The Journal hosted a Google Meet with students from Kőbányai Szent László High School in Budapest, Hungary to learn about their school customs, culture and what their hobbies are.

In the Google Meet, the Hungarian students said that they like to travel, and one student even went to Slovakia and Germany. They found it important to be well educated about other cultures.

“In Europe, there are a lot of countries and each of them have a different language,” junior Ármin Kovács said in a text message. “I want to be able to understand others.”
Although the students do not have the option to visit the U.S. through school programs, Kovács plans to leave Hungary as an architect or business man. He knows that he can reach the goal of getting into a university by learning more foreign languages, participating in class and joining competitions.

Junior Balint Gabor, mentioned that he wanted to be an exchange student, but he has been unable to make this dream a reality. Still, he’d like to travel abroad for college where he can experience education outside of Hungary.

“I want to study programming because it has always interested me,” Gabor said in a text message. “I can’t say any other thing that I could imagine myself doing.” The students then mentioned
the alternative ways SHS is different from their school.
They do not get to choose their classes, but the school tries to cater to their best interests. They also only have classes with students of their own grade.
Spanish is offered as a third language after English for Hungarian students. They have to take a basic Hungarian literature class along with English and Spanish while SHS has foreign languages as an elective.
Unlike the SAT test, their test called Erettsegi, determines which university they will a? end. There are also no AP or DC classes, only honor classes.
They began their school day at 8 a.m. and can end early or later depending on how many classes are in their schedule. For example, school could end either around 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. It is also not common for students to drive themselves to school, and many use public transportation.
Some students begin at 7:30  a.m. with a class called “period zero,” which is mandatory for students who need an extra class on their schedule.

In the Google Meet, the students also talked about how they interpreted high school in the U.S. through American television series and films. They have been portrayed as showing school spirit and hosting many student events.
“I really like the fact that American schools seem full of life,’’ Kovács said.