Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Unbelievable Experience Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/10/2018 to 12/14/2018 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned how to travel efficiently and be patient with other people during stressful times

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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

Prague provided a very inexpensive, central location for travel

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100-120$
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Yes, go to the grocery store as much as possible and do not spend all of your money in the first couple of weeks

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? When you go to a restaurant, try your best to order in the native language

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 Faculty
  • The Food
  • The Location
* What could be improved?
  • Organization
  • Communication
  • Keeping in Touch
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? To be careful about petty crime

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Economics of Transition
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Vilem Semerak
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Yes the course was very challenging and most courses consisted of lectures. The lectures were pretty unorganized and much of the work was up to us to figure out what would be on the exam.
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no issues
Course Name/Rating:

Comprehending the Holocaust
Course Department: Cultural Studies
Instructor: Michael Plizak
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was awesome, Professor Plizak was very knowledgable about the subject and made most of the course work very relevant to what we saw in everyday life.
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no issues
Course Name/Rating:

Elementary Czech
Course Department: Language
Instructor: Petra Bulijecova
Instruction Language: Czech and English
Comments: Petra was so nice and was very patient with us as we learned a very different language. She was very organized and very good at communicating what material we had to know
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no issues
Course Name/Rating:

Housing Market in a Central European Context
Course Department: Economics
Instructor: Martin Lux
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Professor Lux was very good at explaining key concepts about the Central European housing market. He also took us on a cool field trip through Prague that showed us about what we were learning in class.
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no issues
Course Name/Rating:

Prague as a Living History
Course Department: Cultural Studies
Instructor: Pavel Soukup
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Pavel was not great at communicating and his english was very broken. I wish the course was a little bit more engaging, but it was cool to walk around all of Prague.
Credit Transfer Issues: No, I had no issues