Studying abroad through CET Prague was an invaluable experience. I chose this program because I had heard that Prague was quite affordable as far as EU cities go and BEAUTIFUL. I am pleased to say that its reputation held. CET staff were for the most part very supportive and helpful throughout the semester, making the transition to living and navigating around a new city much less daunting. While in Prague, I studied Central European Studies. I learnt a lot about the history and culture of the region, not just through my classes, but through all the extracurricular activities CET had to offer. Take advantage of them!

Since there are no classes on Fridays, many people traveled on the weekends. I found that with all the things going on in the semester, I was too burnt out to travel every weekend. But if you're someone that can afford and handle the stress of frequent travel and stimulation then there is definitely the opportunity to visit other parts of Europe. I visited Amsterdam one weekend, Munich another, and Paris and Freiburg over fall break. However, I'd recommend either coming early or leaving later than the program dates if you really want to experience Europe at your own pace.

Overall, the experiences I had here and people I met along the way were truly something else. I am happy with my decision to study in Prague through CET and would recommend this program to others.

The CET Prague program could not have been better tailored to my academic interests. As a History and Political Science major on my home campus, I was constantly amazed at the political and historical significance of everything around me. On the first day of class for Refugees, Minorities, and Migrations, our professor took us on a walking tour around Prague. All within walking distance of the CET Center were significant landmarks, monuments, and sites. I was especially fascinated because Central Europe had been so neglected in my historical education.
In addition to the myriad of historical sites to take in around Prague, CET took us on a traveling seminar around Central Europe, where we visted Krakow, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Brno, Mikulov, Vienna, and Budapest. Easily the best part of the program, the traveling seminar balances lectures with educational outings and free time to explore.
Additionally, I can't speak highly enough of the CET staff - our resident director and student life coordinator both made the program amazing for everybody.

I loved my semester abroad. Prague was a beautiful city, and CET did a great job of having classes that taught you about the history and people of the place you were living in. Most of the professors were excellent and knowledgeable, and incorporated cultural and interactive components into their lectures. The course load was interesting but not so heavy as to prevent us from exploring the city and learning by doing. The staff members were PHENOMENAL and made me feel safe, cared for, and helped introduce us to different aspects of Prague we might not have otherwise discovered. I also had an amazing Czech buddy as a roommate: we became great friends and she helped us adjust to the new experiences and was also just an incredible person to talk to. I also bonded with my flatmates and fellow students in my building, and we had a great time trying out new restaurants, visiting museums and points of interest, and even traveling outside of the country together. CET's traveling seminars were also and unbelievable opportunity to visit many other countries along with the program, which was great because it provided some structured learning and also gave us the freedom to explore on our own. While no abroad experience is perfect, CET gave me a chance to learn by doing, make new friends, and adapt to a new cultural atmosphere and I am so glad to have had this experience.

I will start off by saying CET does a great job with organizing events and trying to get students to feel at home in Prague. The Berlin trip was awesome and so was the trip to Cesky Krumlov. I was on the FAMU side of CET. The program at FAMU is slightly flawed, but it’s a great experience. It was amazing being surrounded by people who also had a passion for film. The program doesn’t feel like college or school whatsoever. The schedule is all over the place and can take some time to get used to. The screenwriting class and directing class are entirely pitching for most of the semester. I was very disappointed with directing class, nothing was taught about directing styles or techniques. It’s important to know coming in that if you have an idea for a film that you are passionate about, do it. Some professors will try to push their own ideas on you and make your film their own. Listen to what they have to say because some of their advice is amazing but ultimately go with what you think is best. Some of the professors are awesome. Editing class was very helpful and insightful. The cinematography class was very informative. Storyboarding class is way too short, there should be more of those classes. The electives at FAMU are a hit or miss, some are great, some aren’t. The key is to just test them out before choosing. The lighting seminar is one of the most fun and helpful parts of the program. That is when you get hands on the camera and lighting equipment for the first time. Unfortunately, that is the only time you get to see the camera before shooting. In my opinion, much more time should be spent on preparation for the shoot instead of pitching/screenwriting. The best part of the program by far was production. I highly recommend getting on multiple sets to get as much experience as possible. Being on set is ultimately what the whole program is about. The program provides you the resources to go out and make a film. The best way to learn filmmaking is to get hands-on experience. This program gives you that. I believe that although there are flaws, the set experience you get is invaluable. I met great people here who have taught me a lot as well. I am very happy with what I have learned and would recommend this program to anyone interested in filmmaking.

Prague is a beautiful European city, and I am incredibly grateful that I got to spend four months studying at one of the oldest film schools in the country. CET provided me with an amazing apartment that was close in proximity to a lot of places. In all, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my time here, and learned many things about myself and international filmmaking.

However, there were some things that left me feeling out of sorts. There were times where communication was lacking from the advisors to the students, and it left the majority of us feeling lost. It was very disorganized, and students did not feel as though they were being listened to, and it was unsettling. Better communication and organization would have helped.

While I would ultimately recommend this program to others looking for international filmmaking experience, I think it's important for them to understand what they are getting themselves into.

It's tough to describe this experience on a 1-10 scale. While there were many aspects of this program that I really loved, there were many parts of the program that were very frustrating. Overall, I'm glad that I chose this program and I hope that one day I can return to Prague. I also think that the program has a lot of room for improvement, but compared to other study abroad programs I think that they are the best option for those interested in practical film production.

FAMU is a very unique film school and the professors are very talented filmmakers. I don't think the general core classes were the most productive way to learn with these professors, but I felt that they all made time to meet with us individually several times throughout the semester and those meetings were when I learned the most. I enjoyed my FAMU electives a lot and the general arts community in Prague. I also really enjoyed the optional Kutna Hora trip, and found some personal time to explore Cesky Raj (which I really recommend!).

I wouldn't recommend this program to everybody, but I am glad that I did it and I think that some people could really enjoy what this program has to offer. I also think it was a very valuable character-building experience that I don't think I would've gotten anywhere else. I personally chose to study abroad not just for the cultural experience but also because I wanted to learn film production. While there are many other programs that offer a much more consistent experience (particularly with academics and scheduling) this is the only program I know that provides an accurate experience of what film school and the filmmaking process can look like.

CET offers each student a lot of freedom in their abroad experience. There is a healthy variety of topics in the courses offered. The housing they provide is pretty unique for an abroad program: apartments in great locations. And they don't hold class on Fridays, leaving weekends open for travel. On top of all of this, the program takes you on a few prepaid travel seminars which include sightseeing, lectures, meeting interesting people, and free time to explore on your own. Being in Prague is amazing in it of itself. The city is beautiful, the people are reserved but kind, and the history is fascinating. I had a wonderful experience with CET. I will cherish the memories and friendships for a long time.

My experience in Prague was incredible! Not only did everyone who visited me tell me that it was easily one of their favorite cities in Europe, Prague's central location made it easy and cheap to travel to and experience almost anywhere in Europe. A specific benefit of the CET program was that our required traveling seminars gave us the perfect opportunity to explore places in Central and Eastern Europe that I probably would have never thought to travel to. The biggest challenges I faced while living in Prague were the linguistic and cultural barriers. Things we take for granted everyday such as shopping for groceries or asking for directions became a much more complex ordeal. The CET buddies that we lived with became fantastic resources for tackling these challenges. Besides traveling, Prague was great because it was one of the few cities in Europe to not be leveled during WWII. This means that almost all of the cities rich cultural, historical, and artistic treasures have been preserved.