Wonderful experience studying film In Prague, CZ Past Review
By Mariana G (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 08/24/2015 to 12/19/2015 with
CIEE: Prague - Film Studies
Definitely worthwhile. I learned so much about Prague, Czech Republic, and the surrounding countries. The film school was amazing, the professors all very successful and experienced. And the films the local students were making were very impressive, overall a very impressive film scene happening in Prague. I made new friends and experience new cultures.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The resources for film students at FAMU were great, the professors specifically for our program were awesome and the equipment was good. The school library had a great collection of movies and books about filmmaking too. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived right by the city center. It was so easy to get around and it was right by the river too, very beautiful. Living right by Andel square also gave us a grocery store and mall walking distance from our place. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick only once and going to the doctor and getting medicine was really simple, they were very friendly. |
| * Safety: |
Prague was extremely safe! Day or night, walking or on public transportation everyone was courteous and I felt very safe. |
| 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) |
You could get a full dinner and a beer at most restaurants for about $8, which is like 200 czk. The movies are like 5 dollars, and groceries are remarkably cheaper over there. Convenience stores are also really cheap. Overall much cheaper than living in the US. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $60-80 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Don't just eat out every day because it's relatively cheaper, buy groceries and eat at home to save money because it really adds up. Try to pack lunches for weekend trips abroad to save money as well. |
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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | Pack light so you can bring back all the memories. I packed way more shirts than I needed, could have easily been ok with half. Some I never even wore. You can always buy something at the mall if you're running low- but taking too much with you is easy to regret. Pack sweaters, it will get cold! Except for early fall and late spring when I was fine in shorts and even went swimming during those times. |
