What Prague has to Offer Past Review
By Paul U (Political Science, Ithaca College) for
UPCES - Study Abroad in Prague (CERGE-EI, Charles University)
being in a foreign country for an extended period of time is something that everyone should experience
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. |
classes were not well taught, although the teachers were great and very interested. Workload was a joke up until finals, where there were manageable final papers. Classes were once a week and 3 hours long, some teachers used this time well, others lost my attention within the first 5 minutes. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
strengths were the administration and accessibility of them and professors, weakness was the quality of classes |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
stayed in a hotel for first 3 days, met with landlords in that time and chose a place to stay with others on the program |
| * Food: |
if you're a picky eater foreign markets and restaurants could be difficult, but you'll learn to adjust very quickly, otherwise, enjoy the local food, its great |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
went on a trip to krakow that was excelent |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
these were always priorities of the administration, they were amazingly helpful |
| 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | anywhere from less than $50 for food and drink, up to $150, depending on how often you went out and how frugal you were with food money |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | traveling is very expensive but very worth it, make sure you plan ahead if you do so |
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? | elementary czech |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
| Language acquisition improvement? |
The Czech course was very helpful for living in the area, but i was part of unfortunate group to be placed with the worst of the 3 teachers. Students in the other sections loved their teachers and learned much more than i did |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | if you're looking to gain great academic insight, resumee experience, or deep cultural immersion, this program isn't for you. This program was classes 3 days a week, clubs 4 nights a week, and traveling on the weekend. Great time in a great city. |
