A truly amazing experience in a truly amazing city Past Review
By Alison Kaye (University of Georgia) - abroad from 08/28/2016 to 12/15/2017 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Prague, Czech Republic
I had traveled before but I learned so much about myself as a traveler and confirmed my own goal to live abroad one day. The experience challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and to try new things, pretty much daily. I'm usually rather introverted but I learned so much about how to engage with new people and incredibly valuable communication and adaptability skills. It was an incredibly worthwhile experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. In my opinion, it is worth every penny because you learn so much about yourself and how to be a cognizant and effective global citizen from studying abroad.
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. |
I gave 4 stars for this category simply because my courses were not very rigorous. When studying abroad with CEA in Prague, you attend classes at the Anglo-American University. Classes are held once a week for 3 hours which I absolutely loved (more time for travel!) and they weren't very intense or rigorous courses. However, the school provides all textbooks through the library so you don't have to spend any money in that department and the school itself is absolutely beautiful. Courses also transfer back (specifically for University of Georgia) as pass/fail rather than as a letter grade which really takes down a bit of the stress involved with classes. Overall, a really great schooling experience that allowed me to explore both Prague and Europe throughout my time abroad. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
WOW, the CEA on-site staff are some of the most friendly and helpful people I've ever come across! They answered any and all questions so quickly, helped set us up in our new homes, showed us some Prague sites, and even took us around a few towns outside Prague. They were always open and available to help whenever needed and even provided exercise opportunities and cultural excursions! Adjustment to Prague was so easy thanks to this great staff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing is set up through CEA so as soon as I arrived I was driven to my new home for the semester. The apartment itself was so close to school and near various metro stops. I never felt threatened or unsafe while in my housing site and maintenance responded to any problems we had very swiftly. |
| * Food: |
Ok, so I have to give a slightly lower rating for this simply because I am a vegetarian and the Czech Republic isn't exactly known for its overflow of vegetarian cuisine. While there were a few vegetarian friendly restaurants (there was an all vegan restaurant right around the corner of my apartment!) oftentimes I was limited to a greek salad or block of fried cheese. As long as you don't mind cooking for yourself or searching out vegetarian options before you go out, then it's not a problem at all as long as you're aware you may be a little limited. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The CEA staff taught us a lot about our host country. We went on excursions outside of Prague to Cesky Krumlov and Kutna Hora that I'm sure I never would have visited on my own. Anglo-American University also offers a lot of opportunities to engage with people from across the world so you aren't limited to just your fellow study abroad students. I learned a lot about the city from my classes and experienced it for myself through my own excursions and activities within the city. Just walking around and people watching teaches you so much and Prague definitely offers some beautiful walking (and people watching) opportunities. I think the language barrier might have kept me from 100% connection with the local culture but the CEA staff definitely helped bridge the gap. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I give 5 stars because I personally didn't have any health concerns while abroad but from what I heard from others it went fairly well. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in Prague. As long as you take necessary precautions (like not walking alone at 3 in the morning) then you'll be totally safe. Also, I've heard of a few cases of people being pick-pocketed in some of the more touristy areas but as long as you keep everything close to you then everything will be fine. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I LOVE PRAGUE. It's beautiful, central, cheap, perfect, ir has amazing transportation system, isn't too big, isn't too small, it's truly a lovely city. |
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) |
Prague is a wonderfully cheap city. It is not on the euro so there's a bit more of an opportunity to save. I spent most of my money on flights and bus tickets as food in Prague itself was relatively inexpensive. I probably spent around $20-$30 a week on food when I stayed in Prague. It is important to note though that if you plan on doing a lot of traveling to big cities, things will get more expensive. But, if you bring pre-made snacks and don't spend a ton on souvenirs then you really won't have to spend a lot. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20-30 on food; if a week when traveling then probably about $100 depending on location/transportation cost |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Keep in mind where you're traveling and bring snacks so you really only have to eat one meal out a day, especially if you're going somewhere known to be expensive. And don't spend a lot on souvenirs! I collected postcards from everywhere I went which is a super cheap way to remember all the places you visited without breaking the bank or your suitcase. Also, plan ahead!! If you know you want to travel somewhere then plan that out as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more expensive flights and buses and trains will be so just think and plan ahead. |
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 |
Czech is a pretty difficult language so they encouraged it but understood most students were uncomfortable with it. The locals really appreciate any effort but I never found it 100% necessary to be fluent in Czech. |
| 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? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Take the intro to Czech class at Anglo American! My roommate took it and she learned a lot about the Czech language and culture that I didn't get the chance to experience. |
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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| 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? | It's ok to travel alone! Before this program, I was super unsure about traveling alone and I really didn't do any solo travel simply because I was frightened. However, I've now traveled a bit by myself and you meat so many new people, it forces you out of your comfort zone, and you really get to do whatever the heck you want. I wish I had not been so scared of traveling by myself because it is a really valuable experience that can teach you so much without you even realizing it. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
