Housing & Camp Information

Weeks 1 – 5 (in Budapest)

While in Budapest, you will be renting apartments from private Hungarian landlords. All BSME residences are within easy reach of the BSME Building using the convenient and inexpensive public transportation.

BSME staff in Budapest will coordinate housing assignments, and they will help students with housing situations. Specific questions on housing should be directed to the BSME Budapest Office. We will inform you of your housing assignment prior to your arrival in Budapest. Do not look for housing on your own.

Notes:

You will share an apartment with other BSME students. You will have your own bedroom and share a kitchen and a bathroom with them.
Apartments are completely furnished with basic and necessary items such as furniture, sheets, towels, kitchenware, etc.
Apartments have washers, but dryers are not typical in Hungary. (You can easily hang dry your clothes.)
Air-conditioning is not typical in Hungarian apartments, and the temperature can get as hot as 90 ℉ in July. We recommend buying a fan if you feel that it is too hot.

We do our best to find housing that best suits your needs. However, if you have any concerns with your housing situation, please notify the BSME Student Coordinator who will help you sort out the problem.

Regulations: Rent is payable in cash upon your arrival, often including a refundable deposit of one month’s rent. Do not sign any lease agreements until you fully understand and are comfortable with the terms, and do not pay any rent until a contract is signed. The landlord should be willing to give you a few days grace period in which to do so.

Make sure that the contract clearly describes your utility fees and how they are calculated. Your contract must also specify individual payments if the apartment is occupied by multiple students. You will receive a sample contract from the BSME representative after arrival.

The BSME Budapest Office will assist you with this process, but please note that the housing contract is between you and your landlord (not BSME).

We expect that you treat each residence and its contents with dignity and respect. At the end of your stay, it is up to you to be sure that all trash has been removed from the premises, dishes are washed, and all keys are returned. Owners are allowed to deduct trash collection, repair, and extra cleaning costs from your refundable deposit.

Meals in Budapest: Participants must arrange their own meals. There are plenty of grocery stores and restaurants near the BSME Building.

Week 6 (Math camp)

You will send Week 6 in the countryside at a mathematics camp for secondary students. Each camp will host about 10 BSME participants. There are two options for the camp. (Note: We will try to take your preference into consideration, but we cannot guarantee this due to space constraints.)

Camp 1: MaMuT camp at Mátrafüred (Mátra mountains), July 30 – August 5 or 6

The MaMuT (Mammouth) Camp is for grade 5–9 students with outstanding mathematics competition results (by invitation only).
Mátrafüred is located in the Mátra mountains. (The program includes an optional trip to Kékestető, the highest point of Hungary.)
Housing is at a guest house, which is at a 15–20 mins forest walk from the campsite.
Each room houses 2–3 people. Rooms are simple, with a bathroom and a kitchen available for every two rooms.
3 meals per day will be served at the camp. (There will be a few meals at the beginning and end of the week which you will need to buy for yourself.)
On July 30, you will travel as a group (with a BSME instructor) by bus from Budapest to Mátrafüred.
The camp ends on August 5. The last program is a camp closing celebration on the night of August 4.
You will have the choice to travel back to Budapest by bus on August 5 or 6:
- Flying out on August 5: The earliest flight you can catch is at 12 noon. You will need to leave the Mátrafüred house at 5:50am for that.
- Flying out on August 6 before 12 noon: You will need to take a bus from Mátrafüred to Budapest on August 5 and arrange accommodation for the night in Budapest.
- Flying out on August 6 after 12 noon: You can take a bus from Mátrafüred to Budapest on August 6. For a flight at 12:00 noon, you will need to leave the Mátrafüred house at 5:50am.
- Flying out after August 6: You will need to arrange accommodation for yourself from August 6.

Camp 2: Medve camp at Pálköve (Lake Balaton), July 31 – August 6

The Medve (Bear) Camp is for grade 5–12 students, and it is open to any interested student.
Pálköve is on the shore of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.
Housing is at the camp, 30 yards away from the Balaton beach.
Each room houses around 4 people. Rooms are simple, camp style, with no air-conditioning.
BSME students will share rooms with each other or young teachers from the camp (college students and recent graduates).
3 meals per day will be served at the camp.
On July 31, you will travel as a group (with a BSME instructor, camp students, and staff) by train from Budapest to Pálköve.
The camp ends on August 6. The last program is a camp closing celebration on the night of August 5.
On August 6, you will travel from Pálköve to Budapest by train.
- Flying out on August 6: The earliest flight you can catch is at 12 noon. You would need to leave the housing at 4:30am for that, so later flights are more convenient. Camp students and staff will probably take a train around 2:00–5:00pm.
- Flying out after August 6: You will need to arrange accommodation for yourself from August 6.