Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Amazing once in a lifetime learning experience January 26, 2024

By (international politics and economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/10/2023 to 12/16/2023 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much. I learned a lot about myself and how to live in a new culture. I definitely grew as a person. It was definitely worthwhile.

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.

Overall, it was a good educational experience. In general, I liked the courses that I took, some were very valuable. Not all of them were that great but for the most part, my experience was good.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The administration was awesome. They were such amazing resources!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My living arrangements were good. The apartment was very good.

* Food:

There are many grocery stores where you can purchase your own food to cook and there are plenty of good restaurants in the city.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I didn't feel that integrated in the local culture, but I do feel like I did really get to experience and understand it a lot better then I otherwise would have. It was difficult to meet Czech people, but by just being out and about in the city, I integrated a bit.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any experiences where I needed healthcare but from what I heard from other people, health issues were dealt with pretty well. We were given the resources that we needed.

* Safety:

I always felt very safe in Prague. I always felt safe walking home alone or walking at night alone. This was very nice, and also had to do with my apartment being in a very nice area. It was nice to not have to worry about safety. Obviously it is important to always be alert, but for the most part, Prague is extremely safe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I loved my program. The people were amazing, it is a great city, and I definitely would not change it.

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 is a very cheap city, so daily living expenses are low. It is the travelling part of studying abroad that is expensive, so that is something to think about.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Limit travel/find cheap travel and hotel options. Book trips far in advance because prices will be cheaper. Try to cook a lot because groceries are cheaper than restaurants.

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? Beginner
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? Don't be embarrassed to try out the language in public. Obviously we were not expected to learn Czech in 3 months, but using it as much as possible was fun.

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
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?
  • the people
  • the field trips
  • the administrators were amazing
* What could be improved?
  • some of the classes/professors
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew more about the Czech Republic in general before I went.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

CEE Economic Growth and Development

Course Department: Econ
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments: This was a very valuable course, I learned a lot and have taken a lot of knowledge home with me to my courses here.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Social Policies: (How) do they work?
Course Department: Econ
Instructor:
Instruction Language: english
Comments: This class was not great. The exams were hard and had nothing to do with the material that we were taught. We were not prepared well for them or for any of the assignments. The things on the test were things that were not even on the original syllabus. We had two different teachers- each for half of the semester. They were not on the same page and the second professor was not nice. The professor's didn't grade things fairly and it was extremely difficult to improve on anything. It is a shame because I enjoyed my other classes so much.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Elementary Czech

Course Department: Czech
Instructor:
Instruction Language: Czech
Comments: I loved this class!!! I learned so much and my professor was awesome. I found this class so useful to take while in Prague and am so glad I took it.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Prague as a Living History

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was good. I learned a lot about the history of Prague and Eastern Europe in general. The class was all walking tours which was cool to see different sites around the city. We had exams which were pretty hard, but manageable.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Urban Anthropology of Central and Eastern European Cities
Course Department: Anthropology
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was all about the rise of cities in Europe. It was a pretty cool class and we went on some cool field trips. The exams were relatively relevant to the course material. There was one paper at the end of the semester which was cool too.
Credit Transfer Issues: