Text by Gleb Golubkov (IR '22), photos by Christopher LaRoche (IR department Assistant Professor)
Coming to Budapest as a part of International Relation’s department to Budapest made me taking a new look at my ending studies in the CEU. I am a prospective alumni who graduates this month, but never had a chance to visit the Budapest campus. As a student who came to the university at the period of transition from one city to another, I was glad to see in which environment CEU community was existing prior to moving to Vienna.
Regarding the agenda of the field trip, my personal highlight was the panel discussion with the alumni of the department, who shared their career paths and gave useful tips about the job application process. In this respect, it was thought-provoking to look at the variety of places and occupations in which the graduates of my department ended up. I understood that one of the most fascinating features of CEU’s education is a its potential applicability in diverse range of spheres.
Besides, I enjoyed a walking tour around the campus, guided by the head of the department, Thomas Fetzer. As a student, who is interested in topics of collective memory and contemporary significance of monuments, I figured out that Budapest has a compelling ensemble of monuments which put forward particular narrative of the Hungarian history.
A lot of my classmates regretted not studying in such a nice campus. Indeed, the atmosphere of the Budapest campus is more rewarding. However, I think that a university is not a building, but it is people who exchange and produce knowledge, regardless of their surroundings.
Photo by Gleb Golubkov