What does BEST mean?
BEST stands for Board of European Students of Technology. We are part of an international organisation of students of technology, in more than 90 universities in 30 European countries. To find out more, take a look here.
What is a BEST course?
It's a course about a specific subject, with a duration of one to two weeks, within a city where BEST is represented, with participants from all over Europe. Besides learning about the subject of the course, you'll visit the city and get to know more about the culture of it and you still have the opportunity of meeting people from all over Europe in a different and sociable environment.
How much does it cost to attend a BEST course?
The maximum fee is 4 Euro per day (but no more than 45 Euro in total). Whether a student pays full or reduced fee depends on his country of studies as follows.
Why are the events so cheap?
The organising Local BEST Group is trying to get as much money as possibly by co-operating with several organisations. The university is interested in hosting foreign students and in becoming more internationally minded. Companies wish to get access to European-minded students, which is done during the event by company presentations, guest lectures or company visits.
What is the maximum fee for an event on education?
There is no fee for attending an event on education.
Why is there a (much) higher fee for Leisure Events?
LBGs fund the events by support from various organisations, like the university, companies and the student union. Most of these organisations are interested in an academical course. Therefore, raising money for leisure events is much more difficult. Moreover these events are more like a holiday and they include some activities like sailing, skiing or wine-tasting - usually you pay more for a holiday like this...
Can I get ECTS credits participating in a BEST event?
After the final examination you will get a BEST Certificate to attest your participation and to describe the content of the course. The BEST Certificate has the University stamp and teacher's signature. It is up to your home University if they will get this course recognised by giving you credits.
What does a BEST course include?
It includes food and accommodation during the course. Also material about the subject of the course is provided.
What about the travel ticket, does BEST pay for it?
BEST doesn't pay or make any kind of travel reservations for the students who are selected for courses.
What is the BEST Spirit?
Well the BEST answer to that is to experience it... so go and apply now!
What will happen if I go to a BEST event and get infected by the BEST Spirit virus?
It's likely that you're going to go on more events, and maybe join your local BEST group and organise events yourself.
I would like to join BEST and be more involved. How can I do that?
Contact us by e-mail and we would be happy to invite you to one of our meetings or internal events. Also, if you're just curious, contact us, and we would be happy to tell you everything about us and what we do.
Can I apply for every event?
Yes! You can apply for every event, but it might not be reasonable in some cases. It is possible that one event requires some previous knowledge and if you don't have that you might not be taken. On the other hand, there might be beginner's level courses in the field of your study and then the course will get too boring!
For how many events per season may I apply?
You can apply for maximum three BEST Courses or Seasonal BEST Engineering Competitions and three other (education, leisure) events per season. You can be accepted to at most one BEST Course or Seasonal BEST Engineering Competition per season (but any number of other events).
How can I apply for a BEST course?
First register at our international page, then find the courses you like and write a motivation letter in english. Finally contact us to validate your account.
How is the selection for the events done?
The organising Local BEST Group gets all the applications entered by the students and will then decide on regional aspects (they try to get people from all over Europe, so they in general won't take more than one student from each city/country), on your Motivation Letter (they have to read many of them, so try to be creative!), and maybe on your educational background (only if you need some previous knowledge for a specific event). The organisers also aim at having equal number of male and female participants.
How can I validate my account?
Show your student card at our office.
I'm from another university, can I apply for a BEST course?
BEST Budapest only accepts students from BME. If you're not from BME, check here whether your university is represented by a Local BEST Group. If so, try to contact them.
What should I do after being accepted to a BEST event?
You can find more information by reading the Never Alone Guide .
What do I do if I'm not accepted to an event?
You can try again the next seasons. You might also join BEST and go to internal BEST events.
I still have doubts, how can I reach you?
Send us an e-mail to budapest@BEST.eu.org . We have weekly meetings, contact us and we can tell you where to find us!
What is an Engineering Competition?
BEST is organising Engineering Competitions for students, its goal is to develop student sby bringing them together to solve practical tasks and apply the knowledge they gained at University. It can be one or more day long. There are 2 category. One is team design, where students compete in a new, creative challenge, testing their technical and soft skills.(this year: BEST-National Instruments competition). The other is case study, which is about solving complex problem requiring technical, management and soft skills. Int he end they give a presentation about their idea.(this year: BEST-Unilever competition)
I’m a freshmen. Can I apply?
Of course, if you have the appropriate knowlege about the required field, you are good at problem solving in technical questions. Then don’t hesitate, just tempt yourself!
Students can apply from any kind of faculty?
Yes, students can apply apart from faculty.
Do I need to prepare to the competition in advance?
In cace of oversubscribe, there will be a semifinal, for which the instructions will be given after the deadline.
How is a task looks like in semifinal?
For example, like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgNVyjmRWmw . You have to prepare the device (from your own materials) which meets the requirements. The efficiency and the creativity are important.
I would like to participate on the competition, but I don’t have 3 more friends who are interested in it. What should I do in this case?
It’s advisable to participate with friends, because the teamwork is also rewarded. If you trust in us and in the chance, you can also apply in solo.
What happens if I have task which is cannot be postponed and I have to leave during the competition?
The competitions are usually 1 day long, so we kindly ask everybody to be available during the whole day.
Next time, can i also take part in organizing an engineering competition?
The competition is organized by the members of BEST Budapest. We cannot participate, but we invent the tasks, construct prototypes, etc… You are welcome to join us, contact us here: budapest@BEST.eu.org .
