Learning mathematics.

Typically, a student in my program will take between three and five math classes. This semester, I am taking five math classes. This is what they are:

• Graph theory;
• Geometry;
• Combinatorics 2;
• Functional analysis;
• Mathematical logic.

I'll post about each one individually. For now, I'll tell you about my general experience with classes.

There are 26 math classes offered this semester (if I counted correctly). You can see the schedule and list of classes if you want. There are also a few other classes, such as: Hungarian language, some history class, and political philosophy—but of course I'm not bothering with being well-rounded.

Typically, each math class starts at n:15, goes until (n+1):00, has a fifteen-minute break from (n+1):00 to (n+1):15, and continues until (n+2):00, for n = 8, 10, or 12 depending on the class. There are a lot of cheap and good places to eat that are near the school, so sometimes during a fifteen-minutes break I go get a snack or lunch. On days when I have class from 8:00AM to 2:00PM, I've been in the habit of getting falafel to-go, from this restaurant right across the street.

This entry was supposed to be about math classes and now I'm talking about food yet again. Oops.

The classes are pretty much the same as college classes in America, with a few important exceptions. First, the chalkboards have two panels, and when one panel is lowered the other panel rises. You can write stuff on the first panel when it's in the lowered position, then lower the second panel—thus moving the stuff you already wrote out of the way—and then write more stuff on the second panel. It's really cool.

The professors aren't really available outside of class. They typically have only have one office hour each week, and it takes place during usual class time. It's not so much an office hour as it is a supplementary session of class; professors spend the hour answering questions about the class material or the homework, usually in front of the whole class. I haven't really needed one-on-one time with my professors (not yet, anyway), so this hasn't been such a big deal for me. It is nevertheless a sharp contrast to my college, where I can just walk into a professor's office and have a conversation pretty much whenever I want.

The professors are Hungarian, and they know varying amounts of English. Some professors know just enough English to give math lectures, but they can sometimes be unintelligible. Other professors have nearly perfect English, with just a slight accent. There is one professor who speaks acceptable English, but his words are obscured by his impressive moustache.

Course registration did not happen until three weeks into the semester. This is because, in the Hungarian system, students "shop around" at various classes for the first few weeks, and then they decide what to take based on actually going to the class. It's a really nice system that makes the decision a lot easier, but it also makes it extremely hectic during the first week or two when we're trying out like nine classes.

Next journal entry, I'll talk about graph theory. If you have never heard of graph theory, then you probably don't know what a graph is. But soon you will find out!