A group of five BU accounting, finance and economics students were given an opportunity to visit the wonderful city of Budapest to take part in an Intensive Study Program (ISP). Organised by AFECA (an association of several European universities), the event brought together 70+ students to participate in case studies in the fields of accounting, audit and financial analysis.

These are the experiences of some our students that took part in the program:

Daniel Cegoreanu

“It was amazing to get a bit of exposure into the accounting and audit and although I was coming from a different area of finance, I was able to make good contributions towards the outcomes of each topic. I believe that collaborating with students and respectable members of the accounting/audit industry from 13 different countries has had a significant impact on my interpersonal skills.

Each day was different. The first day was more of an introduction to the programme and the people that were organising this event. Every country had to do a presentation in front of everyone else, showing a few facts about their country and the university they are from. For the rest of the days, we had a topic each day: Financial Analysis, Financial Reporting, Audit and Corporate Social Responsibility. For each topic we had to split into teams and work on some case studies and at the end of the day we had to present our findings.

I had the chance to communicate and work with people from various backgrounds and I was also able to present my group’s findings on two occasions which I believe improved my ability to talk in front of a big crowd. I have also got some exposure into some practices used for accounting and audit purposes. Last but not least, I was able to visit a wonderful city, Budapest and the boat trip on the Danube River was a stunning experience!”

Francesca Raccani

“The programme covered a wide range of topics and the use of case studies provided an interesting and interactive way of learning. Meeting students from all different universities and countries was great, we got to really know them and the social dinner and drinks were so much fun! There was plenty of time to explore Budapest in the evenings and the programme even organised a boat cruise for us all. Overall it was a great experience and I would highly recommend the ISP to anyone.”

Jeevan Panesar

“Amazing project, incredible opportunity and an invaluable outcome. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to take part in this project. It’s been a wonderful experience and while testing my knowledge of accounting, it gave me the great opportunity to make connections and lasting memories with students from 13 different countries.

The environment and structure of the program allows you to develop your presentation, communication and collaboration skills through working on the daily case studies. But it’s not all focused around work! We had the chance to explore Budapest both by day and by night! Overall, it was an invaluable opportunity in a beautiful city.”

AFECA is an association of several European universities to promote the international education of students and the scientific collaboration in the fields of accounting. AFECA was founded in 1993 with 6 members, including Bournemouth University.

Next year the ISP is in France and the year after, Greece.