Jó napot. Greetings from Budapest, Hungary. I’m Trevor Potter, on schedule to graduate as a math major in 2006. I am a week away from finishing a semester abroad with the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. Budapest is a beautiful city and by far one of the most interesting capitals in Europe, both currently and historically. I’ve also had a chance to visit Rome, Vienna, Krakow, and many places within Hungary. The program makes it easy to meet people from all of Europe, the Middle East, math students from all over North America, and maybe even an elusive Hungarian or two. For anyone who wants to get a unique study abroad experience and also get a good dose of mathematics, this is the place.
I hear that. It really is the place. The professors I had there were outstanding; the experience of taking three math classes at the same time was mind-blowing (in a good way); and the mathematics that I learned there is still some of my favorite stuff, however many years later. And what Trevor doesn’t know yet is how valuable being a BSM alum is. Not only did I make friends there who I still communicate with (sometimes even about mathematics) but there’s this whole network out there of people who have been through the program, and meeting them is like meeting friends you never knew you had. Personally, I’ve gained more from my ties to BSM alums than from my stateside alma mater.