This year was special for our faculty not only because international students took part in the National Scientific Conference for the first time but also they brought 2 first and 1 special prizes out of 4 first, 2 second, 2 third and 4 special prizes. They were brave enough to contest not in their mother tongues and motherlands. We asked some of them to share their experience with us.

Chen Xi: How does financial attitude, credit card, and disposable income affect impulse buying college students? (supervisor: Dr. Kincsesné Dr. Vajda Beáta)

“Our faculty for me is a big family. Students here are kind, enthusiastic and united. Every time when I have less confidence when doing a presentation or being a leader in group work though I work hard, I am always encouraged by my classmates. In the meantime, they are also willing to give me advice about where the work could be improved and comments where I did well. This ideal academic atmosphere is not only reflected in students but also between teachers and students. Teachers here are friendly, helpful and reliable. Teachers are giving chance to students in practising our skills in doing research and presentation. For example, I was invited by teachers to attend the 2019 OTDK (National Scientific Conference) to present my own research. From the faculty round to the national round, I met lots of problems. With teachers help, I successfully did the registration of the OTDK, which showed all the information in Hungarian on the website even those emails that I received as I only know a few basic words of Hungarian. Also because of reminding and help by my supervisor, I did not miss the final round of registration. At the first time, I was not sure about to compete with Hungarians since they could use their mother tongue to explain their research precisely and I was using English. The encouragement and trust of teachers made me strong and more confident. When I was standing in front of the jury, I had the only thought ‘I am just telling some interesting truths that I found’. What I remember so clear in the competition and feel warm is that students from other universities came alone; however, when I was doing the presentation, I saw the smiling-trusting face of our teachers and classmates who were sitting there among the audience. I got huge support from my teachers especially my supervisor and finally, I won the first prize.”

Giulia Filoso: Millenials, food tourism and social media: an application of the theory of planned behavior (supervisor: Dr. Révész Balázs)

“I have to admit I was never a big fan of competitions of any kind. However, when teachers from the faculty told me about the opportunity to take part in the OTDK, I decided to go for it. I am actually speechless about the support and encouragement I got from teachers and other students, which particularly prompted me to say yes to this experience. Facing a national competition as an international student was quite intimidating though: I was aware that almost all competitors would have been presenting a Hungarian research project and that the whole conference would have been organised in Hungarian. But, after all, I have not felt as frightened by it as I thought. On a side, I was always fully supported by my faculty and, particularly, by my supervisor, who has always been ready to jump in and help. On the other side, students from the GTK stood together at the competition by supporting each other at each section, which was amazingly helpful and heartwarming. Not only it has been a wonderful experience to present in the OTDK, but winning the 1st prize in my section has been a great honour and satisfaction. To tell the truth, this has been one of the experiences I enjoyed the most in these years, thanks to the great people I spent it with and the exciting atmosphere that the OTDK provides.”