Guest article by Franz:I did an Erasmus in Prague at the Univerzita Karlova last winter semester.
The university offers very inexpensive accommodation (approx. 120€ per month) in the university's own halls of residence. However, you usually share a room with another person. I looked for accommodation privately, which was quite difficult at the beginning. There are countless offers of free rooms in shared flats, but these are in high demand, especially at the beginning of the semester. It should be noted that many rooms are extremely overpriced. I recommend paying a maximum of 7,500 czk per month for a room. You can use the facebook group "Flatshare in Prague" to look for accommodation, but be careful: there are some dubious advertisements that aim to get you to pay the deposit, only to never get a room. You should always make sure that you get to know the landlord personally and sign a tenancy agreement. Prague 2 and Prague 3 are the best areas to live in; I would advise against Prague 1, as the high volume of tourists means that commuting quickly from the apartment to the university can sometimes be quite tedious.
The academic level at Charles University varies greatly from course to course. In some cases, there are highly qualified lecturers who have studied in the USA or Great Britain, for example. On the other hand, there are also courses where the English language level of the responsible teacher is hardly sufficient to actually convey the content. In principle, students are expected to attend courses regularly and actively participate as well as prepare well. There is also a relatively large amount of reading material, which should be worked on week by week. However, the requirements for examinations are not particularly high. Among other things, there are also multiple-choice tests at the end of the semester which then serve as a basis for assessment. The teaching staff are always friendly and approachable and always want to be addressed by their first name. If you have any questions, you will usually receive an answer by email within 24 hours.
Prague is a great city with lots to experience. In good weather, we recommend a visit to the Prague Metronome, from where you can get a good overview of the historic city center, as well as a visit to the Vietnamese SAPA market. If the weather is bad, there are countless bars and pubs to discover in the old cellars of the city center or on the lively streets of Zizkov (Prague 3). My bar tips: "Mala Ryba" & "Rybka", "U Fleku", "Belezepub".Although you can hardly see it in the faces of the people of Prague, the people are open-minded and hospitable. Especially if you are new to the city, you can quickly lose your bearings due to the foreign language, but a helping hand can be found on every corner. Prague was one of the best experiences I have had abroad so far and I can only recommend a semester abroad. Supported by:
