My First Year at a Czech University – Beginning of Everything

Author: Emiliano da Cunha

I came to the Czech Republic because I had always dreamed of studying abroad somewhere where there is a better educational system than in Angola. I came in spite of not having enough information about the Czech Republic and not knowing what to expect. The only information I had was that Prague is the capital. I also knew the national football team well.

I first enrolled in the Czech language preparatory course for foreign students at UJOP (The Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies, Charles University) in Poděbrady. The course was 10 months long. Czech was too difficult for me at the beginning because it was something completely new to me. Although I had heard Czech during the course for the first time in my life and the teachers would only speak in Czech to us, I was able to understand the language quite quickly as a result. I attended the course regularly all week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It was a little bit challenging at the beginning, but the teachers were well aware that the language was difficult for foreigners. In my free time, I went to the park and talked to people even though I needed to use a dictionary. That was a huge experience for me and I was quickly picking up the language.

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The course ran as follows: we always had Czech first, and then mathematics and physics. Some of us studied economics and geography instead of mathematics and physics. During the summer term, I continued studying informatics because our class was focused on IT. At the end of the course, we had to pass a final exam composed of three subjects. Because I received a scholarship, the course was free for me.

After I finished the ten-month course, I had to prepare for university entrance exams. I sent applications to the Czech Technical University in Prague, University of Technology in Brno, and University of Pardubice. Eventually, I decided to attend Pardubice. My friends asked why did I not want to study in Prague since I had been granted admission there, but coming from Luanda – the capital with five million people and an area of 2,257 sq. km – I wanted to find a bit of peace and quiet away from a big city.

The school year started in October and I was the only foreigner at the faculty. I was disappointed and surprised at the same time, and I was asking myself why there were no other foreign students. I was afraid whether I had chosen the right faculty for myself. I was also curious what my classmates and teachers would be like and if they would accept me. In the end, I met two guys who helped me with everything important, but it was still not easy for me. The teachers did not treat me in a special way, but I do not want this to become an excuse for being a foreigner. I wished to be evaluated honestly just like the rest of the students, but I would also like the teachers to know that studying is three times harder for foreigners than it is for Czech students. For example, when I took an exam and I failed it because I missed a few points, they would not take into account that I was studying the Czech language and communication in the language was still too difficult for me. At first, I was a bit sad about this. Eventually, I got used to the teachers, their teaching methods, and their requirements. Even now, I have to study a lot, but it is not as horrible anymore. I am pursuing my goal and I want to be able to achieve something.

I asked some of my friends how they felt about their first year at a Czech school:

Nazariy, Ukraine: I have lived in Czech Republic for five years. It was quite difficult for me to study here, because of the differences between education here and in Ukraine in the teaching method and the evaluation of the students. I had thought about going back. In my opinion, studies in the Czech Republic are complicated and students’ evaluation is not independent. There are two problems: 1. In my view, Czech teachers (at least the majority) do not like foreign students, and therefore impose stricter study requirements, which is a kind of discrimination (it is hard to prove, but you can feel it). 2. The problem at the universities is in the evaluation format – the largest part of the exams is written and not oral. One can copy and cheat while taking a test and then these exams are not able to show the real knowledge of a student. The oral exam, on the contrary, makes it possible to review whether a student understands the subject or not.
Krystina, Russia: The beginning was good for me. I cannot compare or find differences between the universities in the Czech Republic and Russia. I never thought about dropping out and going back home. I think studying here is much better now, with a few minor exceptions. Some of the teachers are not that good, especially those who do not get along well with their colleagues.
Guisela, Peru: I have lived in the Czech Republic for two years and the beginning was very difficult for me, I had to constantly learn and there are many differences between the schools in Peru and the Czech Republic. For example, here, we have modern laboratories and every student can use their own desk. Occasionally, I was thinking of dropping out and going back to Peru, but it is much better now because I understand more of the language and my teachers and fellow students are friendly.
Ariunjargal, Mongolia: I have lived here for almost seven years. The beginning was horrible, especially because of the differences between the schooling here and in Mongolia. In the Czech Republic there are a lot of reference materials available. The teachers are helpful. The testing is fair, without any difference. Sometimes one has a “hard day”, but such days motivate me even more to know that I have a goal I want to achieve and I have to do my best. I also have to say I never thought of going back. In my opinion, not all the Czech students realize they have quite a large opportunity for education here in the Czech Republic. Introduction of tuition fees might have a positive impact and make students appreciate university education more. I am satisfied with the work of the Academic Senate. I say that because I had a good experience with it. Students and teachers support the new proposals.
Kangamba, Angola: I have lived in the Czech Republic for five years. The beginning was not so hard for me because I adapted quickly, so it was not a big problem. I think the difference between the schools in my country and those in the Czech Republic consists of the fact that here they teach you what you really need and prepare you for the exams afterwards. Meanwhile, in my country the opposite is true. Students get a lot of useless materials; teachers think we are machines, not humans. Luckily, I never thought of dropping out and going back home. Now, it is much better here because I speak Czech better than before. Studying is not difficult; the only barrier is the language. This is my personal opinion on Czech education. If I could rate it on a scale from 1 to 10, I would give it a 6.5.

我的成绩太好了！

Posted: 13.6.2023

Zdenko 老师，我的成绩太好了！我在口试中只扣了一分——我自己都不敢相信。笔试部分有我们在课堂上讨论过的问题。非常感谢！——来自中国的学生颜春丽写给她的老师。她被查理大学录取，在那里她将在哲学系学习对外波西米亚文学的硕士课程。她的同学李嘉明也顺利通过了社会科学系的入学考试，将攻读媒体研究硕士学位。两人都是2022年从中国来到捷克，加入了Humanities COMPLEX课程。由于他们之前已经学习过捷克语，因此他们与懂斯拉夫语的学生一起上课，以便能够更快地学习。即便如此，春丽和嘉明也能跟得上学习进度。他们都在定期考试中取得了一些最好的成绩，勤奋地学习了他们的专业科目，并达到了 B1 水平的捷克语水平。除了捷克语，他们俩人都很高兴参加了电影和戏剧史课以及社会和文化研讨会。春丽提到，这些课程中讨论的话题对入学考试有很大帮助。嘉明还参加了学生演讲比赛，并因其对中国传统服饰的演讲而获得了荣誉奖。他和他的助手们穿着传统的汉服，甚至设法让观众中的两名志愿者穿上了这种与众不同的服装。您想免费在捷克最好的大学学习吗？为此，您只需要做两件事 – 学习捷克语并为入学考试做好准备。所有这些都可以在查理大学的 ILPS 预科课程中完成——我们为几乎所有领域的入学做准备。点击横幅