Trip of a lifetime Past Review
By Abigail Marmer (Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/10/2018 to 12/15/2018 with
UPCES - Study Abroad in Prague (CERGE-EI, Charles University)
Very worthwhile. I learned to find comfort in uncertainty.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes and materials were interesting, supplemented with a lot of exploration of Prague and access to museums. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was very helpful and made me feel comfortable during my stay in Prague! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
David Erdos was trustworthy and respectful and he provided us with a really comfortable and nice apartment. |
| * Food: |
Lots of food options, not limited to Czech cuisine! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You had to go out of your way to interact with true Czech citizens, i.e, get out of the main touristy part of Prague in which we lived. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no experience with healthcare, but the program outlined where to go for help if needed. |
| * Safety: |
Felt very safe, especially in my apartment. Did not feel unsafe walking alone or walking around at night. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
They were helpful, accommodating, and fun to be around! |
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) |
Easy, Prague is inexpensive. Especially if you grocery shop and cook food. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Less than 100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook for yourself! Public transportation instead of taxis/ uber |
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 |
Classes were in english but we practiced basic greetings with professors in other courses. |
| 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? | N/A |
| 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? | Practice in restaurants and stores! |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Learning about the history of another country is important to understanding the modern day culture and societal norms |
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: |
Sociology as the Surrealistic Prague Experience |
| Course Department: | SOC |
| Instructor: | Ewa Grigar |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The professor was great! She truly cares about teaching, learning, and about her students. She took us on many informative field trips to relevant museums. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Prague as a Living History |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Vera |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Kind of boring, but there's a very rich history in PRague. If you complete all the readings that complement each class, you will learn a lot! You will see many things in Prague that you wouldn't know to see on your own. Great way to explore the city. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Film as a Mirror of Ideology |
| Course Department: | FIlm |
| Instructor: | Tereza Brdeckova |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Not challenging, but gained a lot of insight into pre and post communist society through authentic Czech films. Very interesting! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Czech |
| Course Department: | Language |
| Instructor: | Petra Bulejicova |
| Instruction Language: | Czech |
| Comments: | Petra was my favorite professor! Truly felt confident speaking Czech in stores or in restaurants. I really enjoyed working with her and she had a very effective way of teaching a language. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Email the registrar |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Comprehending the Holocaust |
| Course Department: | History |
| Instructor: | Michal Plzak |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Favorite course by far! Extremely informative and very interesting to learn about the Holocaust with a European lense. We visited Auschwitz and Terezin, which was very moving and brought the content of the course to life. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
