CET Czech Republic

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.

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.