CET Czech Republic

Choosing to study abroad with CET Prague was one of the best choices I've made!

CET itself is a really unique program which offers opportunities that few other programs offer. When talking to my friends on other programs, they could not believe all the opportunities we had with CET. The traveling seminar to Poland, Austria, and Hungary is incredibly unique and one of the best weeks I've ever had. A perfect balance between lectures, planned tours, and activities, and free time. And when there wasn't anything planned, CET gave us the opportunity to visit museums and reimbursed us for our tickets-- they go above and beyond with things like this! Throughout the semester, they also plan several day trips to places like Kutna Hora, Jáchymov, Terezín, etc. Finally, they also gave us the opportunity to attend an opera and sports event (soccer, hockey, etc.) which I have never heard of other programs doing. CET made sure that we had every opportunity to get to know Prague, the Czech Republic, and Central Europe as a whole.

There is a really wide variety of classes offered so you can find ones you would enjoy and I really learned a lot over the course of the semester. Often, my classes included excursions to various areas in Prague which I may not have gone to on my own and added a nice variety so we weren't always just sitting in a classroom.

Finally, the staff in Prague is absolutely incredible! Maggie (the student life coordinator) was always suggesting great places to go and was really helpful in answering all my questions about Prague. You can really tell she cares about the students here. Kim, the director, is very approachable and easy to talk to. The rest of the resident directors are really great and knowledgeable!

Overall, I'd recommend this program to anyone!

I spent the spring term in Prague studying with CET and at FAMU. FAMU is one of the leading art schools in Prague and many alums go on to do incredible things. There is a very tight-knit artist community in Prague, especially when it comes to filmmakers and photographers and studying in Prague at FAMU gave me a sense of that and an access point into that world.

The program is great in that you are required to take several classes with a core group of CET photography students. In my case there were 10 of us CET Photography students so we had 3 main classes together lead by CET. These classes were terrific. I loved our Fine Art Photography course taught by Stepanka Stein. She was an incredible professor and is a very successful photographer as well. In this course we had several small assignments in the beginning of the term, and the later half of the semester was devoted to a larger project of our choosing to be hung in our final exhibition, and the making of a photo book. In addition to regular class meetings we would often visit galleries and exhibitions around Prague as a class, and had several technical lighting seminars (with professional commercial photographers, interesting locations, models, make-up artists, etc.). This class was by far my favorite part of the program and in the end I produced work that I am proud of.

Additionally, we were able to enroll in photography classes at FAMU. This was initially very exciting, however, the system for enrolling was a bit all over the place and therefore we photography students did not have our schedules solidified for at least a month after arriving in Prague. For me, this was a bit of a challenge as I like to have a schedule and stick to it. The courses at FAMU were very different than what I was used to as an art student studying at a Liberal Arts college. I signed up for 3 FAMU electives. None of them had specific assignments but were more spaces for students and their professors to come together to talk about their work and process. I think that is a great system if that is what you're used to it, however, as someone being thrown into these classes not knowing what to expect, it was difficult for me to understand what was expected of me. These classes did prove to be a great way to meet Czech students. It was also very interesting to take classes with FAMU professors as most, if not all of them, are successful photographers and teaching is more of a side gig. Therefore, I was introduced to a lot of well known artists and able to consult with them.

The living situation was terrific. Apartments were clean, furnished with the basic necessities and I had a great experience with my American roommates and my Czech buddy. My apartment was in Praha 7, a terrific neighborhood with easy transportation to the city center, several beautiful parks, great cafes and bars, and lots of art. I could not have asked for a better place to live.

Going abroad through CET was the best decision I have made throughout college. Not only has the staff been extremely supportive and friendly, they care a lot about us personally and our academic development. The traveling seminar opportunity in which CET takes us to Poland Austria and Hungary and plans a full itinerary was unparalleled; there was the perfect balance of academics, history, social events, adventure and free time. The program gives us a lot of independence, freedom, and leeway as well as providing the option for structured and set activities. To give two personal stories which showcase the staff's support and flexibility.

1) My first night in Prague I was having trouble acclimating to the environmental changes. Being that I am a severe asthmatic I asked if CET could change my sheets and blankets to be hypo-allergenic. Within 30 minutes of this request Maggie, the student coordinator had delivered a new sheet blanket and pillow set for me really speaking to the program's responsiveness and commitment to student comfort.

2) Not knowing the rich Jewish history within Prague and Eastern Europe more generally, I chose to go on the business track instead. Having learned of the depth and darkness of Jewish history in this country thereafter, I expressed my interest to the program leader as I explained that my grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and I wanted to learn more about my roots. Since expressing this interest, Petra, the coordinator, has accommodated for me to go on every Jewish event, tour, activity, guest lecturer which has truly enriched my experience here like no other. It has reshaped my Jewish identity and opened my eyes to so much. Thank you CET !

My semester with CET Prague in the spring of 2013 has influenced me in ways I never could have predicted! I initially applied to and went with CET for my semester abroad as a means of fulfilling a requirement with my international studies department. I learned about Central European history, the Czech language, nationalism, the memory of the Holocaust, and so much more. I traveled on weekends to incredible cities across Europe, and gained a true sense of independence as I learned to navigate Prague.

4 years later, I ended up at an internship with an organization that shares an office with CET, got the chance to reconnect with my old resident director Jiri, and as a result am now starting out my career in international education. We never know how certain experiences may end up shaping our future, and my semester with CET started it all!

Going abroad for me was a huge change. I had never even flown on a plane before, let alone tried to live in a new country and speak a different language. CET's program is great in that they emphasize learning the language and culture of Prague so that students can integrate themselves well. They gave me an apartment, a tram pass, and helped expedite the visa process, which is something few abroad programs could offer. I got to take classes at FAMU, which is a hugely prestigious school with some great professors. The film you make during this program has a generous budget and you work with real actors and FAMU students to make a very high quality end product. Sometimes it was difficult to communicate with both my professors and with the people of CET, but eventually issues I had were resolved. Overall, I was very happy with my decision.

The prospects and opportunities that the CET Prague program offer never failed to disappoint. There's something magical about meandering the streets of Vienna and perusing the Easter markets or sailing down the Danube at night, gazing at the beautiful skyline of Budapest. I think that the Travelling Seminar provided me with the ability to explore places that I never would have made it to. And if I had, I likely would have missed some incredible things. Any time you go some place new, you always want to make sure you see all the big sites. For the most part, any travel I did outside of CET sponsored travel was structured that way. But CET was able to bring something different. We saw all the major sites in the cities we went to, but we also explored the life and culture of the city as well. Many students who visited Krakow probably never got the chance to attend Friday Shabbat services, or those who visited Budapest likely never ventured to the picturesque town of Szentendre. And then there was Prague itself, a city with such a myriad of hidden gems and secrets. The CET staff was so helpful in helping us find those places so we could try something new and explore such a fantastic city. I appreciated all the time and effort CET put into planning our seminars and excursions because they never failed to disappoint!

One of my all time favorite experiences from the past semester was going to Mikulov, a small resort-type town near the border of the Czech Republic and Austria on CET's traveling seminar. Mikulov was something out of a fairytale-- it had a small adorable town square and was complete with a beautiful castle that had some of the biggest wine barrels I have ever seen! The most amazing part of the whole experience were the views-- I stayed in a loft suite with a few of my friends, and the views from our suite were absolutely breathtaking. Our program director also led us on a hike to a really nice viewing spot where we watched the sunset. It was a really excellent experience.

Coming from a programme that is theory-oriented, with only limited production experience in the past, this programme in Prague was a breath of fresh air for me. Spending time free from the academic pressures of Wellesley as well as learning first-hand how to make a film were all very valuable aspects of this programme for me.

Part of the charm of this programme has to be the fact that I was learning in Prague, at FAMU, one of the oldest film schools in Europe. Aside from FAMU's illustrious filmmaking history there was also the rich history of Prague that enhanced this trip, as well as its relative cheapness -- very good for filming on a short budget! Prague is not only affordable for American students, but also a ridiculously photogenic city, and it is also close to many other major European cities. The only times I had to fly were to London and Paris. Despite the wonky scheduling, I had plenty of free time to meet with European friends from the internet as well as travel.

Overall I found this semester to be excellent, especially since the programme itself was such a different atmosphere from what I'm used to, and it took some flexibility and spontaneity just to go with the flow and make the best of some situations. I enjoyed having the time to go out and explore as much of Europe as I can, as well as gaining practical experience in filmmaking whenever I was in Prague.