When Selim Baykiz finished the Corvinus International MBA programme in 2019, he carried more than a degree out of Budapest. He left with practical management skills, an international network, and a lasting connection to a city he still plans to revisit. Today, he works as a Senior Product Manager at Sky, where he focuses on CRM and software products—a role that draws directly on the analytical, communication, and leadership abilities he developed during his studies at Corvinus University of Budapest.
For working professionals considering an MBA in Budapest, his experience offers a useful benchmark: what the programme does well, where the real challenges lie, and how to time your application for maximum career impact. This article breaks his reflections down into practical takeaways you can apply to your own decision.
Explore the Corvinus International MBA programme to review its structure, focus areas, and admission cycle before reading further.
Why Budapest Stands Out as an MBA Destination
Baykiz first visited Hungary before he ever considered studying there. The city made a strong impression on him, and as he put it, he always felt he should find a way to return. Even after travelling to other countries, Budapest kept its pull. When he decided to pursue an MBA, he compared several programmes but ultimately chose Corvinus because of the quality of its teachers and the overall student experience.
His reasoning reflects factors that matter to many international students evaluating an MBA in Central Europe:
- Location and accessibility. Budapest sits at the heart of Central Europe, making regional travel for business or leisure straightforward.
- Cost of living. Compared with Western European capitals, Budapest allows students to maintain a comfortable lifestyle while studying.
- University reputation. Corvinus University of Budapest holds international accreditations such as AACSB and AMBA—credentials that signal quality to employers worldwide.
- Quality of life. Culture, public transport, safety, and a vibrant international community make the city easy to settle into.
The decision also became a shared journey: Baykiz and his wife studied in the same MBA cohort, an experience they still talk about years later. While not every student will study alongside a partner, his story underlines how much the environment surrounding a programme shapes the overall experience.
Faculty Quality and Practical Learning Define the Programme
Asked about the greatest strengths of the Corvinus International MBA, Baykiz pointed first to the faculty. Students learn from experts with extensive real-world experience, including senior executives and professionals working in major companies. That matters because MBA students—most of whom already hold management or specialist roles—need teachers who can bridge academic frameworks and business reality.
Learn From Practitioners, Not Only Theorists
A common complaint about business education is the gap between the classroom and the workplace. Baykiz’s experience suggests Corvinus closes that gap deliberately. Instructors brought current market practice into discussions, which made lectures immediately relevant to students who returned to their jobs the next morning.
Apply Knowledge to Real Business Situations
Equally important, the programme did not treat students as passive listeners. “We were encouraged to participate actively, work on projects and present our ideas,” Baykiz explained. “We did not simply attend classes, listen to lectures and leave.”
This active-learning model produces several concrete benefits:
- Retention. Professionals remember concepts they have applied to live problems far better than material they have only read.
- Confidence. Presenting and defending ideas in front of experienced peers builds the communication skills that senior roles demand.
- Immediate workplace value. Students can test frameworks from class on the challenges waiting at their desks the next day—turning the MBA into an ongoing return on investment rather than a delayed one.
For professionals in product management, consulting, or technology roles, this blend of theory and application is exactly what makes an international MBA worth the effort. Check the admissions requirements to see how your current experience positions you for the programme.
Balancing a Job, Studies, and a Thesis: The Real Challenge
No MBA comes without sacrifice. For Baykiz, the workload was the most demanding part of the experience. He studied full-time while working, and on top of the coursework he had to complete a thesis. Balancing those responsibilities required significant effort and discipline.
Prospective students should enter an MBA with a realistic picture of this trade-off. A few lessons emerge from his experience:
- Plan your calendar in semesters, not weeks. Coursework deadlines arrive steadily; the thesis requires long, protected blocks of time that must be scheduled well in advance.
- Communicate with your employer. Managers respond better when they understand your study commitments and can see how new skills benefit the team.
- Build a support system. Whether a partner, family, or fellow students, the people around you determine how sustainable an intensive period of study becomes. Sharing the journey with his wife, Baykiz notes, made the experience even more special.
Despite the pressure, his verdict is unambiguous: he enjoyed the programme so much that, given the chance, he would do it again. The culture, the university, the location, and the atmosphere of Budapest all contributed—and the events organised by the programme created memories he and his wife still recall today.
How an International Cohort Changes the Way You Think
One of the most transferable benefits of the Corvinus International MBA is the diversity of the classroom. During the programme, Baykiz worked with colleagues from North Africa, the Middle East, and other regions of the world. Those collaborations reshaped how he approaches problems.
Working across cultures taught him two lessons that continue to serve his career:
- There is rarely a single right way to approach a situation. Different backgrounds produce different framings of the same problem, and the best solutions often combine several perspectives.
- Cultural differences shape communication, teamwork, and leadership. Recognising these dynamics early prevents misunderstandings and helps leaders adapt their style to the people in front of them.
These are not soft perks. In a role like senior product management at an international company such as Sky—where products serve diverse markets and teams span multiple countries—the ability to read cultural context is a daily professional requirement. An MBA cohort that mirrors the diversity of the global workplace gives graduates a head start.
If you are weighing how an international environment would fit into your plans, learn more about life in Budapest and Hungary to picture your own day-to-day experience as a student there.
Who Should Apply—and When
Baykiz offers clear advice on timing, and it deserves serious attention. He recommends the Corvinus International MBA to professionals who already have several years of work experience—three to five years is, in his view, the ideal background.
His reasoning is practical. By that stage, students have accumulated hands-on knowledge they can connect with the theory presented in class. The MBA then works as a multiplier: it organises experience, adds analytical tools, and prepares graduates for broader responsibility. He would not necessarily recommend an MBA immediately after a bachelor’s degree, when workplace experience is thin and classroom concepts remain abstract. For professionals with significantly more experience, he suggests an Executive MBA may be the better fit.
Translated into an action plan:
- 0–3 years of experience: Focus on building a track record, taking on project responsibility, and clarifying your professional direction.
- 3–5 years of experience: The sweet spot for the Corvinus International MBA. You have stories to contribute in class discussions, and theory will land on prepared ground.
- Senior leadership track: Compare Executive MBA formats, which are designed around the schedules and needs of more experienced managers.
Review fees, costs, and scholarship options early in your planning so the financial side of the decision is as clear as the professional one.
Final Thoughts: A Degree That Pays Off Twice
Selim Baykiz’s trajectory—from the Corvinus International MBA to a senior product management role in the technology sector in Germany—shows what a well-chosen MBA can do. It strengthened his analytical and leadership skills, expanded his perspective through an international cohort, and connected him to a city he describes as holding a special place in his heart. He and his wife still plan to return to Budapest, perhaps even to live.
For working professionals weighing their next step, his experience suggests a simple checklist:
- Choose a programme with faculty who actively work in the fields they teach.
- Prioritise curricula built around projects, presentations, and real business problems.
- Seek a genuinely international cohort; the perspectives you gain will outlast any single course.
- Time your application for when you have enough experience to make theory stick—roughly three to five years.
- Prepare for a heavy workload and build the support structures needed to sustain it.
If that checklist matches your goals, submit your application today and bring your questions directly to the admissions team. An MBA decision rewards thorough research—and the perspectives of graduates who have walked the path are among the best research tools available.
