Prague is Amazing! Absolutely a must go to. January 05, 2023

By Chloe N (Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/12/2022 to 12/15/2022 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

It was honestly a life changing experience. To be able to live on my own in a foreign country was so cool and a huge change from American university. I loved being able to travel every weekend. I highly recommend that anyone who can go abroad, does.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I absolutely loved the UPCES program. The program directors were so sweet and helpful. The courses were amazing and Prague is an awesome city to live and study in. They gave us all the resources and I appreciated that we did not have too much work outside of class.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	They were so insanely helpful and kind. They got us apartments and helped us with shipping packages, gave us free food in the break room, always around if we needed anything.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Lived in an apartment that was a 10 minute walk from school. Super convenient location and clean with really large bedrooms.
* Food:	Traditional Czech food is not my favorite and we did not have a dining hall at school so we ended up having to cook all of our meals.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Once we started to understand Czech better I think I felt more integrated with the local culture. It is definitely a vast difference from American culture.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I did not have any experience with the health care system.
* Safety:	Way safer than the United States. There was never a time where I felt unsafe while in Prague.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes It was such a great experience and I am so happy I chose Prague. The cost of living was low, the culture was great and nothing like American culture, the program was fantastic, super easy place to travel from and the classes were interesting.

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 insanely cheap compared to anywhere in the United States. It was a minimal cost of living and I was able to not spend much money at all. It was great because it gave me more money to travel.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$20
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	The less you eat out the better. I could get all my groceries in Prague for around $10 for the whole week. I also think using Skyscanner and Booking.com for flights and stays is useful because they normally have good deals.

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	Our professor encouraged us to use the language because we were taught how to speak at a supermarket and a restaurant which were two places we went often.
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?	0
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	I think because our classes in English it is hard to use Czech a lot but to the extent you can practice it in stores and out to eat is very appreciated by the local citizens.

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?	Classes Ability to Travel New Culture
* What could be improved?	Language Barrier
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	That not everyone in Prague speaks English / speaks English well.

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 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Economics of Transition
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Zigic Kresimir & Vilem Semerak
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	We did not have any field trips in this course but the lectures were extremely engaging and I really appreciated the topic. The first professor was so nice and definitely went at a slower pace. The second professor was also very nice and spoke clearer English but went much faster with the course material. I participated more than I did at home because the course was only 5 people which meant there was a lot more time dedicated to questions and conversation. We were assessed on two exams and a paper. There was also weekly homework quizzes and readings.
Credit Transfer Issues:	This course is on the pre-approved list for the Economics major and so it has been no issue.

Course Name/Rating:	Elementary Czech
Course Department:	Language
Instructor:	Silvie Prevratilova
Instruction Language:	Czech
Comments:	It was very hard because Czech is a hard language but the professor is amazing. She is super understanding of the fact that it is a hard language to learn and therefore only taught us what she knew would help us get around in Prague on a day to day basis. I participated a lot because she did a lot of cold calling. We had a presentation, two exams, and three quizzes. There were also nightly homework assignments.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I have not tried to transfer this back yet.

Course Name/Rating:	Urban Anthropology of Central European Cities
Course Department:	Anthropology
Instructor:	Lucia Stefankova
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The topic was interesting and we got to go on multiple field trips to really cool locations in and around the city of Prague that connected to what we were learning in class. It was more of a lecture type class so I did not participate much. We had a midterm exam and then a final paper and presentation. The professor went to BU for her graduate degree and therefore she understood how American school is which was nice.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I am not transferring this for my major and therefore I think it should be approved.

Course Name/Rating:	Digital Currencies and Cryptocurrencies
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Branislav Saxa
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Professor was very nice and had an interesting job at the Czech National Bank outside of teaching the course. We did not go on field trips. He was very knowledgeable about the subject and was always well prepared for class. I barely participated because it was a larger class. The subject matter was interesting and something I would not have learned at Middlebury. We had two exams and two homework assignments and a presentation.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I am worried about getting this to transfer.

Course Name/Rating:	Prague as a Living History
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Ondrej Skripnik
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Easily my favorite course that I took in Prague. Every class we went on a field trip to a new place in Prague which connected to the readings we had for class. It was the best class and anyone who goes to this program must take it. The professor is so nice and took us out to a pub on our last class! The midterm and final were challenging because it is all based on readings and architectural styles. There is also a final paper.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I am hoping this transfers. I saw it on the pre-approved courses list.