Training alongside university: how to fit it in

Being a university student in Szeged is a good starting position for training: the gym is in the city centre, on Attila utca, a few minutes from the downtown faculties and the library. No bus needed, no car needed: it fits between two lectures.

The student discount

With a student card you get passes at a reduced price, and it is not a token discount; check the price list. The same applies to University of Szeged staff with a staff card. Most pass types have a student price, listed next to each pass.

Passes that follow the semester

A university semester is not even: teaching period, exams, holidays. Two pass logics fit that rhythm:

• Entry-based passes (5, 10 or 20 entries), valid for weeks, and they only get used when you actually show up. During exams you are not burning money while you live in the library.
• Monthly passes, better value once your weekly rhythm is stable. There is a cheaper morning version too, valid on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and all day on weekends, which fits the gaps of a university timetable surprisingly well.

When to come if you want the room to yourself

The peak is on weekdays between 4 and 8 p.m., exactly when the after-work crowd arrives. As a student you have the luxury of training in the empty morning and early-afternoon room, when every machine is free. And the morning window is the cheaper one.

If you would rather not train alone

The group classes run into the evening as well, from spinning to yoga, the which class is for you article helps you choose. Classes are booked in the timetable, an online pass works as soon as it is confirmed, and your phone is enough to get in.

One exam-period tip, from experience: training does not take time away from studying, it makes the time usable. One hour of training followed by three hours of studying beats four hours straight.