In keeping with tradition, the freshmen gathered at Bikás Park in Budapest and then traveled by special train to Zánka, the village on the shores of Lake Balaton. After checking into their accommodation, group sessions began, followed by the opening ceremony and an evening cultural program. After the performance of a musical and the official induction of the freshmen, the focus shifted to fun and making friends – and the students took full advantage of what partying had to offer.
“The university’s leadership is doing everything it can to make you feel at home from the very first moment,” stated Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, at the opening of the Freshman Camp. He added that as rector, he therefore considered it particularly important that the camp not only provide memorable experiences but also offer a diverse, informative program that helped students prepare for university life. He emphasized that the university, with its more than 250 years of tradition, had by now become a true European knowledge hub.
“Get to know the university, your instructors, your mentors, but above all, your fellow first-year students. Our goal is for you to take your oath as Semmelweis citizens with all your heart and soul at the Opening Ceremony on Sunday among people who are familiar to you,” stressed the rector, who also extended a special welcome to those studying in English and German. He expressed his gratitude to the Hungarian and international student associations involved in the organization of the camp – the Students’ Union (HÖK), the Instructor Unprompted Group (IÖCS), the International Semmelweis Students Association (ISSA), and the Deutschsprachige Studentenvertretung Semmelweis (DSVS) – as well as to university staff for their work during the preparations and the execution of the event.
“Although you have come from different cities, countries, and cultures, today you will all become members of the same community; you will become part of the Semmelweis family,” said Zsófia Sebeszta, President of IÖCS, in her welcome speech. She emphasized that both student organizations and faculty members were working to ensure that students always had someone to turn to during their studies. “I hope this Freshman Camp will be more than just the first joint program of your university years: May it be a beginning – a beginning that you’ll look back on fondly for years to come,” she added, before greeting the international students in German.
“It is a source of immense pride to see that some 1,200 of you are embarking on this unforgettable journey with us. It is incredibly important to us that you are here, so we will do everything in our power to ensure that you feel safe, at ease, and as comfortable as possible,” stated Imre Richárd Nagy, President of HÖK, before addressing the participating students in both German and English.
On behalf of ISSA, President Unzella Rizwan welcomed the international students. As she noted, beginning university studies in a foreign country is exciting, yet it also poses a serious challenge, especially in the fields of medicine and health sciences. The students who have come to Zánka are of different nationalities, but from now on they will accompany one another on a shared journey that could not have a more fitting start than at the Freshman Camp, where they can form lifelong friendships and have unforgettable experiences, she added.
Representing DSVS, Raphael Feurstein, one of the chief organizers of the event and former president of DSVS, gave a brief speech in which he addressed the cultural and linguistic differences among students and underlined that, although this was one of Semmelweis University’s greatest strengths, integration couldn’t be achieved simply by offering programs in three languages; it was also necessary for students to be open-minded and curious about their peers from different cultures. Finally, he reminded the international students not to forget what they owed to the university and to Hungary, and to be grateful for the hospitality.
Dr. Béla Merkely greeted the freshmen on the morning of Forum Day in all three languages of instruction:
At the Opening Ceremony, you will become Semmelweis Citizens. This is a symbolic bond that embodies our university’s tradition spanning more than 250 years, as well as the freedom for you to shape this family through your personality, your achievements, and your contributions to the community. At the Summer University and the Freshman Camp, you got a taste of what it means to be a member of the Semmelweis community. Be proud of it, draw strength from it, and from now on think of the university as if it were your own – because it truly is.
Forum Day is traditionally the main venue for getting acquainted with the life and requirements of the university and its faculties, and it took on an even more prominent role when the Freshman Camp was revamped last year. At the morning Grand Forum, alongside Dr. Béla Merkely, university leaders, vice-rectors, and deans provided information on the university’s operations, academic matters, the curriculum reform, and requirements. Following this, in more informal and direct faculty-level small forums, students were able to receive more detailed information from the leaders of the faculties and their future instructors regarding the structure of their chosen programs and the courses.
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“The camp’s capacity increased significantly compared to the previous venue; approximately 1,200 students attended the event. Among the organizers, international student organizations were represented by 50 people, HÖK by 115, and IÖCS by nearly 600; thus, the total number of attendees – including freshmen, faculty, and the entire organizing team – reached 2,000, which is comparable to a small festival,” said Imre Richárd Nagy.
The main organizer of the camp was IÖCS, which worked closely with the other three student organizations: HÖK, ISSA, and DSVS. “We designed this year’s program based on the experiences and feedback from last year’s Freshman Camp, the first held in Zánka, and we all consider it a success,” Zsófia Sebeszta told our website. One new feature, for example, was the inclusion of two beach afternoons in the program instead of one, in response to the needs of both Hungarian and international students. She added that another significant innovation compared to previous years was the greater involvement of international student organizations in the organization of the event.
International students had some of their own separate program items, but the four student associations jointly organized this Freshman Camp. There had been no precedent for this level of cooperation, given that the number of international students increased many-fold compared to the year before last: Back then there were only a dozen or two, whereas now there were 300. – Zsófia Sebeszta
Verneesha Smith, a first-year student in the English-language medical program, chose Semmelweis University because it occupies a prominent position among European higher education institutions and she had read a lot of positive feedback about it. “I’m glad I came to the camp and went through this experience. Now that I know some of my peers, I’m more excited to start the academic year,” she added.
“I’m studying at the Faculty of Medicine. My motivation to work in healthcare is to help athletes get back to court. I used to be a competitive athlete in tennis, and I’ve always wanted people to be healed so that they can do what they love. So, my dream was and is to be a traumatologist or a sports physician,” said Alexander Heyser from Germany.
At the camp’s closing ceremony, Dr. Béla Merkely pointed out that the freshmen had arrived in Zánka only two days earlier, but it felt as though they had spent two or three times that long here. “The organizers did everything they could to fill these days with the most varied program possible, with informative talks, and, of course, a great atmosphere,” he said, adding that, based on his personal experience, the new freshmen had seamlessly joined the quarter-millennium-long tradition, so they could confidently kick off the 256th academic year.
Melinda Katalin Kiss, Kristóf Hegedűs, Judit Dőtsch, Dr. Balázs Csizmadia, Róbert Tasnádi
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University
