make a decision, in the meantime I am looking at internships for the summer. As far as long term plans go; I would definitely like to travel, maybe go backpacking in South America. No plans for a family yet but I think if I settle down it will most likely be in the states!
