Gerry,

The agents are one issue. The cultural issue is another. As you put it: "Being able to handle it."

I'll put it another way: "It takes two to tango!"

As peacefuljourney says, North Americans have certain expectations. When we pay for a service, we expect to receive something in return. When we feel that it wasn't fair, we except to complain and to be compensated. This is a mostly alien concept in the region.

Let me try to illustrate this point. The reason, McDonald's is super successful in both Hungary and the Czech Republic (and believe me, they are!) is very simple. They deliver what they promise, at the price they promise and the customer is king. (I make no claim on the quality of their food.) This is what you are used to in North America. In fact, it it were not so, you'd go elsewhere. Here it is brand new. The customer expects to be ripped off (that's why he is highly suspicious of everyone) and knows he has no recourse. The Hungarian equivalent to the Slovak phrase is: "Sajnos nincs!" meaning that they are terribly sorry, but there isn't anything that can be had or alternatively be done.

In the same way, schools in this region are far closer to the communist way of thinking than the (let's call it this for simplicity's sake) McDonald's way. Many because (as peacefuljourney has pointed out elsewhere) you needed to be a card-carrying party member in order to advance in academia.

The question, you need to ask yourself is what recourse you have if things don't work out at the med school you choose to attend (and many who do so often do it blindly). I will tell you...you have none. So, you'd better choose wisely.

Miklos

BTW, Gerry. I am fluent in both the Hungarian language and culture and have taken advantage of my studies to widely travel the region. Additionally, classmates of mine came to Hungary after studying in Poland. I tend to think that I know a little bit about the situation here.

Do you speak Polish? Have you been to Poland? Have you lived abroad for a considerable amount of time?