START-U is Corvinus’ practical, 3-credit first-year seminar for every new bachelor’s student. It gives you a supportive group and a place to experiment with how you learn, plan, communicate and find your place at university.
University gives you more freedom — and asks you to take more responsibility. You will be expected to plan independently, think critically, communicate clearly and ask for help when you need it. START-U makes these expectations visible and gives you practical ways to meet them.
You will work in a group of around 30 students from your own programme, in dedicated modern classrooms at the Gellért Campus. The course is built around practice, discussion and experimentation rather than long lectures.
Built with students, for students
START-U was designed with the help of previous Corvinus students, who worked alongside lecturers and experts in teaching and learning, wellbeing, library services and student support to shape the course.
The course also draws on feedback from current Corvinus students, internal research on first-year needs and international first-year seminar practice. Your questions, challenges and real university experiences helped decide what belongs in START-U — and what does not.
Rónay Boglárka
Business and Management BSc
graduated in 2025/2026
“START-U is a practical, supportive course designed to help you adjust to university life, both academically and socially. A highly diverse team with a wide range of experience contributed to its development, with the aim of equipping you with valuable knowledge and practical tools to help you understand and navigate new situations and the expectations of university life.
However, for everything the course offers to bring genuine value to you in the long term, your active participation is essential. It is important that you approach the activities proactively, try out the methods introduced during the course, and put what you learn into practice.
I hope that by completing this course, you will find some of the things that I personally struggled with at the beginning of my university years—such as building connections and collaborating effectively with my peers—less challenging.”
Bozai Ákos
International studies
2nd year
“As a first-year student, contributing to the development of the START-U programme gave me a unique opportunity to share my recent first-hand experiences and insights with a team that could directly incorporate them into the integration of incoming students. As the programme took shape, I found myself feeling a little envious of the new first-year students, as this course gives them a head start in university life that previous generations could only have dreamed of.”
Viola Dmitriyeva
Applied Economics
graduated 2025/2026
Struggling at the beginning doesn’t mean you don’t belong here, or
that this isn’t the right place for you. You’re just adjusting to something new. The START-U seminar is a space to actually learn how to study here: how to manage your time and study approaches, feel confident when you’re trying something new, and build connections with the people who'll be with you through the years ahead. So go easy on yourself, stay curious, and let this course be the place where university starts making more sense.
Győri Zalán Bátor
International Business Economics Student
2nd year
Dear Freshers!
One year ago, when I was walking in your shoes, and I got the opportunity to move to Budapest to start my studies here at Corvinus, I faced nothing but question marks and uncertainty. I did not know a single person, I was not familiar with how the University works, and I was not sure whether I was prepared enough to perform well during my studies. Therefore, when I was approached this winter, if I wanted to participate in the development of a brand-new course aimed at helping the integration of freshers, I was glad to take the opportunity. During the development process, we wanted to create a course that equips you with the most important skills, tools and the mindset which will help you ace your university years. And I believe we succeeded. During this semester,
you will get a hold of a toolkit that will be of value not only during your university years, but your careers as well.
Feel free to use these tools, and all the best!
START-U at a glance
3 credits
A semester-long course that is part of your first-year curriculum.
Around 30 students
A small seminar group designed for participation and connection.
Your own programme
You learn alongside students who are starting the same degree as you.
Gellért Campus
Dedicated modern classrooms created for active, flexible learning.
Weekly and practical
Most class time is used for activities, discussion and application.
For every first-year student
A shared starting point across Corvinus bachelor’s programmes.
High expectations. Real support.
Corvinus expects a lot from its students — and START-U takes those expectations seriously.
START-U does not make university easier by lowering the bar. It makes success more achievable by giving you clear expectations, research-informed tools, repeated practice, feedback and opportunities to improve.
The course is designed so that students who participate, try out the strategies and learn from feedback can succeed. You are expected to engage seriously — but you are not expected to arrive already knowing how university works.
What START-U helps you build
Learn smarter
Test research-informed study strategies, plan your time, read and take notes more effectively, prepare for exams, think critically and use AI responsibly.
Manage yourself
Understand your motivation, build workable habits, notice stress earlier, experiment with coping strategies and reflect on what helps you perform sustainably.
Connect and contribute
Communicate with confidence, work well in teams, give and receive feedback, find support and build a sense of belonging at Corvinus.
What will classes actually be like?
This is not a sit-and-listen course.
Expect short classroom experiments, team challenges, discussions, reflection, practical simulations and hands-on tools that help you focus and participate — including fidget and stress-relief tools when useful.
One week you may test a new learning strategy in your real courses. Another week you might solve a library challenge, practise giving useful feedback, improve a presentation, examine a difficult group-work situation or explore how AI changes the way you learn.
The point is not simply to hear about good strategies. You will try them, observe what happens and decide what genuinely works for you.
An internationally established high-impact practice
First-year seminars are widely used at universities internationally and are recognised as a high-impact educational practice when they are intentionally designed, credit-bearing and connected to the curriculum.
START-U brings this established model to Corvinus in a university-wide course shaped around the needs of our own students. It is not an extended orientation programme: it is a serious academic course that helps you become a more confident, connected and capable university learner.
What will you explore?
How learning actually works
Memory, attention, retrieval practice, spaced learning and metacognition.
Planning and motivation
Time management, priorities, procrastination, goals, habits and mindset.
Reading, notes and exams
Strategies for processing texts, taking useful notes and preparing for oral and written exams.
Communication and teamwork
Presentations, academic writing, group roles, feedback and constructive collaboration.
Critical and responsible academic work
Credible sources, referencing, academic integrity, problem solving and critical thinking.
Wellbeing that supports performance
Stress awareness, adaptive coping, resilience, help-seeking and sustainable ways of working.
How learning and assessment work
START-U uses clear, task-based expectations. The focus is on meaningful participation, trying strategies, applying what you learn and reflecting on your progress — not on one high-stakes performance.
Core activities include interactive classwork, a reflective learning journal, group work and presentation, online modules on responsible AI use, and practical online assignments. Detailed requirements, deadlines and opportunities to revise work will be available in the course syllabus and Moodle.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. START-U is a shared, 3-credit foundational course for first-year bachelor’s students at Corvinus.
Your seminar group will include around 30 students from your own degree programme, so you can build connections with people starting the same academic journey.
START-U classes will be held in dedicated modern seminar rooms at the Gellért Campus, designed for active and flexible learning.
The course uses short online and classroom inputs, but most seminar time is dedicated to activities, discussion, experimentation and applying ideas to your real university work.
You will work toward clear, predefined requirements through participation and practical tasks. The emphasis is on engagement, reflection, application and improvement. The full requirements will be published in the syllabus and Moodle.
No special preparation is required. Your START-U instructor will contact you at the beginning of the semester with practical information about your group, classroom and first session.
Related Links
First-year information
Student Wellbeing and Community Centre
University Library
Neptun and Moodle help
Contact Us
You do not have to figure out university alone.
START-U is here to help you understand what university expects, discover strategies that work for you and build connections from the beginning. Your instructor will contact you at the start of the semester with all practical details.
Questions about the START-U course? Write to us at startu@uni-corvinus.hu