Student Support

There's a lot to think about when planning any trip. How will I cope with the language? How do I find out what's going on in town? What if I get sick?

Our staff members are here to help with this and more.

It starts at the airport. We'll be there to greet you and take you back to your apartment. We'll make sure you get something to eat, take you on a tour of the town (or let you nap, depending on how you're feeling), and introduce you to the other students as they arrive. Once everyone gets into town, we'll head out for dinner—our first chance to really get to know each other as a group.

Your first week in Prague is all about getting you orientated. We'll have some Czech language lessons focusing on basic conversational needs like greeting people and navigating the supermarket. We'll also have a couple of sightseeing tours and take in a cultural event or two. We'll make sure you're comfortable in your apartments and introduce you to the Czech public transport system. We'll take you shopping for cell phones—the best way to keep in touch with your new Czech friends and to stay in touch with folks back home. We'll have a whole bunch of meals together, get to know each other, introduce you to the faculty and get ready for a great start to the academic semester.

Each week we'll have a community meeting, a chance to share some food, check in and see how everyone is doing. Jolana will distribute the food stipends at these meetings and we'll talk about everything from culture shock to travel to health to academics to cultural events. It's an opportunity to bring up whatever it is you want to address with the group.

Jolana and the other staff members are also always available for a private meeting. One of the other things we'll do the day you arrive is give you a little "emergency card" with all of our contact numbers. Of course, it's great to keep this card on you in case of emergency, but it doesn't have to be an emergency for you to call us. We're always happy to meet for coffee and talk about whatever's going on in Prague or at home.

Another great reason to call is if you're not well. You'll all have travel insurance for basic medical expenses, and we'll accompany you to any medical appointments to make sure you fully understand your options. It's difficult navigating a foreign medical system, let alone a foreign medical system in which everything is happening in Czech. But don't worry—we'll be there to make sure you understand everything the doctors are saying.

We are also available to help out with travel arrangements, either for yourself or for visitors. All students will be planning a trip over spring break, and while part of this planning takes place in the context of the class, we're happy to help if you're having trouble navigating Czech websites or calling that great hostel in Croatia. We hope you'll also do some traveling over the weekends or at the end of the semester, and we're available to help with the logistics around that too. You may also have family and friends visiting you in Prague and needing accommodation or recommendations. Just let us know, and we'll do our best to find them something that suits their needs.

The staff will help make this a safe and rewarding semester for you. We want you to truly experience the Czech culture, and we'll keep you apprised of cultural events around town. Prague has hundreds of cultural offerings every night—sporting events, theatre, dance, music, not to mention the galleries and museums. We'll bring information about current events to the community meetings. But let us know if you just have to see an ice hockey game or a Mozart opera while you're there—we'll help make it happen.