Prague: an Oldie but a Goodie Past Review
By Kathryn B (Government, The College of William and Mary) for
CIEE: Prague - Central European Studies
Absolutely. I would do it again and recommend it to everybody. I have become more self-confident and more assured of myself and my ability to travel and adapt. I hope to return to Central Europe one day in an academic or professional context.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The classes were much easier, but there was a workload. Mostly, I enjoyed the subject material and everything I learned. I am concentrating in European Studies and the academics in Prague via CIEE were great in the sense that they focused on interesting material and offered great educational opportunities (i.e. Forum 2000). Some of the professors were great, one was not. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Strengths: friendly, helpful, flexible faculty. Fantastic opportunities: internships, volunteering, meeting Czech people, cultural immersion, and quality of professors. Weaknesses: some professors were not good, some enthusiasm for immersion decreased over the semester. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Very good at accommodating dietary restrictions, and the breakfast provided was good. Food was cheap and easy. Cooking for myself was a good option most of the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Optional trips abroad were amazing. Social gatherings occurred weekly--typical Czech pub night, tea room night, etc. They were a good way to hang out with Czech buddies and other Americans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Safe city. I got very sick for a few weeks, and the program was able to show me what to do about getting medication. They were very helpful. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I did not spend as much on food or personal expenses as I thought. Public transportation is included in tuition which was very nice. The Czech crown exchanges extremely well against the dollar, but I did not go out to eat very much to save money for independent travel. Budgeting for trips was crucial, because the Euro did not exchange well with the dollar and traveling was expensive. But it worked out. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Other Czech students, professors, Czech families and friends. Yes, I used it every day, because I found that not as many people spoke English as I was expecting. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Be open to using language, and leave pride at the door. Going out of your comfort zone is crucial to dealing with living in a place that does not speak the same language as you. Being open minded about cultural differences, as well as respectful, is the easiest way to make friends. Take advantage of EVERYTHING. Travel, stay in the Czech republic for a weekend, go out to the country, go to coffee with your professors, learn from them, volunteer. Do as much as possible. It is an amazing city with an amazing people. |
