NYU Prague keeps you busy Past Review

By Danielle (Sociology., Anonymous University) for

New York University: Prague - NYU in Prague

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I would not change my abroad experience in anyway. I traveled to 12 different cities while I studied abroad, met all kinds of new people and learned a lot. Prague is a great place to go. It is different than any other place I traveled to in Europe. It is a beautiful place that has an amazing history and future. I was looking for a abroad experience where I could just let loose and party a lot and I found it. My stress levels were at an all time low in Prague. The NYU program is one of the best to go on, with 24/7 help (if you need it), great professors and a VERY centrally located academic building.

Personal Information

The term and year this program took place:	Spring 2008

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The academics on this program were not particularly challenging... in fact I feel as if I really did very little work and got surprisingly good grads in the end! However, I did learn a lot, the professors were great and really enjoyed my academic experience there.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	They were SO helpful with anything I ever needed. NYU was a very organized program from the start. My suite mate lost her passport and they helped her get it back within two days. If anyone ever had any issue, they could easily get help from the administration in Prague.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The housing was great. I lived in the Machova dorm. We were fairly centrally located, had big rooms and fully stocked kitchens. It was a very social dorm. We had a back yard and when the weather got warm, we would grill and hang out outside. It was a lot of fun.
* Food:	There is no meal plan.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Prague was one of the best times of my life. I met awesome people, partied a lot and just had a great time. If someone is looking for a place with cheap beer, great clubs and bars then Prague is definitely the place.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

Finances

* 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)

Language

Language acquisition improvement?	Well I went into the program without knowing ANY Czech and came out with enough to go grocery shopping, communicate with cab drivers (who DO NOT speak English) and get around!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Art in Czech Lands
Course Department:
Instructor:	Otto Urban
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was an awesome class. Every Tuesday, we would learn about a piece of art or a certain artist and then on Thursday we would go and see it! I really learned a lot about a culture I knew nothing about. The professor was also AWESOME... instead of having class, sometimes we would just go to a cafe and talk about living in Prague, what it was like during the communist era or anything else that came up!
Credit Transfer Issues:	Nope!

Course Name/Rating:	Intro to Czech Language
Course Department:
Instructor:	Jiri Novak
Instruction Language:	Czech/English
Comments:	While learning a new language (especially one as hard as Czech!) can be boring and very frustrating sometimes, Jiri always made it interesting! I actually learned a lot more than I thought I was going to. He always made class fun, and would answer any questions we had from how to say certain words to where the best restaurants in the area were!
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Comp Lit:Kafka and his Contexts
Course Department:
Instructor:	Adela Muchova
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was actually the only class I took in Prague that I did not like. I was excited to learn about Kafka (who was born and lived his entire life about twenty feet from where our academic building was) but was disapointed with this class. After the first week or two I was very bored and had trouble even taking the class seriously. In the end though, I definitely learned a lot about Kafka and his life.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Nope!

Course Name/Rating:	Human Rights in Eastern Europe
Course Department:
Instructor:	Zdenek Kuhn
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class opened up my eyes to an entirely different type of human/civil rights. While class could get a little boring (it met Monday afternoons from 4:00 - 7:00) I came out of it with a new found appreciation for the rights that are garunteed to me as an American. The professor is also a really great guy, very smart and helpful!
Credit Transfer Issues:	Nope!