The program exceeded my expectations Past Review
By Chelle W (Art History, Criticism and Conservation., University of Hartford) for
AIFS: Prague - Charles University
Before I went to Prague, I wanted to live in Japan and study Japanese art history. Though I would still like to go to Japan someday, my plans have completely changed. Now I'd like to get a degree in art theory from Charles University. I plan to become fluent in Czech over the next two years, and then study for my PhD in either art theory or art history, also at Charles University. I don't think that I would have changed my plans so drastically for just any city, because I visited a handful of other cities and was relieved when I left them. I'm not so intimidated by Europe anymore.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The faculty at Charles University was very engaging and encouraged students to become more involved in coursework, rather than just reading and rephrasing the information in the texts. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I had no problems at all with the AIFS administration. The program exceeded my expectations. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Dejvice is a very safe neighborhood in Prague. There is not much in terms of nightlife, aside from cafe Kabinet, which I went to once a week or so. It was very close to the school by taking the metro, and most nightlife was easy to get to using the trams. Another convenience was that the night tram 51 stopped right outside the dorm, so it was easy to get home after a night out. |
| * Food: |
The food at the dorm was very cheap, but vegan options are nonexistent and the vegetarian option was often just mush. I would recommend making food in your dorm if you have a dietary restriction. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Our program arranged two trips that were included in the fee; one to Moravia and one to Krakow. The trip to Moravia happened in the first couple of weeks that we were there, and it provided the students a chance to get to know one another. We toured Brno and the surrounding regions, saw castles and cathedrals, and had dinner in the cellar of a winery founded by the Templar knights. On the trip to Krakow we visited Auschwitz, which was an incredibly eye-opening experience. On my own time, I visited Berlin, Belgrade, Budapest, and Bratislava. My favorite city (aside from Prague) was Belgrade. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The only real 'safety' issue was pick pockets, but I don't think they have a reputation for being violent. Taxi drivers also routinely overcharge foreigners. Personally I didn't have any health-related problems while abroad. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About $400-$500 a month, but I had saved money to be able to live pretty comfortably. I ate at restaurants almost daily, went shopping at thrift stores a few times, traveled outside of Prague, etc. If I had gone without extra money, I would have been fine buying groceries using the AIFS debit card. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Clothing is more expensive in Prague than it is here in the states, even at thrift stores, so I wouldn't recommend going shopping too much. Plan ahead for what you think you'll want to wear. Also, although beer is very cheap, it can easily eat up a good chunk of cash over time. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Balance your school work with your social life, meet Czech people, try to speak the language, and eat fried cheese. |
