CIEE Communications, New Media + Journalism in Prague

Overall, an amazing program with extremely helpful and friendly staff. I felt very well-prepared for it due to the resources provided. Plus there are many other great perks they offer throughout the semester.

Studying abroad in the Czech Republic through CIEE's Communications, New Media + Journalism program in Prague was a truly unforgettable experience. For about three months, I was completely immersed in the Czech culture, cuisine, and way of life. Living with a Czech family made my time in Prague so much more memorable, as sitting down to dine every night with a family and discuss our day-to-day (in both Czech and English) was a nice tradition I looked forward to in the evenings. For my academics, I was able to explore my myriad of interests alongside core classes relevant to my major at my home university. From film to language and culture courses, there was never a dull moment! I felt invigorated both by the content of my academics and by the city life that lied waiting just outside the classroom walls. There was so much to do and see in Prague, from the bustling weekend markets to multiple arts and crafts fairs, as well as the opera and theater, which boasted a wealth of productions. One weekend, I got to see Pride and Prejudice performed in Czech at the national theater and the next I attended an ex-pat performance of Waiting for Godot, entirely in English. The city provides so much in the realm of art, history, literature, and performance — there's simply no room for boredom. Plus, when you are craving new sights, I found the Czech Republic's central location to be very helpful if you want to visit a different country for a weekend. I spent my Halloween in Paris, for example, and that was also an unforgettable experience from my time abroad through CIEE. If you don't want to or can't travel outside the Czech Republic, CIEE has so many weekend excursions of their own that encourage you to get outside Prague to learn more about the Czech Republic. On said excursions, we hiked a nearby quarry, saw Swan Lake at the national opera house, visited the Pilsen beer factory, toured the Konopiste castle of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and even visited the Sedlec Ossuary — a personal favorite site of mine. I even took a few weekend trips of my own out of the city, visiting Brno for a day with a few friends. During my time abroad through CIEE, I also had the opportunity to participate in an internship with a local news site dedicated to bringing ex-pats news about Czech affairs. This experience taught me a lot about cross-cultural communication and how different reporting can be depending on the country. This was very insightful and not only gave me a better idea of what international journalism can look like, but it also gave me more professional skills with tasks like managing brand images, creating social media graphics, etc. Thanks to this internship CIEE helped me set up, my study abroad was professionally informative as well!

The experience has just been great in every way, CIEE staff has been very helpful and accommodating, and the experience of studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic is unlike anything I have experienced before.