Forums

Well I don''t really know alot about the exchange stuff, but I do know that my high school does have an exchange program with Norway and England, though it's extremely limited. (You can only qualify if you're an honors student with good grades)
And I do know from visiting universities that most of them also have exchange programs where you go there for ~6 months and pay the tuition, you'd normally pay at your own place.
For instance if you'd go on exhange to cambridge you'd still only pay your 'measly' 6k or whatever as opposed to whatever ridiculous amount they ask you to pay there.
But obviously your choice on countries depends on what university you're in and I think most exchange programs are only with US, UK, France, Germany and the like.
So if you'd want to go to let's say Japan your choice in university is probably more limited.
And again you're only allowed to go on exchange if you're in the top of your class since going on exchange will almost always mean having to repeat a year afterwards.

IN my university exchange program you get some kind of scholarship actually...

Ahem, it just happens that I spent the last winter semester in Prague (Erasmus, I guess the same as you), so feel free to ask whatever you want!

For me, it was of course a memorable experience. But not so much in academic levels: the incompatibilities between subjects, general chaos in schedules, and the lack of a truly integrated program between my university and the one I went there made this experience not as profitable as I was sold (people often say that getting an Erasmus course can allow you to complete 50% of your degree in just one year or even in a few months, that is true as long as there's some internal organization and fluid communication between universities, which didn't happen to be there); of course this doesn't have to be the same in every case but in mine it was a really chaotic experience at times. What will stay with you after all will be the Erasmus life, being able to meet people from different countries and if you are in a residence, to live with them, to embrace other habits, etc. I don't know how will it be in the rest of the Czech Republic, but if I assume that you are going to Prague I can definitely say that there's a hell of night life there, and maybe the thing you'll miss more when you are back is those after-hours moments at your typical Herna Bar, drinking your last three pints of the night. Because one thing that you must have clear is that going to Prague, and I assume that's true for the whole country, implies pushing hundreds of liters of beer into your body.

On the people that live there, I have to say that the attitude of your typical 50-year-old woman that you meet at the bus will be, in an 80% of the cases, rude. People living in Prague are in general very distrustful, cold and distant, on the other hand really respectful with the laws and social rules (you'll never see anybody jumping a queue). Their English level is not really good, this is one of the things that surprised me the most (I lived at a student residence and only two of the receptionists could speak a very basic type of English, one of them being the student manager), the people you'll find in the street or in shops don't usually speak the language in a fluid way and are prone to get exasperated when you don't get what they say the first time. So you will need to practice your gesture :P. The academic context is a very different thing, though.

Take into account that the first week is always the worst. Not only because most things will be new for you and it's always difficult to get used to this experience, but because these first days are usually a mess of delivering school documents, getting the ISIC card (one of the most important things in Erasmus life: you will always have to take it as it is basic for many academic processes, using the library and the computers, and also for discounts in transport, in the bufet/restaurant if you live in a residence, etc.) and fixing your study contract. Interestingly, I consider myself very reluctant to changes, but my adaptation was really fast, I only remember the moment before taking the plane (I almost fainted) and the morning after my arrival, in which I spent hours sitting at my bed, trying to figure out what was I doing there and what should be my next step in that sense. In two days, I was fully adapted and even had a group of friends that ended up growing as the experience went on.

In general, a student's life in Erasmus is a wonderful opportunity to socialize, to learn and practice another language in some cases, and in Prague, the experience of its wonderful architecture and the beauty of the city is an additional and very powerful point. I don't know if you are going specifically there, but one way or the other, don't miss it. You will know what to visit when you are there so it's useless that I try to write a guide tour here. I'll simply say that it's a wonderful city to just get lost through its little streets and discover new places constantly.

And finally, you are in the center of Europe, so: travel. It is very easy to go from there to Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Austria... I for academic reasons couldn't go with my group of friends to Budapest nor Vienna and it's one of the things I regret the most, the other one is not having explored the city enough, simply because I was hesitant to visit it alone.

I probably don't have to tell you this, because I guess that you are more used to cold temperatures, but in Prague they can reach easily -21ºC in autumn and specially winter; in spring and summer the temperatures are usually above 10ºC and now in August they are at 36ºC. Soo, take a good variety of clothes :P; and consider anyway that the cold there is probably less intense than how it can be in the UK, because the climate is in general drier.


That's wrong, at least in my case. I have done things in Prague that never considered to do at my country, simply because of incompatibilities of my group of friends (you have to make new friends there so the general philosophy and way to do things also changes), but also because the schedules are not the same, the habits are different and that, even if you try to keep your own habits, has an effect in your life, and also because if you are an Erasmus you'll be likely to commit excesses of any kind, from drinking to food to sleeping hours. Some of the weird things I've done there include spending nearly 32 hours without any sleep or having dinner at 2 o'clock in the morning (and it would probably be more dramatic if I said what I ate: a chocolate bar). And I wasn't able to go to sleep before 4-5:00 AM in most of my whole Erasmus experience. My sleeping schedule was completely fucked up there.


Oh, sorry for the wall of text. I hope it serves or something :)

I am actually going to be going on a similar study abroad program as you in about three weeks. Rather than going to the Czech Republic though, I am going to a University in Japan.

Everyone I've spoken to who has gone to other countries during their time in college has loved it. I have a friends from Japan who have studied in places such as England, Australia, and Spain, I know lots of people who have studied in China, Japan, or South Korea too as well as friends from Brunei, Japan, China, South Africa, and Nigeria that are currently studying in the United States. All of them have said it was/is a very rewarding experience.

You can learn a lot about another country and make friends from said country as well. Things are different everywhere, and you'll get the chance to do a lot of things you probably wouldn't have otherwise, but at the same time, there will be a lot of things that are similar to your home country. For the most part, I don't think there is much to worry about.

Do you speak Czech at all or are planning on learning some of it there? The language could be the biggest difficulty if you don't know it well. It's one thing that I am personally nervous about when I go to Japan. I know the language decently, but I am far from fluent (especially with my kanji). I am lucky to already know a lot of Japanese people at the university I am going to be attending that know English (at least better than I know Japanese) that are willing to help me. It would definitely be a big asset to you if you have friends from your home country that are going with you or if you can become friends with some people from the Czech Republic.

Anyway, I guess I can't be of much help as rather than having previous experience, I am in much the same situation as you and can only speculate from the words of others. I am personally really excited to study in Japan, and I am sure that your experience in the Czech Republic will also be great.

I never worked or studied abroad, but my parents being immigrants I've been to Europe often, sometimes for months at a time, it's a second home.

I would like to do an exchange someday, preferably in France or Finland.

Don't forget to check the local security before going.

A 20 female Japanese went to Romania for internship but got killed days ago. It was just 10min. trip away from the capital's airport. The arrangement was poor/not good enough.

I plan on applying for an exchange scheme later this year. Japan or Canada would be nice destinations for me.

Same reason your family moved I expect!

Go on folkehøgskole! :D

I suggest you guys read this...

http://www.cracked.com/article_19363_6-reasons-your-plans-to-move-abroad-might-not-work-out.html

So what you are trying to say with this post, implying you agree with this is: Everything is the same everywhere anyway, most of the people don't want "strangers". And you won't change your lifestyle and the sort of friends you make.

If so, you are wrong, in the first place, most people don't judge on whether they are immigrants or not, but more how friendly they are, sure if you are going to stand there causing problems, comments like "Go back to your own country!" are to be expected.

Secondly culture is different in every country so the things, architecture of buildings, the way people travel, what they eat, when they eat all of them are different, sure you find the same McDonalds, but a lot of things are different in another country.

And whether you make friends with the people native to that country is all up to the person doing the exchange him/herself.

I won't say I quite agree with all of the points, but whenever I typically hear people talk about going abroad, I feel their reasons are misguided. I see it displayed to a greater degree when voiced by an anime fan.

What I've heard typically has been: "I want to live in Japan, that's like the home of anime, it's like heaven up there." or "I want to get away from the US, Americans are just so ignorant and stupid, full of douchebags."

So it's easy to develop a negative opinion of these people. Many people will treat you depending on your personality and friendliness, but there is no denying there will be people on the other side.

If the reasons for the trip are to immerse yourself in the wonders of another culture and attempt to benefit from the experience WITHOUT disregarding your own culture and/or putting it down, then go right ahead, as someone who has experienced at least 4 different ones, it's a terrific experience.

Well, in any case I can tell you that at least in Prague (where OP goes) people are not exactly the most welcoming to strangers, but they are used to Erasmus students and don't give a flying fuck. I think most people in European countries are actually like that, so...

The blog is one way or the other hilariously exaggerated, but of course has its points. But I doubt anybody who actually decides to travel will dare to go abroad without getting at least a single bit of information on the place they will visit.

Not really, just sounded funny to adapt the weeaboo argument to other countries.
(work position for anything IT related are really better however)


Focus on negative stuff in purpose to be funny. (a bit depressing after the laugh however)

I've never studied or lived abroad, but I am planning on doing either a Mastère spécialisé (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast%C3%A8re_Sp%C3%A9cialis%C3%A9) in France or an MBA in the US in two or three years. I have yet to decide, but I'm leaning more towards France for an MS as it's much closer to my home and I speak French fluently... but then, I have little interest in discovering French culture and the idea of living in the US for a year or two is much more appealing to me.

I would also love to move to either Sweden or Australia later (though Australia sounds like a much wiser choice as my English, though awful, is definitely better than my Swedish.) But wherever I go, I am certain that I would enjoy my stay, discovering different cultures and experiencing new things is always fun.

hmm . i am planning on going abroad to complete my Masters. but don't how i would be . just gotta go there and see

I was an English teacher for half a year in China. T'was quite the experience I must say.