Prague: My Home Away From Home Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

Our program administrators were fantastic and extremely helpful. They helped us get to know the city as well as other cities that they took us on guided tours of (Brno, Vienna, etc). They were available every week day and had emergency numbers available for the weekend. They were a big help in dealing with visa requirements as well and really showed an interest in getting to know the students in the program. Our program size was perfect, we had about 30 students and everyone got to know everyone else really well. In the Spring the program sizes are generally significantly larger though so for students who prefer a smaller group, Fall might be better.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing is pretty good. Our rooms were four person suites with a kitchen area and bathroom for each suite. We had to buy kitchen supplies and soap but toilet paper, sheets, etc were all provided. We also had to pay for internet but this was not a large expense. The dorm is about 20-30 minutes away from class and downtown by subway.

While it may be a little more difficult for vegetarians to find eating options, it is definitely do-able. There are a lot of really great vegetarian restaurants (I would suggest Country Life and Beas Indian Restaurant specifically) and food from the grocery stores is very cheap so it's easy to make food in the dorm.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Our program took us on some really cool trips to other parts of the Czech Republic, like to Kutna Hora and Brno. It was really interesting being in smaller cities where most citizens did not know any English. Our program also got us tickets to ballets, operas, hockey games, soccer games, and other events which were great, and fun, experiences.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The program informs you about medical facilities and what to do in an emergency. UT also requires travel health insurance so you shouldn't need to worry about paying for most small medical emergencies out of pocket. Prague is one of the safest cities in terms of violent crime. Most crime in Prague is related to pick pocketing so watch your belongings. If you go out at night, do make sure to watch your drinks very closely.

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

We were required to take a Czech intensive class at the beginning of the program. We were not required to use Czech in class the rest of the semester but we were encourage to take semester long Czech classes. I mostly only used Czech to order in restaurants and ask for directions. Most people speak at least some English in the city centre but the outlying areas there are a lot of people who do not speak any English at all.

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• Dorm

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• Americans

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• Americans