The Rector's Statement
In several Hungarian press agencies, information has come to light that I am one of the citizens of Szeged who became ill as a result of a new type of coronavirus infection. The news is true.
I arrived home from the southern part of Tirol on March 8 from a trip that I planned and booked earlier in the year. My arrival back to Szeged was before the official state of emergency was declared in Hungary and also prior to the decision to stand down students from the university and cease of medical treatments. According to my preliminary information, the location of my stay was not one of the areas exposed to the coronavirus. This has been confirmed to me by many trusted sources.
I am a practicing medical doctor with decades of experience, but during my travels, staying, and coming home, I did not see any signs in myself or in my surroundings that could have caused the slightest suspicion of being infected with the virus. It is not even proven that the coronavirus was introduced to my body abroad. There is even a strong possibility that I was infected in Szeged, and as an ear, nose- and throat specialist, I am often exposed to upper respiratory tract infections.
In addition, after my return home, my medical work was conducted under sterile conditions, in accordance with the strictest health protocol - as in all cases before - so it was impossible to expose any patient to infection.
Finally, after noticing the symptoms of the disease, I immediately and responsibly took the necessary precautions. So far, no positive pattern has been found in my immediate environment. Right now, my family and I are in quarantine, I am practically asymptomatic.
Although there are some positive cases in Szeged, but they are completely independent of me, I had no contact with them.
Prof. Dr. László Rovó
Rector of the University of Szeged
SZTE Experience
Nikki - Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Studies
My name is Nikki and I am from Iran. Currently I am a second year student studying Physiotherapy at the University of Szeged. I really like the Environment of Szeged as it is a true University City where you can meet people from around the world. I consider Szeged as my second home since I have established my own path here and I have a lot of friends who make me feel home. The reason why I came to Szeged is because I was informed by one of my friends about the fact that the University degrees are EU accredited and will help me to reach my goals and open doors for future job opportunities. Once I have obtained my degree, I would like to stay in Hungary and pursue a post graduate program. Later on I will seize the opportunity to gain some job experience in my field here in Hungary before I hold my ground in Europe.
Dianne - Faculty of Science and Informatics
I am a PhD student and a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holder from the Philippines. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Environmental Science and I happen to be in my 3rd year of studies. I chose University of Szeged because its one of the top ranked research university in Hungary known for its good reputation in the fields of health and natural sciences. Coming from the Philippines with a warm climate, I had huge preference of Szeged for my studies, the city having the most rays of sunshine and considered to be the warmest place in Hungary. I would advise all the prospective students to join University of Szeged’s diverse and vibrant community! Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone, try to find and establish your niche in a new place like what I did. I didn’t regret coming to Szeged as it continuously provides me an enabling learning environment for various reasons, has affordable cost of living, very safe and calm university town, organized transport system, beautiful and clean surroundings with the very sightly Tisza River which adds to its appeal, and also holds many festivals throughout the year. After graduation, I am planning to go back to my home institution and continue my teaching duties at the University of the Philippines Los Baños
