CET Czech Republic

Studying abroad in Prague was a fantastic experience. Prague is a beautiful city that is surprisingly easy to feel comfortable in despite the fact that it seems somewhat unreal. Although many of my peers found time to travel, I stayed in Prague on most weekends and there was always so much to do. The city is constantly having incredible events and festivals.

The best part of the CET film production program at FAMU was gaining hands-on experience. I learned so much in the final weeks of the program while working on creating my own film and assisting on my friends' film sets. Learning film production requires practical experience on set. I wish it was possible to spend more time actually working with a camera throughout the semester, but the little time I had was so valuable. Taking the information I learned out of the classroom and applying it to an actual film was an important process.

It is definitely up to the students to make the most of their semester. I wanted more experience on set, so it was up to me to find groups who needed production assistants and volunteer to help. During the lighting seminar, I had to volunteer if I wanted to have an active role. Similarly, I found that my classes were only as challenging as I wanted to make them. For example, the cinematography class was a lecture style course with one final test. The students were at all different levels of experience, so it was difficult for the professor to gauge with information was new to which students and how much time to spend on each topic. Many students didn't find the course especially challenging because they were already familiar with the information. It was essential to ask questions in order to get the most out of this course. When a student would ask a question, even it was about their specific film, I found that I learned the most.

While my group was editing our film, we reached out to our editing professor and asked to meet and get her advice on our progress. She was incredibly helpful and provided us with a constructive critique. It was important to me to have professors who were eager to meet and help us throughout the process of creating a film because I felt like I had support. This support was essential because it motivated my group to commit to our mission and take artistic risks.

Outside of my production classes, I took two elective courses. Although the classes weren't especially well organized, I highly enjoyed them because they introduced me to a lot of films I was unfamiliar with and gave me new ways to analyze film. I especially enjoyed the Film Style & Form course because it was the first class I have taken that was specifically focused on sound in film.

Prague is a beautiful city with so much to offer, and I came into this program and the semester incredibly excited to study at one of the world's most revered film schools. Overall, I would say I enjoyed my time in Prague and did learn quite a bit; however, there were a great many aspects of the program - particularly the CET staff - that left me disappointed.

Scheduling and communication were unacceptably disorganized, and students frequently received misinformation or no information at all. Even when we would reach out to CET staff members with questions or problems, we would not always receive an answer or even the courtesy of a response. I did not feel supported by the CET staff at all during my stay.

Additionally, the way the film classes are set up don't necessarily cater to the best learning experience, in my opinion. I could tell that the professors we had were well-versed in their fields and had quite a bit of knowledge and experience to offer. Based on the format of the classes, I don't think I, or the other students, were able to learn as much from them as we would have liked. Hands-on learning environments would serve these film professors much better than the lecture format we experienced, and I would highly recommend CET look into re-evaluating the structure of classes in the Prague film program.

While I would ultimately recommend this study abroad program to interested students simply because I believe in the value of studying in another country, I would feel compelled to also warn students of the disorganization, lack of communication, and frustration they will likely experience through the CET FAMU study abroad program. Please revisit the program and staff to ensure the best possible study abroad experience for future students.

It was my birthday. After a quick weekend in Bratislava, where I learned there aren't really many bars open past midnight and where I slept in an Air BNB that rented out the space under their restaurant and bar and next to their unpopular nightclub, my roommates and I found ourselves in a second class cabin on a train back home, to Prague. The trams had been down in Bratislava, so we ended up walking from our Boat-el to the train station. Sweaty, stressed, and a little unhappy, we were at least on the train, headed back to our beds that didn't rock. While everybody was a little upset with each other, I was fine. It was my 21st birthday, I was with new friends, we were on the train. That is, until we got to Brno and a man told us that he had reserved this cabin.
I still don't know if actually had reserved the cabin, but nonetheless, we were out. He kindly let us know that there are foldout chairs in the aisles. So we moved. And nobody spoke to each other.
Here we are, coming to the next stop. I'm doing my reading for class the next day, when I look up as I notice the train slowing down. What do I see? None other than my roommate's suitcase rolling straight at me!
Thankfully, and unsurprisingly, I lived.
As funny as I thought that day, and that weekend for that matter, was, I think what I took away from it was more important. It doesn't matter if your boat doesn't have heating, or if it's blasting bass-heavy music until 4 AM, or if you walk over three miles to the botanical garden just to learn that it's closed. What does matter is learning to roll with the punches and have a good time regardless! Who knows? Maybe your airBNB host (who is also the bartender) will give you a free birthday drink after forgetting you live there for the weekend. Maybe you'll laugh until you cry when you keep getting knocked over on the train by hungry Slovakians headed to the food car. With a bad attitude, you miss out on the subtle, hidden gems that make abroad life so much more beautiful and memorable.

One of the best parts about this program is their dedication to connecting you with the history and culture of the country. They believe it is not just studying abroad but living abroad and becoming a local. I was able to teach English lessons at a local elementary school. Others volunteered for businesses or retirement homes or after school programs. Coming back I not only miss the beautiful city of Prague, but also the amazing people I met who call Prague home.

I celebrated many holidays in Prague. From Jewish holidays to college traditions that I did not want to give up even while abroad, I was able to mix my customs with the people on my program, along with participating in Czech holidays. May 1st is a national holiday titled Mayday. Mayday is the day of love. Everyone has the day off and is supposed to spend the day outside at one of the many festivals around the country. It was such a fun day, with lots of traditional Czech food and lots of outdoor activities. But one of the most interesting holidays I have ever been a part of occurs the night before may day, on April 30th. All around the country, bonfires are set. The bonfires are for the communal witch burnings. the witches are symbolic of winter and these collective bonfires signify the end of winter. This is the official welcome of spring, by burning out the cold and bitterness of winter.

I honestly don't even know where to begin. My semester in Prague was filled with countless memories, surprises at every turn, and endless amounts of fun. From the stunning architecture to the amazing sights, vibrant nightlife, and cheap prices on just about everything, this is truly a special place and one you won't regret studying abroad in.

CET was a great program to be a part of. The academics are not overwhelming and more than manageable. The staff is great, always helpful and there if you need them. You get to go on program trips to awesome cities like Krakow, Vienna, and Budapest. Living in a residential apartment amongst locals (including having a Czech roommate) really helped me adjust to the lifestyle and culture of a new country. Keep in mind that it is a very small program, but there are still plenty of people to meet in Prague (both locals and other Americans).

Prague really was a dream world. Don't pass up on the opportunity to go to this city.

My time spent studying abroad in Prague was incredible. Coming from Whittier College, California I knew nothing about Czech culture or language. Within the first few days of arriving in Prague, CET helped me feel comfortable and competent in my new surroundings, providing intensive language learning, amazing housing with a Czech roommate, and cultural excursions. Each day I would wake up in an apartment just outside of downtown Prague, and take a short 5 minute tram ride into to the FAMU academy's studio building, where my CET film classes were held. Sometime's I would also take a tram to FAMU's main building where professor at the academy would teach additional elective courses. Throughout the semester, there was plenty of time to work on my film, explore the city of Prague, and attend classes. Sometimes CET would even provide free or discounted tickets to events like soccer games, hockey games, operas, theater performances, music festivals, and wine festivals. My semester was an excellent way to immerse myself in my passions and discover a new country from the inside out.

Prague is a fairy tale. Some of my best memories of Prague come from my aimless wanderings around historic Old Town and Lesser Town. From the tallest spires of the Prague castle down to the aged cobblestones of the streets, Prague offered something for the artistic, the adventurous, and the homebody. One of my favorite times in Prague was when I got to show off my magical city to visiting friends. I swelled with pride and love for this incredible city and its winding streets, ancient bridges, and hidden gems around every corner.