Czech Republic: Embracing European Culture inside and outside the Classroom Past Review
By Chase D (Economics., Middlebury College) for
UPCES - Study Abroad in Prague (CERGE-EI, Charles University)
Yes, I have learned more about myself and European culture than I could have ever imagined.
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Workload was manageable and the grading system was fair. I wish teachers involved more group work and also gave assignments throughout the semester instead of all at the end. But overall, it was very successful. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The faculty was knowledgeable and very accessible. A perfect number of administration and I was able to get any information necessary from them. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with 3 other Middlebury students, and although the actual rooms were wonderful and large, the location was near a very touristy area that had some sketchy (drug and alcohol) related incidences nearby. We bought all of our items. |
* Food: |
Food satisfaction was limited in terms of real health food. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Field trips to horse racing and to local Czech town were highlights of the trip. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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* Safety: |
The positioning of our apartment was some concern due to safety reasons, but overall no prevalent issues and we had an enjoyable safe experience |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Language acquisition improvement? |
Practice, practice, practice. Don't be afraid to meet new people and try and talk to them. Everyone in the Czech Republic enjoyed speaking to an American who tried to speak their language. |
Other Program Information
* 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 and enjoy it! An open one. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Housing Market in Central Europ |
Course Department: | Economics |
Instructor: | Ashot Tsharakyan. |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | The course was underwhelming. The teacher tried his best, but we did not succeed in learning all that we planned in the beginning. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I do not know. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Prague as a Living History |
Course Department: | |
Instructor: | Ondrej Skripnik |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | Learned about the city of Prague, but needed more organization. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |
Course Name/Rating: |
Economics of Transition |
Course Department: | |
Instructor: | Mr. Vilem Simerak |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | Challenging and my favorite class. I participated equally as if I was at Middlebury and in the end, I learned not only about the Czech Republic's economy, but about all economic systems work and don't work. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I do not know about credit transfers at this time. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Central Europe: Shaping a Modern Culture |
Course Department: | Sociology |
Instructor: | Professor Tomas Hribek |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | Not too challenging, and I participated much less in this class due to lack of student involvement on the teacher's part. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | I do not know if there is any credit. |
Course Name/Rating: |
Elementary Czech Language |
Course Department: | Sect. 5 |
Instructor: | Sveltana |
Instruction Language: | Czech |
Comments: | Second Favorite course, and as good an introduction to a language as I could have hoped for. The teacher was phenomenal. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | No credit transfers on this class. |