William Ochoa

Country: Ecuador

Period of studies at ELTE: 2015.09.14 - 2017.06.30

„At the beginning, I was worried because this is my first time studying abroad and pretty far from my home country, but not anymore. Hungary is a nice country, with very nice and kind people.”

Why ELTE?

I chose Eötvös Loránd University for my studies because of its world-class reputation in the fields of mathematics and computer science. In fact, John von Neumann, who was one of the most important mathematicians and computer scientists, has attended this university and his work inspired me to follow the computer scientific career. I believe that this was a wise choice which will give me many advantages for my career. In addition, studying and living in Budapest was my dream, and the dream came true with ELTE.

What do you like most about being a student at ELTE?

To begin with, the teachers are academically highly qualified. The computers and instruments in the computer laboratories are of the latest generation technology. The coordinator is always helpful. Hungarian students are very kind.

What are the challenges in your study program?

Actually, I realized that I have some advantage among my classmates because of my years of experience working for companies and also because of the certifications I got in programming languages in my country years ago. However, I should say it was a real challenge in the first semester mainly because it was hard for me to understand the professors’ language accent.

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

Firstly, having an ELTE degree in my CV will say a lot because of ELTE’s reputation in the field of computer science. Secondly, I have learned functional programming languages which I consider very important. Their potential and performance for distributed systems have been proven and they are highly recommended in telecom companies.

Do you have any recommendations for future students at ELTE?

I really love Hungary and I will always remember all the good moments I’ve had here. At the beginning, I was worried because this is my first time studying abroad and pretty far from my home country, but not anymore. Hungary is a nice country, with very nice and kind people. Do not hesitate to achieve your academic goals.