An intriguing, life-changing, fun experience. Past Review
By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/12/2016 to 12/16/2016 with
UPCES - Study Abroad in Prague (CERGE-EI, Charles University)
Outside of school I learned an incredible amount over the course of the semester. Living and traveling in a foreign country/continent teaches someone unforgettable life lessons.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program was just as rigorous and intense as my studies at Middlebury. There were definitely fewer resources and the semester schedule was much more crammed and instead of spread out like it is at Middlebury. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on-site administration was excellent. They were always available for any help I needed throughout the semester. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very satisfied with my living arrangement. |
| * Food: |
Food was not a problem however we were completely on our own for our daily meal arrangements. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Although I had never been to Eastern Europe, I actually felt surprisingly integrated from the first few days in Prague. I think it is because the city as whole is very Americanized. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had an issue with health so I don't have any valuable opinion to add. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe throughout my stay. The only advice I would have is that when traveling late at night to stay among friends and only take Uber or AAA cabs because there are many cars posing as taxis outsides of bars and clubs. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I would do it all over again the exact same in a heart beat! |
Finances
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* 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably around 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Learn the exchange rate the first day and keep track of your spending habits! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| 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? | Beginner |
| 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? | Use it outside the classroom as much as you can. Even when the locals know english, it is better to use the local language with them! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | Much of the work is jam packed into the weeks of mid-terms and the weeks of finals. It is not really spread out over the course of the semester like Middlebury. So it in a way hits you all at once which can me a little overwhelming at first if you are not prepared for it. |
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 UrbaniteA 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: |
Comprehending The Holocaust |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Plzak |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Yes, it was a challenging and very interesting course. We were able to go on a field trip to Krakow and tour the concentration camps which was truly a life changing experience. Participation was frequent and we were assessed by papers, presentations and exams. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Urban Anthropology of Central European Cities |
| Course Department: | Anthropology |
| Instructor: | Lucia Stefankova |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was fairly challenging. It was more of a lecture with not as much participation. We were able to go on field trips around the city. The professor was very educated and offered a lot of detail on each subject. We were assessed through papers, exams and presentations. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Gender and Minorities in Post-Socialist Europe |
| Course Department: | Gender Studies |
| Instructor: | Dr. Elena Soler |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was challenging and very interesting. The teacher was extremely knowledgeable of the topic and was always very prepared. Classes were discussion based and participation was necessary. We were assessed by papers, presentations and a final exam |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intro to Czech |
| Course Department: | Language |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Enligsh/Czech |
| Comments: | This course was definitely challenging. The teacher was fluent in both languages. Participation filled the entire class every day. We were able to go on a field trip to a Czech school and speak with the students. We were graded on our Mid term and final exams as well as a presentation. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Prague as a Living History: Anatomy of a European Capital |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Ondřej Skripnik |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was my least challenging course work wise. We toured the city once a week for three hours. It was very helpful in getting to know the city and it's history from very early on. Participation was never really an option as it was mostly just touring. We were finally graded on two exams and a paper. The exams seemed to be pretty irrelevant to what we studied all semester and were challenging in that sense. |
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