In this text, I will share my experience with the entire process of going on an exchange abroad. I hope that it will be helpful to those who want to apply for one of the exchange programs, but also that it will encourage those who have not thought about exchanges to do so.
University selection and application process
The first step is to research student exchange opportunities at your faculty. In our country, Erasmus+ is currently the most popular exchange program and almost all faculties in Serbia are included in it. Through the Erasmus+ program, students can spend a semester or two in one of the countries of the European Union. There is a program for the countries of the region and Central European countries CEEPUS, and there are other different, less common programs. For the Erasmus+ program, through the website mobion.bg.ac.rs you can research for which universities there is an open call, at least 6 months in advance.
At the Faculty of Political Sciences, where I study, we have a coordinator for exchange programs who helped me a lot in preparing the application and in choosing the subjects that will be recognized as substitutes. Some faculties have Erasmus+ coordinators, but unfortunately not all.
The application includes a motivational letter, "learning agreement", transcript of grades, certificate of English language proficiency, professor's recommendation and some other documents. All of this should be obtained on time, and some of it should be translated by a court interpreter. The application is sent through the MobiON website, the instructions on the site are clear and the application is not overly complicated.
You will find out if you have been accepted a few months before the start of the exchange. They told me at the beginning of November, and the semester started in the middle of February, so you will have plenty of time to prepare, get your visa and organize your trip. The whole process depends on the university and the country where you are going on exchange. In my case, Charles University sent us the documents in time to get a Czech visa before the trip. Visas are required for a stay in the European Union longer than 3 months for citizens of the Republic of Serbia.
Before you go on an exchange, you have to decide where you will live. The main question is: an apartment or a student dormitory? When it comes to Prague, rooms in apartments were three to four times more expensive than a dorm, so my friends from college and I decided on a dorm. It turned out to be a great decision, because the dorm is irreplaceable when it comes to meeting new people and socializing with students from all over the world.
I met many new people in the student dormitory, some of whom have become my closest friends. I am still in contact with most of them, and we are planning a reunion in Prague this summer. Although living in an apartment is more comfortable, it can't provide this experience in full, so my recommendation is definitely a dorm.
From preparing breakfast in the morning in the shared kitchen to partying in the rooms in the evening — dormitories are great accommodation when you go on exchange. The bonus is that at most universities that have their own dormitories, exchange coordinators organize and book accommodation for you, so you don't have to go through the process of looking for accommodation. My friend from college and I were allowed to share a room, so there is also that option if you go on an exchange with a friend.
Studying: recognition of subjects and differences in systems
As for studying itself, everything depends on the faculty. I was very lucky with both faculties, because at FPN they did not require that the subjects coincide to a large extent in order to recognize my grades and transfer the ESPB. But, some faculties are much stricter in this matter, so it may happen that you have to take the subjects you missed when you return from the exchange. The application also includes a document called the Learning Agreement, in which you propose which courses from the college you are going to replace the courses you miss that semester at your college. However, it may happen that some courses are not available when you arrive at the university, so you have a certain deadline to replace them, apply for others and get approval from your university for it.
The teaching system is different from ours. At Charles University's Faculty of Social Sciences, lectures usually lasted an hour and a half, were designed to involve students and were held in small groups. I especially liked that difference compared to our lectures, because it gives the professor more opportunities to communicate with the students, and the students can more easily get involved in the classes. There were no exercises in the sense in which they exist in our country — lectures and exercises were one and the same. Some lectures were held in blocks, but in any case, all the obligations on a weekly basis took me less time than at FPN.
For most subjects, I wrote essays or term papers, which either carried a large part of the grade or were a substitute for the exam. For the exams, I didn't spend days on the book learning hundreds of pages of material like most of the exams in our country, but I prepared using notes from lectures and texts that we read before each lecture, so basically I prepared for the exam through continuous work throughout the semester. I have to admit that it was difficult for me to get used to the way of working at my faculty again when I returned from the exchange, even though there are professors who implement this "Bologna" principle of work more than others.
On the other hand, although I liked the way of working at Charles University more, I got the impression that some "difficult" subjects from FPN really provided me with a broad education and knowledge from various fields that I applied in all lectures. That breadth and in-depth study of certain scientific fields is not a feature of the system in which I studied during those two semesters, but the subjects were more narrowly defined and conceived as courses.
Student life in Prague
It is completely different to visit a touristic city for a few days and live in it. Student exchanges are great because they provide an opportunity to experience life in another city or country for a few months, with expenses covered.
The Erasmus+ scholarship I received in Prague was more than enough for all my living expenses. Serbia became a program country in the Erasmus+ framework 2 years ago, which unfortunately means that the scholarships are now smaller and for the Czech Republic they amount to 470 euros per month. However, that's enough if you live in a student dormitory and don't overdo it with Uber eats. Information on the amount of scholarships for different countries can also be found on the MobiON website.
Prague is a great city for students — it has everything students need and the student card offers a lot of different benefits. From food discounts in many restaurants to cheaper transportation. Among the restaurants, I would single out the Einstein pizzerias, which are located in several locations in Prague and whose owners, as we heard, are from our area. Here you can get two meals for the price of one with your student card, and their food is excellent. We talked to the waiters several times in Serbian, and we also ate excellent kebabs there.
Train and bus tickets with a student discount are very cheap, so you can travel anywhere in the Czech Republic for a few euros (100-300 crowns). Of all the places we visited, I liked Cesky Krumlov the most, a small town in the north of 13,000 inhabitants, 3 hours from Prague, where you get the impression that you are in a time long gone.
Unfortunately, during most of my stay in Prague there were restrictions due to the corona virus, so I didn't manage to visit all the places I wanted to. Of the museums, you should definitely visit the National Museum, whose magnificent building is located in the center of Prague. Clementinum is another one of my favorite places — the view of the baroque library is like something out of a movie, and when you climb the astronomical tower you can see all of Prague around you. Žižek Tower is one of the symbols of Prague, which can be seen from almost every part of the city. It is located in the neighborhood of the same name and the view from it is breathtaking.
When it comes to nightlife, Prague is not far behind Belgrade. My favorite place to go out was Club Lucerne, located in a palace of the same name that also contains a cinema and shops. The whole club is designed as a disco from the 80s, and various musicians and DJs often perform here. Of the alternative places, the most interesting is Vzorkovna or as it is popularly called — Dog bar. The neighborhoods of Holešovice, Vinohrady and Žižkov are also full of interesting places for going out, but also for breakfast and coffee.
Since everything was closed for a good part of the time due to corona, we spent a lot of time walking around the city and visiting various parks. Prague is full of beautiful parks — Letna has a wonderful view of the city, as does Rieger's Gardens (only from a different angle).
It would take me many more paragraphs to describe all the charms of Prague, so here I will return to the main point of the text — go on a student exchange for at least one semester, it is probably the best decision you can make. Not only will you make many friends from different countries, but also irreplaceable life as well as academic experience. Prague is a great choice for exchange students, but I'm sure you'll have as much fun as I did wherever you go.
