The College’s Mission Statement emphasizes the importance of creating an inclusive and supportive environment based on Buddhist principles. Buddhist practices (meditation, yoga, dharma talks) and especially the foundational Buddhist courses in the first year help freshmen to integrate into the community and place their career aspirations within the framework of reality. The Effective Learning course is also available to our students as a special seminar. Throughout their studies and later, as they apply what they have learned in practice over the long term, students need to be “accompanied,” as the teachings address important life questions. The institution’s responsibility is to provide the structure for this, including student counseling and career counseling. Therefore, it runs a mentoring system and provides appropriate expert and administrative services (psychological support, disability support services, thesis advisor, academic counseling), as well as, depending on the student’s personal needs, offers higher education frameworks for a master-student relationship.
The integration of first-year students is supported not only by instructors, republic scholarship students, and mentors, but also by events organized by the Student Union (Freshmen Camp, Freshmen Ball, Carnival), and field trips organized by the instructors (during emergency restrictions, virtual online field trips are available). As part of the EFOP 3.4.3-16-0024 program, a special program was created within the mentoring system to support students facing learning difficulties, and specific learning materials have been developed and taught. According to cooperation agreements with student job associations, in 2019, a student mentor took over the task of forwarding job offers from the student work associations to students.
The student mentors’ support for studies is continuously available not only to freshmen but also to senior students, and our students can access learning methods advice, life coaching, and remediation throughout the entire duration of their studies. Students preparing for their thesis can seek help from the designated thesis advisor (TVSZ 2.1.5.2.12), who, beyond providing guidance on thesis preparation, also assists as a tutor for writing the thesis.
We consider it extremely important and support the organization of first-year students into a community, both from the perspective of mentors, instructors, and administrative and IT staff, as our experience shows that this is the source of good student morale, which motivates successful continuation of studies, and is also the most effective remedy for dropout. Due to the characteristics of our training, some applicants are seeking solutions to their personal life problems, as they have recognized that their previous lifestyle did not lead to success. Others are already working in helping professions and dealing with life management problems and counseling, so the students also support each other in their development. The development and cohesion of the community starts during the preparatory course for the entrance exam, where, besides the instructors, the members of the Student Union also participate and get to know the prospective students. Later, group trips and cultural programs create opportunities for this.
A significant part of the theological training is that students become citizens who take responsibility for themselves and their surroundings. This endeavor is supported by our selective waste collection program (sensitization lectures, placement of selective waste containers, and emptying them with student involvement), and the environmentally conscious consumption-promoting vegan cafeteria (after its renovation, the re-opening of the vegan restaurant).
The data from the College’s 2015 graduate tracking study was compared with the data from the Educational Office’s 2018 DPR for the College. From this data, it can be concluded that, among the graduates of the bachelor’s program, part-time students are significantly more successful in the labor market compared to full-time students and the Hungarian average. This is because they already have a stable, strong existential background as middle-aged or older employees, and they study with the goal of acquiring complementary, marketable skills. Another factor is that a noticeable proportion of bachelor’s graduates continue their higher education studies.
