Hello

Im in a dilemma here. I got accepted to both szeged and semmelweis and i dont know which one to choose.
I have visited Szeged, its a poor city (compared to where i come from), but the atmosphere was nice. I have also heard that there are around 30 000 students living in szeged, which creates an even better athmosphere.
I was very impressed by the library they had over there, but the university itself didnt look that good.

I have also visited Budapest. I think a pretty modern and nice city, but the atmosphere wasnt that great. The city is was full of criminals, prostitutes and drug dealers, at least where i stayed. I didnt see anything from the university during my visit, but I presume they have better facilities than szeged.

Now, what I want to know is which one do you guys think is better? I want to hear both pro's and con's about both university's.

hi,

below is a post by miklos when he was still posting. if you go back to the old posts there are a lot more informative info. btw, i chose semmelweis over szeged. good luck!




With regard to Debrecen, I think that Magyarorszag69 and his previous posts on this forum can give you a lot of information.

I can speak for Budapest (Semmelweis). It is my impression that of all the programs in Hungary, it is the most professional and this is probably due to its size (English and German language programs in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy) as well as location. As of now, only Budapest and Szeged's English language programs are recognized by the California medical board.

Sadly, there is a difference between the Hungarian capital and provincial cities (Debrecen being one of them) that is due in part to the amount of money (principally from foreigners and returning Hungarians) that flows into the capital. My general impression is that English language skills as well as socio-economic levels are much higher in Budapest than anywhere else in the country.

That being said, Budapest is a metropolis in a transitional economy and is still developing and struggling with the post communist changes. It has all the problems a city of at least two and a half million people plus many more due to chronic underinvestment in infrastructure. On the other hand, it has the advantages of an urban center. One serious downside, as I hear from English language med. students attending Semmelweis is the inordinate amount of commuting you have to do to get between clinics and classes as they are spaced out throughout the city. Another is that because Budapest enjoys a higher standard than the rest of the country, the prices are significantly higher.

My recommendation is the following. If you are serious about either, get on the plane and spend some time visiting both BEFORE you commit. Ask to speak to current students in an unsupervised environment and ask key questions. If you have not already done so check out the website at http://www.aaimg.com/list/european.html for things that you should seriously consider.

Hope that helps. If you would like more info, let me know.

Thanks for your help

I recently found out that dentistry in Semmelweis costs is 13200 USD/year while szeged costs 10700 USD/year, thats alot of money after 5 years, not to mention that szeged is a cheaper city.
So wouldnt it be smarter if i picked the cheaper university? Is the proffessionality of the school worth the price?

I also want to know if its true that during the first two years, if i regret my choice and want to switch from dentistry to medicine i can do that without having to start over again from the first year?

personally, i prefer semmelweis uni because it's located in the capital and it's reputation as a medical institution. that doesn't mean that szeged, or any hungarian school, isn't as good. i believe when it comes down to it. all the hungarian schools are the same academically. the quality of teaching may be the only difference.

if the money was a concern for me i would attend szeged instead of semmelweis. luckily we have access to financial aid.

whatever decision you make it will be a good one. good luck!

hey man, i went through the same thing as you. i got accepted to both szeged and semmelweis for medicine and was having a hard time deciding between the two. The consensus from the hungarian kids that i spoke to is that both are great schools, although nationally szeged is ranked higher. However, that being the case, for someone trying to practice outside of hungary, the name that semmelweis holds counts for quite a bit more than the national ranking... know what i mean.

i ended up chosing semmelweis, i had visited both places prior and although szeged was beautiful, it was rather small. This was not a bad thing, however, the 6 years i am obliged to spend in hungary can turn a small city into a cage. I like having all the luxuries and necessities at my fingertips. Plus, coming from a rather large city myself, the commuting is second nature to me, and i hear it only gets challenging during your upper years, when u have to run from clinic to clinic, where the first few years are pretty much in the same buildings.


hope this helps, but it really comes down to what environment youre looking for, academically, the difference seems negligible.


peace

Hi... I just finished my first year in Szeged and I am preparing my self for the second year.

Whatever you choose will be a good choice but I just want to inform you that the first and second years in Semmeweils are much more difficult in comparison with the first two years in Szeged. On the other hand the third year in Szeged is far more difficult...Somme friends of mine (we were in College together) went to Semmeweils and are having problems with the 1st year lessons ( especially anatomy)...In Szeged 1st year has also difficulties but not in the same level as at the Semmeweils...

I think the better option for you is to do the first two year in Szeged and then take a trade to Semmeweils..This is a very smart move because not only you will avoid the third year in Szeged but also you will have the opportunity to do your clinical subjects in Budapest hospitals were more cases are available .

Of course in order to get the trade from Szeged to Semmeweils you will need good grades and too finish your 2nd year exams as quicker as possible.

Note that trades to Budapest are only available from Szeged and Pecs univerisities because Debrecen university, which is also a good choice, has different structure on its teaching program ( for example in Debrecen, if i remember correctly, anatomy lessons are starting from the second semester, while in Budapest and Szeged from the first semester).

hello..

i am planning to transfer fmr Pecs Uni to Semmelweis...i applied and got accepted.
most prolly ill go to semmelweis...but i need some feedback...ok...ill b starting 4th yr frm sept...so even in pecs the clinics are spaced out and same in buda too i guess...so thats cancels each other out.
how expensive is it to live there? approx how much will i b spending on rent and utilites if i get a decent flat...in pecs i pay around 60-65 grand. and wat location is good to live in as a 4th yr student?
how is the city itself? people, place, flats, etc etc...

pecs is small town and everyone is close so u dunt feel left out. but there not much to do there ..since its a small town

I had choosen Szeged!