Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Unbelievable. Past Review

By (HISTORY., Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/03/2014 to 05/17/2014 with

UPCES - Study Abroad in Prague (CERGE-EI, Charles University)

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Truly eye opening experience. Traveling around europe and making close friends is something I highly recommend. Could not have had a better experience on this program.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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? Yes

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? few hundred dollars

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? none
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? try and use it as often as possible

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • great course selection
  • very accommodating
  • great staff
* What could be improved?
  • more program wide field trips
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? More insight into the country's history before going over there.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Prague as a living history
Course Department: history
Instructor: Jaroslav Svatek
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Great class, learned a tremendous amount about the city, culture, and people.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Czech Language
Course Department: Language
Instructor: Suzana
Instruction Language: Czech
Comments: Suzana made learning czech for a semester fun and entertaining. very useful skill to have while studying in prague for 4 months.
Credit Transfer Issues: no problems
Course Name/Rating:

visual culture and socialism
Course Department: history
Instructor: peter gibas
Instruction Language: english
Comments: very insightful class. Helped me understand Prague's rich history.
Credit Transfer Issues: no issues
Course Name/Rating:

europe in the global context
Course Department: history
Instructor: vlad sobell
Instruction Language: english
Comments: Vlad did an excellent job covering a wide range of material in only 10 weeks. He couldn't have been more helpful revising essays and with answering questions.
Credit Transfer Issues: no issues
Course Name/Rating:

The rise and fall of communist and east and central europe
Course Department: history
Instructor: keith crawford
Instruction Language: english
Comments: Very interesting material but also a fair amount of work. Taking this class definitely made me a better writer. Learned a great deal about what life was like while under communist rule.
Credit Transfer Issues: no issues