Prague is a lot of fun. Past Review
By Kellen R (Undecided, Kansas State University) for
Czech Technical University: Prague - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
So much fun. The experiences and friends I gained from this trip are incredible. It opens up your mind to completely different ways of life.
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. |
The workload was bearable I felt. The classes that were supposed to be work were definitely work, the ones that weren't supposed to be weren't but there is a lot less classwork that needs to be done here and it all depends on tests and finals here rather than on coursework. The grading system is something I do not understand but I also don't need to comprehend it as it only comes back as pass/fail for me, so as long as I pass my courses then I am good. The one difference I feel I noticed here is that everyone seems to be a good deal older(3-7 years) and most were taking some sort of masters course or something, not bad just rather different being around people who were older all the time and I was the young one. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Had a very helpful packet of information with a very good map marked with places to visit as well as a booklet of random information ranging from what places were to where you can find an English speaking haircut salon. Things were pretty straightforward and while some processes took time(getting metro passes)it was still fairly easy to navigate around and get things accomplished. Unsure on the size of the University, but with such a large group of students studying abroad it leads me to believe it is of decent size and definitely met my expectations. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Area felt and looked safe enough. Very close to the campus buildings, may even be on campus grounds I think. There's two pubs in the basement, a billiard club behind it and numerous small bars in the area though actual clubs are more toward the city center up to 20 minutes away via tram or metro. Needed to buy my own plate, bowl, cooking utensils and food. |
| * Food: |
Fresh Point Pizza is wonderful, very affordable and great pizza and only a 5-7 minute walk from the room. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Every week there were presentations from a group of countries(usually 2-4) which would give you insight to their food, drink, and pop-culture/history. Great time to meet lots of people and have a great time. There were also quite a few organized trips to someplace awesome. Hockey matches are always fun as well as football. The opera and museums are excellent, always something you can find and do. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The one run-in with health issues was when my friend twisted his ankle and had to go to the hospital. Once we had called into his insurance and got that sorted out we got an ambulance fairly quickly that took us to the nearest hospital which then x-rayed his ankle and put it in a cast. Fairly quick process all in all. From what I remember it was routine vaccinations and Hepatitis A and B. |
| 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? | You can easily spend 1000 crowns a week. I would personally budget 1200-1500 crowns a week depending on how much you go out to eat and how many clubs you go to as that can rack up the cost of living quite a bit. 1000 crowns is a good number to work with though, should be able to handle most, if not all, of your food and personal expenses during a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save up money so that you have at least $100 a week and then tack on another $75-100 for weekends. That should give you enough money to live and then travel somewhere at least once a month. |
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? | none |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The ISC club had free lessons for multiple languages but it also set up a legitimate Czech language course where I learned enough Czech to be effective. Rarely needed to use anything more than Dobry den(hello). Most people can speak English. |
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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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? | Don't drink while on public transport. Also office hours are different and most Friday afternoon office hours are shorter if they are even existent. This program is great if you need a break while still forwarding your studies. Easy to relax and have fun. |
