Summer Internship with Holmes Place

The month I spent in Prague during July 2014 was single-handedly the most exciting experience of my entire life! The city itself is amazing and has so much to offer in the way of food, culture, history, and nightlife, and I couldn't have asked for a better program to experience all of it with. ESAC is a very organized program with staff members who are all friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful.

I remember getting super lost the very first day I arrived in Prague when I had to take a tram from the train station to the residence hall. I had no idea where I was and couldn't find anyone to ask so I called Dr. Zamastil and she spoke to me for about 20 minutes, alongside 3 other staff members, and walked me through exactly what I needed to do to get back to where I was supposed to be. Everyone was very helpful and very understanding.

The program offered a perfect balance of coordinated events and free time to go venture out on our own. There were wine tastings, tours of the city, group dinners and awesome restaurants, and two weekends of travel, including Vienna (optional) and the secret village which are both an absolute must. There were also plenty of optional events that were coordinated among the student advisors.

I opted to work as a marketing intern (as opposed to studying) at Holmes Place Health and Fitness Center. ESAC placed me with the company and helped get everything set up with the site director. Considering I only did it for the 4 weeks of the program, I feel like I really got a lot out of it. The internship was very flexible and stress-free, but also very goal oriented which was great because I felt like I was actually contributing something to the company, not just doing grunt work.

Overall, ESAC offers an incredible experience for a great value. Students are provided with meals, housing, a full month pass for transportation, a trip to the secret village, and are always kept up to date on everything that's going on. Even after completing the program students are invited to join a Facebook group with more than 400 ESAC alumni that is regularly updated with job postings, travel information, and study abroad articles. The time I spent abroad - all of the friends I made, fun I had, and travelling I was able to do - was truly invaluable. Everyone should be able to have this experience at least once and ESAC is the perfect study abroad organization to help you do that!