Hilal Çam

Country: Turkey

Period of studies at ELTE: 2020.09.01 - 2022.07.31

"An ELTE student has every advantage that he/she needs to excel, every resource that they need during and after their studies."

What stood out to you about ELTE?

In my field of study, psychology, most universities in the world have specific approaches. As a young person who would like to explore their talents, actual interests, potential skills, strengths and weaknesses, I have always wanted to participate in several research groups and learn the different approaches of psychology. ELTE has provided me the greatest scope of topics of discovery, from psychoanalysis to neuroscience, from hypnosis to cognitive behavioral therapy. I found great support from the academicians from several approaches of psychology in ELTE and even within a specific research field, I found a limitless number of topics that I could have a chance to collaborate in and gain unique experiences from.

What makes studying at ELTE so great?

ELTE has a great number of professors and staff for supporting students during their academic journey. An ELTE student can easily look for social and psychological support from several counsellors and mentors, academic support from several foundations, funding for exchange studies and academic trips, academic support from supervisors and peers. The amount of books in the libraries and online access to academic resources are tremendous, any student can find very interesting and unique books related to their studies and personal preferences. As an ELTE student, it is also possible to benefit from the libraries of other universities in Budapest. ELTE’s own library has an amazing architecture that would motivate any student to spend all their time studying inside it. An ELTE student has every advantage that he/she needs to excel, every resource that they need during and after their studies.

What are / were your challenges in your study program?

I have arrived to Budapest in the middle of the lockdown and I found it very difficult to keep up with 12 classes remotely. My study programme is very intense but much beneficial for students who are curious and motivated to learn more and devote their time to expanding their knowledge. I had too many exams within a span of a couple of weeks and especially the last week of the semester was extremely busy with deadlines. I had to write many papers and prepare a lot of presentations on very novel topics. I did not find it easy to follow all my subjects concurrently.

How did you overcome these challenges?

I have collaborated with my colleagues on several projects and shared the workload. Besides, our professors were very understanding and promised to extend the deadline for students who were struggling to upload their papers and projects. Knowing the fact that there is a chance to ask for more time and support from our lecturers enabled me to feel less overwhelmed. Eventually, I did not need to ask for any extension and could manage to complete all my obligations on time because there was not any extra pressure that could impair my efficiency while working, there was even more support from the lecturers. Moreover, ELTE has provided brief intense seminar series of academic writing and presentation skills, which helped me become a more efficient writer and reader as I benefited a lot from these lectures while preparing my homework and for my exams and projects. All in all, support from the academicians and peers was excellent for working efficiently even when the programme’s structure was intense, and subjects were novel.

How would you describe ELTE in three words?

Excellence in Education and Support

How do you think your degree will help you in your life and career?

Both as a part of my curriculum and extracurricular activities, I found a limitless amount of experiences that I gained in several areas of my field. ELTE has enabled me to experience both clinical and research practice. Due to an excellent curriculum system, I have a chance to learn how to run an academic research as well as how to apply such research findings into practice. Besides, I have the opportunity to take part in organizations that are working with clinical and health psychologists, which will familiarize me with practice in wards and enable me to expand my network. Moreover, I have had a chance to volunteer in several research projects and learned to use the necessary tools for brain research. Therefore, I will be experienced with both research and clinical practice once I graduate and gain the necessary skills for my future career, both within academia and in private practice.

Do you have any recommendations for future students at ELTE?

The journey at ELTE will provide you with everything that you may have the need for, social and academic events, modern sports facilities, incredible libraries and campus life. I would recommend future students to bring as much motivation as possible both for their academic journey and their social life to make the most out of these unique opportunities. ELTE supports novelty and the motivation of the students that they show for any topic or skill, as well as the interests of the students. Therefore, I suggest to have a list in mind about what they would like to improve and experience the most since the opportunities are countless at ELTE. Also, a list about their potential contributions, sports skills, academic interests, creative ideas for social events, enterpreneurial and innovative projects…