Supportive program; amazing city! Past Review

By (English, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/29/2013 to 12/12/2013 with

CET Prague

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned about a new region of Europe (for me), met great other American students, many of whom I'm close with and see regularly, and got to know a beautiful, exciting, enchanting city intimately for a semester.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

CET is known to be more academically rigorous than other study abroad programs, and to be sure, they're strict about attending class and students definitely do study, but it's nothing compared to my school at home. It's simply not as comprehensive, thorough, or intense as your American university will probably be, because mostly, your professors are instructors/tutors/not the kind of academic superstars that you'll find at a U.S. liberal arts college or wherever you are. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but while the work you do at CET is necessary and "busy" work, it's not necessarily academically challenging.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Great. The directors of the program were super involved, open to suggestions and evaluations, and very thorough.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My apartment itself was beautiful, comfortable, large, well-furnished, and in a central and safe section of Prague (~10 minutes away from Old Town/Wenceslas via walking). That was great, of course, but ultimately not worth the fact that I and my five roommates were completely isolated from the rest of the program: everyone else in our small program (so, the other 15 students) were housed together in a different building in a different district, while we were alone 30 minutes away. It made making friends with the people on our program a lot harder and more stressful and we missed out on the experience everyone else shared of living together and exploring Prague together from a shared home. It was a huge disappointment, honestly, and if there's anything to be done about it, I hope CET does that.

* Food:

Czech food is not the best, but Prague is a multicultural city, so there are options! CET introduced us to a lot of the best and often cheapest restaurants (not that Prague is so expensive anyway).

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

CET took us on a lot of activities, showed us the city, etc., but ultimately, we were visiting and not speaking Czech, it's hard to become "friends" wit hthe locals. I felt comfortable and knowledgeable with the local culture, but not a part of it myself, which is fine and to be expected.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any health issues, but I know friends who did and had no problem with CET immediately finding them a good, English-speaking doctor who gave them thorough and fast attention. There are no prevalent issues in Prague, as far as I know.

* Safety:

Prague is super safe. The only thing you hear about is pickpocketing, and our directors said that happens to about one student a semester, but actually, it didn't happen to anyone in our program. I always felt completely safe walking around Prague alone at night as a young female. Just be smart, be aware of your belongings and surroundings, and don't leave your things anywhere.

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 is very cheap. You could probably get away with spending $50 a week. A beer is around a dollar; groceries for the week around the equivalent of $30 or less, and a meal at a pretty nice restaurant out less than $10 US dollars.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Just budget and you'll be fine!

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

They encouraged us a lot, but ultimately, Czech is a difficult language and our class taught us survival Czech, not necessarily conversational.

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? Advanced
How many hours per day did you use the language? 0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Do your homework and practice speaking it, because it's hard. You probably won't become fluent in Czech.

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?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Level of support
  • Traveling seminar
  • Activities/resources
* What could be improved?
  • Housing
  • Don't both trying to merge Film and CET/JS
  • Even more traveling opportunities?
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how much more important it is to save money for traveling Europe than for shopping! Also, I wish I had gone to Croatia.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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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.