Closed in Budapest the first EUCA Rajk László College Exchange Course
Closed in Budapest at Rajk László College the first exchange EUCA course dedicated to the "Consequences of the Great Recession in political economic theory".
For one week 8 Collegiate students coming from EUCA countries attended seminars and Oxford debates together with their collegues of the Rajk László College. On the first day the group was welcome by Ilyés Márton, director of the College, and Zoltán Bakonyi, president of the Academic Committee. During the meeting closed with a concert of funky music the students were invited to fully enjoy the Hungarian collegiate life.
The first lesson were given by prof. Balázs Váradi on "Political and economic reasons and consequences of the global crisis" and by prof. István Benczes on "European economic governance and the crisis".
The EUCA - Rajk Lászlo Exchange concluded on the 8th of November with an Oxford debate on the "European Union and the Crisis". Divided in two groups, participants had to present from either a optimistic or a pessimistic point of view how the crisis has affected the European Union starting from: the macro-economic aspect, the impact on the business sector, and the effects on the economic and political institutions of the EU.
As for the social and cultural activities scheduled during the exchange, the most memorable were: the European Night which was a great success since 6 European countries were represented through traditional dishes and drinks, the trip to the picturesque town of Szentendre near the Danube where after a stroll along the river students chose to visit the Marzipan Museum, and of course the moments dedicated to sightseeing in Budapest. Guided by College members of Rajk Laszlo College, EUCA students toured the Castle Hill Buda by night and visited the most important attractions in Pest: the Parliament, Heroes' Square, Vajdahunyad Castle and the Museum of Fine Arts. In all, both the objectives of the EUCA - Rajk Exchange were fulfilled: to have an informed debate on the latest economic developments in the EU and to bring together and experience different collegiate lifestyles across Europe. EUCA looks forward to the next exchange and hopes to bring even more students from University Colleges in contact with each other!
Below you can find an example of what students participating in the exchange think about this experience:
"I am Luca Vanzini, student of Economics and Business at LUISS University in Rome.
As I'm native of another town, when I moved here I went to the local house of Don Nicola Mazza college.Thanks to the College I was informed of and attended this EUCA - Rajk course.
At the beginning my main interests were the course itself on "hot" economic topics and visiting Budapest, a wonderful town I've always heard about. However, soon I realised the real point was the exchange with the college itself. I was amazed by this different student life, by their direct democracy and by their openness.
The most interesting discussions were those at the table while eating, comparing our countries and histories. That gave me something I couldn't find on any book.
I am hence thankful to EUCA and to my college for this great opportunity that enriched me and all the others both academically and personally.
We had the opportunity to meet people from Hungary, Spain, Poland and many more places, with different backgrounds and ideas. European Union was first built to avoid other wars in Europe. If we want this, a united Europe with European citizens, this exchange and other similar activities are the path to be followed".
For more about the programme download the timetable below.
Photos at http://www.euca.eu/gallery/euca-rajk-l-szl-college-exchange-first-course-budapest
