Study Abroad in Prague Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload in general was tolerable, though I only had to read things for class the next day and show up and pay attention to lectures. Towards the end, I finally had to write decent sized papers for three classes. The teaching methods, overall, weren't that different from my college. One professor, I felt as if I could not approach at all, and generally, the professors were not that eager to get in touch outside of class hours, except for one who was very email-interested and liked to take frequent trips with his students.

On-site administration of your program

The program directors were very accessible and helpful and if I had trouble with anything, I knew I could send them an email and they would respond very quickly. They provided a good packet with all the information that we needed on our first week. They gave us their contact information. I didn't have a Czech cell phone, so I had to email them. They were very knowledgeable about Prague, the Czech Republic, and surrounding countries. My expectations were exceeded.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Masarykova kolej, in Prague 6. It was a dorm with American students from our program, Czech students, and international students. It was also a hotel. <br /><br /> The dorm I stayed in was a 5-minute walk to the Metro at the end of the green line, so that was very, very helpful and convenient. It was three stops to the main building and four stops to the other school building. It was near restaurants and the post office. The neighborhood was very safe and I never felt like I was in danger. I didn't need to buy any sheets, pillows, or cookware because that was provided. Many people chose to do so because it made them feel more comfortable, but I didn't. The staff at the dorm were not very friendly, however. The downstairs restaurant at the dorm was very good and I would eat there about 2-3 times a week.

I never went to the university's cafeteria and ate at restaurants frequently. It's a good thing that Prague is a cheap city to live in, otherwise, I would have had a problem. I wasn't a vegetarian then, so eating in restaurants was easy. My vegetarian friend had a problem with this, however. I rarely cooked in the dorm because we didn't have a toaster or microwave or a stove and had to rely on the hotplate. Overall, the food selection in restaurants was very good. Typically, Czech food is heavy and unhealthy, so I tended not to eat a lot of it. You can find plenty of familiar foods Thai, Chinese, American, etc. food. Since I'm from Houston, I am used to very good Tex-Mex food, and there was only one restaurant I found that could pull off a successful Tex-Mex dish.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I have something called a 'pre and post-Vienna' experience in Prague. I didn't have any friends before AIFS' trip to Vienna, but as I was filling out in what room to stay in in the hotel in Vienna, the girl sitting next to me in the bus told me I could room with her and her two friends. I was pretty shocked by this and I, of course, accepted. I had wanted to be friends with her anyway and she was actually the first person I spoke to on the program. She was interesting, and her two friends were genuinely good people who liked interesting things. I knew I wanted to be friends with them. We hung out every day in Vienna and after Vienna, hung out nearly every day in Prague. We went to restaurants, went exploring, to concerts, etc. It was from them that I met interesting people from various countries and cities. We all helped each other in this way, I think. We hung out with mostly Czechs and foreigners. We very rarely hung out with other people from the program. I went to many concerts in Prague and this is how I became very good friends with a girl from Slovakia, who was a part of a collective of a concert space and art gallery. She's a very good photographer and one of the nicest people I've ever met. We still talk today. I've been to more concerts in Prague than I have in a long time.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Prague is very safe as far as crimes and things like that go. I read a very good statistic that I can't quite remember regarding the lack of crime in this city. The only thing to worry about was pickpocketing and I was nearly a victim of this as I was going up the escalator to class in the morning. My backpack was unzipped. A lady behind me pointed this out and I said thank you in Czech and rushed to the main building of the university and made sure everything was still there. I was panicking, but luckily, nothing was missing. I had a big health problem the first month I was in Prague (I had a respiratory infection) that caused me to miss a week of class. I went to the doctor that AIFS provided in the same building and got medicine. I paid for it with my money then was reimbursed later. I was reimbursed two weeks ago, actually, so it is an inconvenience if you're in need of money, but the program director made sure the check was sent to my home.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I practiced language with my American and Czech friends. It was easier if you knew the language, so I tried as best as I could from what I could remember at the time. Helpful especially during busy lunch hours. Most people did not speak English, but a good deal of them did or knew a little bit of English.

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• Dorm

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• International Students
• Americans
• Local Students

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• Americans