Studying abroad prepared me for life after graduation Past Review
By Stephen T (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Providence College) for
AIFS: Prague - Charles University
Definitely worthwhile. I gained a lot more independence, because at PC (and probably at most colleges) you are living apart from your parents but you still live in this bubble community where you're on a campus and everything you need is right there. Living for the first time in a city where I was forced to take public transportation, and forced to deal with language barriers, etc. has definitely prepared me for life after graduation.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Charles University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was incredibly helpful, but also very personable and willing to help out in more ways than just the bare necessities - i.e. recommend museums, other places of interest in other cities when traveling, etc... |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Masarkova Kolej - Was a big dorm complex for foreign students, so while there were a good amount of American students living in the dorm (basically our entire program) it seems most of the dorm consisted of European students. <br /><br /> Liked the housing, we had a kitchen which made eating very manageable + plus... can't say I had any negative experience with housing... |
| * Food: |
Food was good, liked the meal plan which was simply a cash card because i could use it to eat out, buy groceries, or at the cafeteria. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Just loved site seeing, experiencing the different cities nightlifes, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We received insurance cards that essentially said AIFS would be on 24/7 call in case of emergency. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save up before you go abroad because the worst thing I noticed that happened to kids is they ran out of money and couldn't afford to travel to places they were really looking forward to going to!! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
We had a mandatory 2 week Czech intensive class... was very helpful in getting acclimated to a different culture with a different language. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Its an A+, Prague is cheaper than the rest of Europe so you won't blow through all your money. It has a great nightlife, program is awesome, the city's architecture is beautiful, and the people are very friendly (at least compared to the Italians!) |
