Czech Republic: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The insight provided by the instructors from Palacky University was second to none. Jan and Martin were able to elaborate on issues as farther back than the birth of Christ to present day international concerns relating to economics, communism, and just about anything anyone could dare to dream up.

On-site administration of your program

The on-site faculty member for our program seemed wholly overwhelmed for the better part of our trip. She rarely interacted with the students outside of class trip and provided little in the area of assistance as to how to navigate a foreign country (even though she was said to have been well-traveled). She was wasteful with group money often taking out large sums of one currency and trading it for another currency to lose an exorbitant amount on the exchange rate. Finally, upon our departure for Prague, our instructor abandoned the large group after a mix-up forced group members to pay extra for luggage. Several group members were left scrambling and a few running to catch the plane as the instructor took her seat and seemingly decided the group no longer mattered. Overall, I feel she was unprepared for the task she was taking on and would have benefited from taking the trip with more experienced group leader.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My housing situation was unsatisfactory. While I did enjoy the close quarter to international student, my quad was filthy. Upon arrival a towel with its own insect population sat outside my bedroom door, the kitchen counter was filled with rotten food and the sink was often left clogged until the arrival cleaning person on Tuesday mornings. The bathroom was never clean and, at one point, a man had broken into the front door of the flat to vomit in one bathroom and pass out in the other. The vomit remained on the bathroom floor for two weeks even after repeated requests to the hostel managers for it to be cleaned.

The food was amazing. If going there, a person should try everything. especially the potato pancakes.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The field trips were fantastic. My one suggestion would be that students be provided with view of the old and new Europe. It felt as though we visited a lot of ancient castle but failed to see many of the new structures.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

As stated earlier, a man had broken into my flat and passed out inside the bathroom. This was a scary experience. However, I feel the overall safety was adequate and likely as safe as any place in the United States.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The Czech language class provided a brief overview of important survival terms (please, thank you, basic sentence structure, and how to count) along with more random vocabulary (for instance, how to say ham). Tomash made the class fun and a good nine a.m. wake up call. My only suggestion would be to spend more time on pronunciation, as it is vital to the Czech language.

Select all that apply

• Dorm
• Hostel

Select all that apply

• International Students