IBS Budapest

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IBS, a private university, enjoys smooth operation of the Erasmus+ programme, through which almost 800 students and 150 staff members have had the opportunity to study abroad for longer or shorter periods of time in the past two decades. The institutional ties not just to any nation in the European Union but also to South Korea and the United States of America make it possible for 30–40 students each year to choose Erasmus.

For more than 15 years, Etelka Dombora, the IBS Erasmus coordinator, has helped students in traveling to the country of their dreams. She assists the students with everything, beginning with collaborative planning, applications, travel and accommodations while abroad, and return home.

"Students who return from Erasmus say that they gained independence, self-confidence, openness, language skills, new knowledge and new friends. They studied subjects that suit their interests (at IBS, they go on Erasmus as part of the study abroad programme, we only count the credits - so they can take anything that the host institution allows); there were some who studied for example positive psychology, or human rights.

Additionally, it has resulted in great friendships, even romantic partnerships, marriages, and the birth of Erasmus children from those marriages. Students who choose to earn a degree from the other university occasionally do so as well, and they always speak highly of their Erasmus semester many years afterwards. My most recent personal experience was meeting a former Erasmus student in Seville who had spent a semester at IBS Budapest. He enthusiastically shared with me his experiences in Budapest and said it was one of the best years of his life. He also received a job at one of the most prestigious law firms in Spain as a result of his time here, which was very beneficial."

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Many success stories began with the Erasmus opportunity; perfumer Viktória Minya was one of them. It was in Paris while she was an Erasmus exchange student, that she learned the term "perfumer." The IBS student's love of scents and her economics studies came together to launch her now-world-famous company.

Also, after completing his studies in diplomacy and his Erasmus programme, Dániel Fiala is now successfully advancing his career and serving as the press attaché at the Hungarian Embassy in Paris.

Kinga Papp also began her international career as a marketing communication professional when she was an IBS student. After her education and her job in London, she was offered a few years ago the position of marketing director for ALDI in Australia, and is now the marketing director of Koala (the "Australian IKEA"). She always stops by Etelka Dombora when she comes home.

"These feedback from contented, happy pupils are the ones I value the most. Along with my interactions with international colleges, which have developed into a number of friendships, cordial cooperation, and mutual aid amongst universities all around the world. Since every student will eventually find employment and be able to work for the rest of their lives, it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to complete their bachelor's degree partly at another university for a half-year Erasmus. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to study at a university of their choice in another nation. And the outcomes are exceptional, and they add far more value to an application for a master's degree or to a CV for a job than a simple 4-month internship."

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Years after their Erasmus, students still love to have a chat about their experiences with Etelka Dombora

Etelka Dombora

Senior Partner, Erasmus Co-ordinator, Centre for Student Services

E-mail:
Send e-mail to Etelka Dombora
Phone:
+36 1 588 8623