Maxwell Reeser Exchange Student

Why The Czech Republic  Scholarship  Great programs in English  Church contacts & participation  Scholarship  Great programs in English  Church contacts & participation

Getting Here – Part 1 LSU Work  Sign up with the Academic Programs Abroad (APA) office to do a Non-LSU study abroad program.  Fill out paperwork before leaving for:  Getting classes approved for credit transference  Getting financial aid to continue being supplied  Various signatory statements concerning my conduct abroad and such. LSU Work  Sign up with the Academic Programs Abroad (APA) office to do a Non-LSU study abroad program.  Fill out paperwork before leaving for:  Getting classes approved for credit transference  Getting financial aid to continue being supplied  Various signatory statements concerning my conduct abroad and such. Charles Work  Familiarize myself with Charles’ application process and opportunities  Submit initial application with high school transcript, and ACT score to Stanislav Veselý  Send in application form along with LSU transcript  Decide whether to stay in a Charles University dorm or not.

Getting Here – Part 2  US travel documents (passport)  Czech Republic travel documents (visa)  Proofs of accommodation, financial resources, acceptance to an accredited institution, and insurance coverage  Correctly formatted photos with application  Criminal history affidavit  Plane ticket (?)  US travel documents (passport)  Czech Republic travel documents (visa)  Proofs of accommodation, financial resources, acceptance to an accredited institution, and insurance coverage  Correctly formatted photos with application  Criminal history affidavit  Plane ticket (?)

More Cooperation Would…  Make it easier to approach Charles, or other Czech higher educational institutions, as a possible study abroad choice, as a result of increased transparency  Make the timeline for the various applications (to Charles, for the visa, etc.) more concrete  Have made the visa application process much easier through access to people who had been through it before. Someone to help translate what the requirements mean, and how to meet them would make the process much less confusing, especially as most of the people doing study abroad are in their early 20s, and have probably no experience interacting with long term visas or their requirements.  Make it easier to approach Charles, or other Czech higher educational institutions, as a possible study abroad choice, as a result of increased transparency  Make the timeline for the various applications (to Charles, for the visa, etc.) more concrete  Have made the visa application process much easier through access to people who had been through it before. Someone to help translate what the requirements mean, and how to meet them would make the process much less confusing, especially as most of the people doing study abroad are in their early 20s, and have probably no experience interacting with long term visas or their requirements.

My Experience At Charles  Class selection can in some sense be limited, with most classes only being offered one semester of the year, but in another sense class selection is varied since with respect to topic there are so many different classes available. As such it would be exceptionally odd if classes could not be found which interested a visiting student. Also, there is a plethora of potential classes available in other Faculties.  As far as the teaching staff goes, they are really good at what they do, and are generally quite approachable. ing them with questions, or going to their office hours (consultation hours), is definitely an option if you need help with something from class.  There can be something of a learning curve, because due to the rigor of Charles’ program, they expect you to know a lot of background knowledge, but some teachers will even make quite an accommodation for lacking background knowledge, which is nice.  Also, Linux is an operating system that gets a lot of exposure here, with half of the computers in the computer lab running some version, which is cool.  Many of my classmates are Erasmus students studying here from other European countries, like Italy, France, Germany, or Britain. As such, studying here is quite a cosmopolitan experience. Most of the rest of my classmates are non-Erasmus ranging from places like Bangladesh, the US, or Slovakia, to of course the Czech Republic. Mostly the latter group tend to have Charles as their home institution though.  Class selection can in some sense be limited, with most classes only being offered one semester of the year, but in another sense class selection is varied since with respect to topic there are so many different classes available. As such it would be exceptionally odd if classes could not be found which interested a visiting student. Also, there is a plethora of potential classes available in other Faculties.  As far as the teaching staff goes, they are really good at what they do, and are generally quite approachable. ing them with questions, or going to their office hours (consultation hours), is definitely an option if you need help with something from class.  There can be something of a learning curve, because due to the rigor of Charles’ program, they expect you to know a lot of background knowledge, but some teachers will even make quite an accommodation for lacking background knowledge, which is nice.  Also, Linux is an operating system that gets a lot of exposure here, with half of the computers in the computer lab running some version, which is cool.  Many of my classmates are Erasmus students studying here from other European countries, like Italy, France, Germany, or Britain. As such, studying here is quite a cosmopolitan experience. Most of the rest of my classmates are non-Erasmus ranging from places like Bangladesh, the US, or Slovakia, to of course the Czech Republic. Mostly the latter group tend to have Charles as their home institution though.

Differences  Charles focuses on teaching Mathematical Analysis as more of an abstract, theoretical discipline; LSU pursues a more intuitive method of teaching with a focus on visuals over proofs, as well as applications (e.g., finding flux, or volumes in calculus, etc. etc.) in science and engineering.  Charles has a different lecture structure. Each week 5-6 ECTS credit classes (~3 semester hour courses) have a 1.5 hour lecture, combined with a 1.5 hour “practical” where usually a teacher other than the lecturer goes through examples of how the principles of the lecture can be applied. For comparison, at LSU most classes are considered either lecture or lab. Labs are usually 3 hour long lab sessions, while lectures are 3 hours of lecture broken up into either Tuesday-Thursday halves, or Monday-Wednesday-Friday thirds.  Also, whereas LSU is a school on a single campus, Charles is spread out across Prague, with different programs generally inhabiting different historic structures all over the city.  Charles focuses on teaching Mathematical Analysis as more of an abstract, theoretical discipline; LSU pursues a more intuitive method of teaching with a focus on visuals over proofs, as well as applications (e.g., finding flux, or volumes in calculus, etc. etc.) in science and engineering.  Charles has a different lecture structure. Each week 5-6 ECTS credit classes (~3 semester hour courses) have a 1.5 hour lecture, combined with a 1.5 hour “practical” where usually a teacher other than the lecturer goes through examples of how the principles of the lecture can be applied. For comparison, at LSU most classes are considered either lecture or lab. Labs are usually 3 hour long lab sessions, while lectures are 3 hours of lecture broken up into either Tuesday-Thursday halves, or Monday-Wednesday-Friday thirds.  Also, whereas LSU is a school on a single campus, Charles is spread out across Prague, with different programs generally inhabiting different historic structures all over the city.

Life in Prague  Public transit is great. Being able to be fully independent without a car is super nice. Buses, trams and metros always run on a regular schedule, with bus and tram stops always having a posted schedule for when the bus or tram should be there at any time of day, any day of the week.  Old town is beautiful, and many Charles University buildings are right in the very heart of it. Case in point, Malostrankse Namesti, right next to the Charles Bridge and between the center and the castle is within walking distance of both, and is where most classes for the Computer Science program take place.  Food in Prague is great, and eating out does not have to be an expensive thing at all, sometimes being only slightly more expensive than cooking for yourself. This on top of the great variety of foods here, from Thai, to Greek & Lebanese, to Mexican, makes Prague’s gastronomy scene great.  Music and theater performances in Prague are all the time, with great variety. There’s great opportunity to see big artists, like MUSE, Nobuo Uematsu, Mumford and Sons, and Janet Jackson. Also, the National Theater is always playing classic plays and things, and there are a great many other theater venues across Prague.  Public transit is great. Being able to be fully independent without a car is super nice. Buses, trams and metros always run on a regular schedule, with bus and tram stops always having a posted schedule for when the bus or tram should be there at any time of day, any day of the week.  Old town is beautiful, and many Charles University buildings are right in the very heart of it. Case in point, Malostrankse Namesti, right next to the Charles Bridge and between the center and the castle is within walking distance of both, and is where most classes for the Computer Science program take place.  Food in Prague is great, and eating out does not have to be an expensive thing at all, sometimes being only slightly more expensive than cooking for yourself. This on top of the great variety of foods here, from Thai, to Greek & Lebanese, to Mexican, makes Prague’s gastronomy scene great.  Music and theater performances in Prague are all the time, with great variety. There’s great opportunity to see big artists, like MUSE, Nobuo Uematsu, Mumford and Sons, and Janet Jackson. Also, the National Theater is always playing classic plays and things, and there are a great many other theater venues across Prague.