Hi, my name is Hassan. I'm an International Relations student at ELTE in Budapest, and someone who comes across as an introvert at first- quiet, a little reserved- until I'm comfortable around you, and then the extrovert takes over. I've always dreamed of becoming a journalist, specifically a YouTube journalist, so I spend a lot of my time watching political movies, documentaries, and shows and thinking up creative ideas I can turn into videos. I love exploring topics and breaking them down into something simple and digestible for an audience.

 

The diversity in opinions, the classroom debates, the professors, Canvas (how easy it is to trace reading materials), the examination style- all of it. The architecture of Budapest, the Danube, the humanities building... oh God, it's so dreamy; it genuinely feels like you're walking through a castle. The sheer amount of opportunities you stumble into just by studying at ELTE. In short, everything about ELTE and this city just hits different.

What stood out most about ELTE? Honestly, everything. The prestige the name carries, for one. The ease of commuting between campuses. The professors. The sheer number of student organisations, and how quickly the administration actually solves your problems when something comes up. Then there are the seminars, the clash of opinions. Hungary's brightest, and the world's brightest, all in one room throwing away their views on everything. The cultural exchange, little phrases, sweets, food, all passed around like second nature. And the international friends you walk with, the ones you didn't expect to make.

It was the first time I'd ever moved out of my country to live on my own, so cooking for myself was a whole new skill I had to pick up. I could speak English fine, but I didn't have the confidence to speak up in front of a room full of people. And navigating daily life without knowing Hungarian made even the simplest things- grocery shopping, reading signs, getting around- feel harder than they should've been.

I learned to cook, and now I actually enjoy it. By the end of my first semester, my confidence in English had grown enough that speaking up stopped feeling like a hurdle. And the compulsory Hungarian language course turned out to be an absolute lifesaver, making everyday life so much easier to navigate.

As I mentioned, I've always wanted to be a journalist. Studying International Relations is giving me a lot more than I expected on that front; it's building the foundational concepts, the analytical tools, and the global perspective I'll need to actually understand the stories I want to tell one day. Whether it's grasping how power moves between nations, how conflicts get shaped and reported, or simply how to think critically about the world instead of taking things at face value, this degree feels like it's laying the groundwork for the kind of journalist I want to become in the long run.

Don't be afraid to take part in every opportunity, event, and seminar you come across, even the ones that feel a little outside your comfort zone. Travel across other countries while you're here; Other European cities are right at your doorstep, so see them. Go sit by the Danube, meet people, talk to them, exchange phrases, ideas, cultures, let those small moments add up into something bigger. Study hard, of course; that's why you're here, but don't let it close you off. Stay open-hearted through all of it, because in the end, that's what you'll actually remember.