Prague - an amazing city packed with opportunity Past Review
By A student (California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) - abroad from 08/28/2017 to 12/16/2017 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Prague, Czech Republic
I learned how to live 6000 miles outside of my comfort zone, to take myself less seriously, that it's impossible to control everything and that the world is bigger and more amazing than I ever realized.
Personal Information
| 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 |
There's different staff in charge of housing, excursions, academics, etc so it was easy to know who to go to in my time of need! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I shared a bedroom and had a total of 4 girls in my apartment. We had a shower and two bathrooms with toilets and a spacious kitchen. We also had a weekly house cleaner to clean the common spaces which helped a lot. I didn't have many other students living around me which was a bit of a bummer, but it was ok. |
| * Food: |
Food is pretty cheap which was really nice. The grocery stores were overwhelming at first, but in general it was easy to find a variety of food at a good price. Czech food is very heavy, but most people didn't eat it often. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I wish we had a longer orientation program. It was overwhelming to be in the city at the beginning and if we had a couple days to get shown around instead of just an afternoon the program would have been much easier to adjust to. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any health care needs while abroad, but the program does provide insurance. |
| * Safety: |
There were a couple break-ins during my program, but it was an issue of people not locking up properly. In general, I felt much safer than I thought I would during my time wandering around Prague alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program was very easy to work with, people helped me all throughout out the process and that gave me a great peace of mind. |
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? | It honestly varied too much to say, when I wasn't traveling outside the city probably around $100-150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Know that your money has to last the entire length of the program. I preferred to spend money on experiences rather than food, so I would eat at home and buy that train ticket to a different country rather than having fancy dinners. |
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 |
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| 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? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | 5 minutes a day goes a long way |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | 0 |
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? | The teaching style of teachers in Prague is very different than American teachers. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
