Math in Moscow and Budapest Semesters

[ilikegroupreps]

Hey I have been accepted into both programs for the fall and am having a really hard time deciding which one to go to. Anyone have some input on this? Has anyone gone to both and can compare them?
Thanks!

 

[Astrum]

well... which is better, your Hungarian or Russian?

 

[ilikegroupreps]

haha I actually don't know either of them! But all the classes are taught in english in both programs.

 

[Astrum]

ОЙ, это ужас!

I know some Russian, it's a damn hard language.

Well, I don't know much about Hungary, but I have some close Russian friends, so I can give somewhat of an opinion.

I assume you're talking about Московский государственный университет (Moscow State University). It's the best university in Russia, in terms of rank. I should give you a fair warning, corruption is a HUGE problem in Russia right now. A friend of mine (not in Moscow, but still in Russia) has to pay bribes each semester to continue studying there. I'm not saying that it'll be like this for you, but it's something to keep in mind.

Which is more expensive? living costs + tuition?

 

[Sleepy 104]

Hey I had that same dilemma last semester! I ultimately chose BSM because I felt that the overall experience would be better (more kids in the program, more options for classes, and all the people that I talked to said I would like Budapest more than Moscow). It's important to listen to advice from people who know you best.

All I can comment on is BSM. I love it; it's fantastic. The teachers are amazing and the students in the program come from all backgrounds. It is a wonderful environment to be in whether you are a beginner in math or fairly experienced. The option to "shop" classes for the first three weeks is great. I came to the program thinking I was 100% going to take certain classes, then after sitting in on them the first couple of weeks I realized I liked other classes more. They also do a great job of emphasizing problem solving at BSM, especially in their combinatorics and number theory classes. They even have two flavors of problem solving classes, Mathematical Problem Solving and Conjecture and Proof. If you do decide on BSM, then sign up for the optional language course at the beginning. It's nice to know some of the language and you'll have some time before classes start to get to know the city and people in your program.

Best of luck, I'm sure you'll enjoy either program!

 

[ilikegroupreps]

Thanks for giving me your opinions about BSM. What sort of classes did you end up taking at BSM and how many students were in each?

One thing about Math in Moscow that is really appealing to me is all the algebraic courses such as representation theory and algebraic geometry and that alone is sort of leaning me towards that program but I realize that there are a lot more other factors I need to consider before I decide!