Study Abroad Prague- CEA Past Review

By (Political Science, Vanderbilt University) for

CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Prague, Czech Republic

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
yes it was an incredible experience.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

significantly easier than home university, a lot more emphasis on writing compared to testing. The expectations of the students were much lower as well.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program was 46 students (apparently it is much larger in the spring), CEA had a large office with a computer lab where you could print things and the staff was incredibly helpful helping students with any issues they had.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

there are tons of restaurants we eat Italian a lot, I didn't love Czech food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

CEA held various trips to Czech towns and to Berlin and Krakow. They also had frequent events to go to in Prague: hockey and soccer games, opera, ballet, tours, etc.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very safe.

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Czech Republic is cheap compared to most other European countries, and the public transportation is good which means I never spent money on cabs.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? none
Language acquisition improvement?

most people speak english, I took a Czech class but couldn't communicate 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

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • apartment
  • classes
  • helpfulness of staff
* What could be improved?
  • nothing