Unexplainable. Past Review
By siana.stone (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Hartford) - abroad from 01/27/2012 to 05/19/2012 with
AIFS: Prague - Charles University
I learned that stupid little problems in my life are actually not problems. Problems are the starving people, the people that were freezing to death because it was so cold and the corrupt government that the Czech people have to deal with every day. This trip was the best experience I ever had and I wish it could have been longer.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The school was just very different than what I was used to. The teaching style gave students a lot of freedom however I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing because although I did well, it took a while to figure out what the teacher would want from you. Other than that, I really did love going to school abroad however I wish that there were more local students in my classes. I was told by one of my teachers that some of my classes were open to Czech students but there was not one Czech student in any of my courses, I found that disapointing. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The AIFS Czech administration was super helpful and planned a lot of events for us that went unpaid. They also helped with individual trips even though they didn't have to. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My only problem with the housing was that there was no living room. The space was managable for the semester however I was thinking about staying another semester and that is one of the cons that I found. I did like that there was a kitchen and the maid service was very helpful. Overall an awesome experience especially living with people from Czech Tech, I got to know a lot of locals as well as other foreign students. I loved that there was a bar and club downstairs, on the nights where you wanted to go out but it was raining or cold it was a good place to hangout with everyone with everyone without disrupting people who lived near by. |
| * Food: |
I LOVED the FX credit card. It made it very easy to buy and eat the food that you wanted. Czech supermarkets are rather inexpensive and that made it much easier to budget my money. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Pretty integrated however I wish there were more opportunities to meet Czech students. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Health care was very expensive. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe in my dorms and throughout the city because I was given the right education of what to look out for. Didn't have any problems. The Czech Police however do not speak English or if they do it's very little thus I felt the need to look out for myself. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Thankfully I saved a lot of money before I went. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100.00 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Work as much as you can. On the nights where your friends ask you to go out to the bar or something think about how you would much rather use that money to go out with your friends abroad. Being abroad you won't have much source of income and you likly won't ever be with the same people you studied abroad with all together again. That time is limited. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
5 |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 0 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Don't be scared! Local people will appreciate you trying even if they respond in English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That there was not spring break so it wouldn't be such a shock. |
