Jewish History Nerd Finds Her Place with Jewish Studies Program in Prague

Studying abroad with CET Prague was the best four months of my life. I actually found the program last minute, but it surely was “beshert”! I am not usually the spontaneous type, especially since the CET Prague deadline was the following week, but after checking out CET’s website and seeing the Jewish Studies courses, the traveling seminars, the chance to take a business class for my major, and the fact that the program was based in a country that seemed both safe and affordable, I decided to apply.

From the start, I felt like I had made the right decision, especially thanks to the student service coordinator, who was incredibly helpful. She patiently answered all my questions and guided me through the visa process. I even remember calling her from the post office while sending my visa materials, just to double-check I was doing it right. I also remember going to a Jewish Studies information session as soon as I found out about the program, and it was super reassuring.

The program lived up to what I read about through my time in Prague. When I arrived in Prague, my amazing Czech roommate was the first to greet me. The Czech roommates were an amazing addition to the program, as I felt like I connected with her (even moreso than the other Americans). She is the best!!!

While in Prague, I took a Czech class, and I was lucky enough to have the best professor. She was kind, engaging, and genuinely made the class a joy. I will admit, the Czech Intensive was a bit overwhelming at first, especially just a few days after arriving in a brand new country. But once I got through those first couple of weeks, I ended up loving the class and language (except on test days, haha)! I even got coffee with my lovely professor on my last day before I left Praguw showing how much I ended up loving it.

I loved being part of the Jewish Studies cohort. If you are thinking about doing it, do it! It was an incredible experience. I had never been surrounded by so much Jewish history before. Since I was pursuing research while I was there for my honors thesis, my Jewish studies professors were super helpful in giving me advice on archives and people to connect with.

All the CET classes were engaging. I felt I did not have to be as anxious as I usually am, because my classes were more presentation-based than exam-based. Since I did not have to be super stressed out I got to really enjoy learning. One of the best parts of CET classes is how interactive they are. Instead of just sitting in a classroom (which I enjoy too), we were constantly out exploring the places we were studying. I got to go to so many places like the Jewish Museum in Prague, various parks, Prague Castle, a Glass company, a Jewish day school, cafes, etc. We even did scavenger hunts around the city. CET’s building is located in Praha 1, right near Wenceslas Square, so we were always out and about during class time, exploring different parts of Prague. As a history nerd this was so much fun!!! Since the trams work amazing in Prague, I would often explore by myself. I truly loved the city and felt safe navigating alone.

I also really loved the traveling seminar. Being able to visit Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary, all included in the program, was an incredible opportunity. The itinerary is connected to your core class, so mine focused heavily on Jewish history, which was exactly what I was hoping for. It truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Some parts were emotionally challenging especially regarding the Holocaust, but I am grateful I got to approach those moments from an academic perspective. There is a big difference between learning about the Holocaust from a classroom in the U.S. and studying it in the places where it actually happened. Since this is the field I want to study, I honestly think CET Prague was the best possible fit for my academic interests. If you are a history major like myself then this is the perfect program for you.

I also had the opportunity to do an internship while in Prague, which was a huge part of my experience. I took the internship seminar and worked at a place that aligned with my interest in history and Jewish studies! I am really grateful to CET for helping me navigate the professional world abroad. The option to intern is something that sets CET apart, and I am glad I took advantage of it. I learned a lot about Czech work culture and got to contribute to a project, which aligned perfectly with my academic interests.

CET Prague also has the BEST staff!!! Everyone is so supportive, welcoming, helpful, and truly made it an amazing experience. They were always willing to chat and answer my questions. They helped plan CET activities. Basically at the beginning of each month, you could sign up to go to various Czech activities like going to a hockey game, a Czech opera, going hiking, etc. I really took advantage of the CET activities and got to go all around Prague and the country.

Overall, I had a really great experience and would go back in a heartbeat. The biggest challenges I faced were not about the program itself, but more “me” problems. One, I had never lived in a city before, so it took a few weeks to get adjusted. However, once I found my footing, I ended up loving Prague and stayed longer to do research for my honors thesis, which says a lot about how much the experience ended up meaning to me. Prague is now my favorite place!! My other challenge for me was making friends. It felt like a lot of students already knew each other before coming since so many people come from the same schools, and with a smaller program, I never really found my lifelong friends. Still, everyone was genuinely kind, friendly, and welcoming, and not finding my group of people really allowed me to grow more independently, and focus on the things that really mattered to me like my research, studies, and exploring Prague. Would it have been more fun with lifelong friends? Absolutely. But that was no one’s fault. It just did not happen that way for me, and I quickly made peace with that. I still got exactly what I came for, an incredible academic experience and a chance to grow in ways I had not expected. I highly recommend CET Prague. The staff is incredibly supportive and helpful, the classes are engaging, the internship opportunities and travel seminars are meaningful, and the activities make the whole experience even richer. And of course, Prague itself is an amazing city to live and learn in…it is hard to imagine a better place or program to be.