A debt-free graduate has said that going to university in Hungary was the best decision she could have made and that more Guernsey students should look outside the box when considering university options.
Alice Dudley-Owen, 22, returned from the University of Pecs, located 148 miles north-east of Budapest, close to the Croatian border, a year ago.
She praised the Hungarian university for not only saving her wallet but for enriching her overall educational experience. She said the diverse, international environment provided opportunities, skills and a broad understanding that she would not have developed had she gone to a UK university.
This feedback comes at a time when the UK Education secretary has announced that university tuition fees in England are going up again, in line with inflation.
‘If you don’t have a specific interest or know what you really want to study, what’s the point of paying 10 grand to drink a lot and come out with debt?’ said Miss Dudley-Owen.
‘Instead, I met some awesome people and gained amazing experiences and confidence.
‘It’s a big move and you do have to be brave. But things are fixable. We’re so lucky living here – we have the option to try things and come back, which other people just don’t have.
‘I learned that people all over the world are really all the same. We all laugh at the same stupid things.
‘And, actually, as islanders we’re really well equipped by the age of 18 to handle going away.’
After three years, Miss Dudley-Owen left with a degree in international relations and no debt.
‘I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like paying £10k a year and living in a not-so-nice room for £200 a week,’ she said.
‘I had a two-bed, really nice apartment for £130 a month and I’m really happy I did it. I think the fact that I studied international relations at an international uni, meant I understood it far more than I ever would if I was in the UK.
‘I was sharing a room with an Albanian girl – she was from Kosovo – and I’d just learned about the Serbian Kosovo War. I’d come back to my room and she’d be like “no Serbians allowed in this room!” – so I would see everything that I was learning about in class exist in my dormitory.’
Though everyone spoke English and lessons were taught in English, Miss Dudley-Owen said she never met another British person.
As well as Albanian, her friendship group included people from Zambia, the Philippines and Serbia.
‘These people were speaking like six languages, just switching from one to the next,’ she said, ‘even joking in foreign languages. I got kicked out of every language lesson in school – but since being there, I’ve started teaching myself Spanish. I felt so embarrassed being the only person who could only speak one language.’
She said the city of Pecs was like one, big student campus that felt very safe, and the culturally-rich environment made for a vibrant social life.
‘I learned social graces in cultures all over the world,’ she said.
‘I now feel very comfortable talking to people from really anywhere.’
In their first year, students are enrolled in Erasmus – an icebreaker programme.
‘We did wine-tasting, went to the hot springs and there’d be about 300 of us on a hike,’ she said.
‘I also went on amazing holidays. It was 13 euros for a train to all the neighbouring countries.
‘We went to Austria, Jordan, Cyprus, and drove down through Bulgaria to Greece – the social was insane. I met people that I just thought “wow, I’m so happy I met you” and I’d love to see more people give it a chance.’
Alice has inspired a few people to follow in her footsteps, including her younger sister, Isobel, who is currently in her first year at the Hungarian university – and loving it.
The university is primarily a medical school, and Miss Dudley-Owen noticed it was popular for German students who had not made it into UK universities. Recently, it has been reported that a growing number of young people are choosing to study in Eastern Europe due to a strict cap on medical school places in the UK.
Miss Dudley-Owen said the medical department was impressive, in a brand new building, and she thought it would be an incredible opportunity for anyone with the determination and drive to study medicine, but who might not have hit the right marks to get into a UK university.
