Best Semster of My life Past Review

By A student (Consumer Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/07/2014 to 12/14/2014 with

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

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

I gained the ability to be independent, meet a wide range of people, and experience an entirely new culture. Prague was different enough culturally so that I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but the presence of Americans allowed me to get through the culture shock very easily. After talking to a range of other students coming back from abroad I would say Prague students generally had the best time. I would never trade this semester or this program for any other experience.

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.	I think this program had classes that were generally equal to the offerings here-sometimes it was hard to focus due to the accents of teachers making it difficult to understand but after getting past that they were very accommodating and invested in helping students.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The administration of the program was very helpful and truly wanted us to have the best experience. They were extremely knowledgeable about the city of Prague and knew how to prepare us for what we were about to experience.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I did not find housing through the UPCES program but everyone who did was pleased.
* Food:	Food was not provided by UPCES but there were a variety of good cheap options for students who didn't want to cook.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Prague is not the best place in terms of cultural integration as the general population is pretty standofish. That being said the few Czech people we did get close with were extremely interested in our background and sharing theirs.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I never used the healthcare system.
* Safety:	The city is very safe though there is petty crime, I don't know anyone who was pick pocketed etc.
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)	Prague was cheap-though I think this fact sometimes made me spend more than if it wasn't so cheap- food and drinks were very cheap and getting around by tram was free. For what we got it was a great value
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	170
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Try and cook as much as possible and learn about the trams early on.

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	Barely ever.
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?	None
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?	Prague citizens are often offended if you try and use Czech, especially in the city center. At first it may seem like nobody speaks english but this is part of the culture shock- soon you will realize it is very easy to get around with English.

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	Americans International Students
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?	Students Classes flexibility
* What could be improved?	No mandatory Czech More integration of students/czechs clearer housing process.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I never thought I would get home sick- but I did the first week- and I wish I knew that I would get over it very quickly so I could have enjoyed my first week more.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	CEE Housing Market
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Martin Lux
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Yes- the course was very challenging and intersting. We did one or two field trips over the course of the course. The teacher was very well versed in the subject matter. I participated less in the course due to the class size. I was assesed based on exams, papers and presentations.
Credit Transfer Issues:	n/a

Course Name/Rating:	Urban Anthropology
Course Department:	Anthropology
Instructor:	Stefankova Lucia
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was fairly challenging, though not as challenging as my economics courses. The class was very interesting due to the wide range of nationalities represented by the students who contributed to the class. The teacher was extremely nice and helpful- we were assessed on papers, presentations and tests. I participated a lot in this class.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Czech Language
Course Department:	Language
Instructor:	Petra Bulejčíková
Instruction Language:	English/Czech
Comments:	I found this course very challenging and as someone who is not good at languages very difficult. I wish the course was a pass/fail offering in the beggining of the semester as I did not feel as though I used any Czech beyond common greetings throughout my semester. We were graded on class participation, homework and exams. The teacher was very nice and helpful I just had no interest in this mandatory course.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	CEE Economic Development
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Dragana Stanisic
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was challenging- definitely up to the standards of Middlebury. The teacher wasn't the most interesting but was helpful when needed. Was assessed based on exams- way more theoretical than I had anticipated. Barely participated in this class.
Credit Transfer Issues: