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.
Olney Rodrigues - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
My name is Olney Rodrigues de Oliveira and I am from Brazil. I am currently pursuing my PhD studies in the Doctoral School of Education at SZTE. I chose the University of Szeged because it’s one of the best universities in Europe, especially in the field of education. I personally love Szeged because it is safe and I love the architecture, the cultural events, the local Market Mars Tér and so many other beautiful destinations. For my studies I wanted to have an excellent university in a good quality life city and Szeged offers me that. It’s neither too big nor too small, I can ride my bike to go to my classes and practically everything is within a walking distance. I would advise the prospective students to enjoy the city during their stay, the cultural and historical events, know other international students and make a lot of friends, visit other cities in Hungary and make good memories. I am pretty sure that you will be proud of this priceless experience. Before coming to Hungary I worked several years as a teacher. I love the academic environment, the libraries, relationship with students and the feeling to be involved in the acquisition of new knowledge. That is why I plan to be part of a University as a professor as well as to keep researching in different aspects of the process of education. I am so thankful to be here and I believe that the Universe brought me to Szeged because the city and the University are the experience that I need in my life now.
