First time international travelers and study abroad students from the Westminster McDaniel campus in Maryland, USA, talk to the Messenger about the Spring 2025 Orientation and their first week here in Budapest.
By Amiya Daye
Preceding the start of the 2025 spring semester for the McDaniel Budapest campus, study abroad students participated in a mandatory week of Orientation to become acclimated to their new, unfamiliar surroundings. I spoke with four students about their experience, starting with their favorite part of the first week:
Third year student, Graphic Design major, Art History and Cinema minor Kate Heard said, “I really liked that we got to hit major landmarks within the first week and did it together as a group while also learning how to use the public transportation.” Second year student and Psychology major Serenity Moseley-Few agreed. Locations like Arena Mall for shopping, the Hungarian Parliament, and eventually Heroes’ Square, Városliget and the Hungarian Agricultural Museum, Fisherman’s Basin, and more were all visited within the first week and accumulated in the form of a site-seeing scavenger hunt on the final day.
Third year student and Philosophy major Jasmine Artis said, “Meeting all the peer mentors and doing activities with them was really fun. They were nice and engaging.” Second year student, Communications major, Isabelle Diffendall agreed, saying, “The dynamic between SAC (Student Advisory Council) Co-Presidents Kristof Kocs and Nicholas Trunecz, and the Peer Mentors, was entertaining to see.” Kristof and Nicholas, along with the mentors, encouraged questions about Hungarian sites, practices, and culture and answered them with kindness and understanding.
While traveling to a foreign country and being in a different environment can be exciting, it can also be difficult. Jasmine expressed, “There wasn’t enough downtime to settle in when we arrived, and activities were scheduled early without time to truly rest.” Isabelle mentioned that the directions for travel were a bit difficult to follow without help from the mentors and Serenity agreed saying, “We would arrive at a location and at the end, we were left with no directions on how to get back to our apartments.”
Along with traveling around the city with peer mentors, study abroad students were required to attend informational sessions led by Director of Academic and Student Affairs Professor Matthew Adamson, Director of Academic and Institutional Development Professor Christopher Cox, and peer mentors.
Current staff, students, and faculty members share an interest in wanting an insider’s opinion about what this part of the program is like for students. All four students agreed that improving the residency permit process would be the most helpful thing to do. All international students are required to complete a residence permit application. This application is then used by the Immigration Office to officially issue students their residence permits which take a few weeks to arrive. It is used to justify the legal stay of the resident along with their valid travel document. Kate admitted that it was stressful, “I was in the first group to go as it seemed that those helping may have been unsure of what to do so it was a very long process.”
Isabelle commented on the processes once arriving at the Immigration Office the following day, “Almost everyone had something wrong with their documents.” Serenity agreed, saying, “I was one of the last people to go because something was wrong with the pictures of my documents.” Jasmine also wished the process was smoother for all involved, including those helping.
There is quite a small staff here at the McDaniel Budapest campus, but they have proven to be a dedicated team that works hard to provide a safe and inviting environment for the study abroad students. All the interviewed students agreed that though things may have started rocky, everything worked out in the end, leaving them with good stories to tell.
After a week of traveling, attending info sessions, and adjusting, these students were able to give some advice to those who want to study abroad at the Budapest campus in the future. “For the first week of orientation, make sure all your important documents are in one folder, digitally and physically, and always bring them with you,” advised Kate and the others agreed. Though bed linens are provided, Isabelle suggested bringing your own if you prefer certain textures. “Bring your own washcloths if you prefer to bathe with those,” Jasmine added, “Also if you enjoy a particular brand [of cosmetics, snacks, etcetera] from home, bring it with you.”
Serenity encouraged students to stay true to their personal style. “Don’t stress too much about wearing sweatpants. The dress code here is like being at home. Just don’t wear pajamas.” Kate also added, “Bring more cash than you think you need. Cash is better to have here and there is typically an international fee each time a credit or debit card is used.”
While there may have been a few stumbles throughout this week, there was charm that could not be replicated. These four first time international travellers have made it through their first week here in Budapest and they are looking forward to experiencing more of the city, culture, and changes.
