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Host institution:
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Edgewood College

USA 2018/2019 Partner universities

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Arts

Field of study:
psychology

Level of study during period of placement:
Bachelor

Language used:
English

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
spring 2019

Period of placement (from-to):
2019-01-15 - 2019-05-17

Number of months:
4.00

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
All the information are on the website of Edgewood College and if you are not sure about anything, you can also write directly to Edgewood, they are very helpful.

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
english exam, VISA, health documentation, GPA, transcript of records

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
6 months

Did you need a visa?:
yes

Documents and materials needed for a visa:
picture, filled out online documents, passport
might help - financial documentation,

Length of wait for visa:
3 weeks (included waiting time for the interview)

Fee for the visa:
MRV fee - 160 dollars
J1 SEVIS fee - 180 dollars

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
no

If not, why not?:
I did not have sign from Edgewood College, because I was filling it out quite late

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
yes, I did. I was talking about that with faculty members.

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
Yes

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
the registration took place at the orientation week. There were some restriction about classes you had to have before taking some of them. We could have made a change till a certain date.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
Yes

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
no

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:
1 credit at Edgewood = 2 ECTS

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
We have done a lot of projects and practical stuff. There was also a lot of writing assignments.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
Same

How did you receive study materials?:
I could find most of materials on the internet (edgewood blackboard) or in recommended books.

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
Intro to family therapy - Peter Fabian
Introduction to psychotherapy - Peter Fabian --> unfortunately he retires
Relational Communication - Leigh Maxwell
Emotion & Motivation - Ferrinne Spector

How well is the school library equipped?:
You cannot find all books you need there, but you can always ask for them and they are able to send them from different library within a week.

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
There are no requirements on notebook as far as I know. The internet access is very good in the whole campus. There are some computers in library and also on each floor of dorms.

Options from printing and copying:
There are printers in every building.

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:
yes

If yes then what?:
We went for an ice cream together and we had also international dinner, where each student cooked something typical for their country.

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
1

or describe in your own words:
All people there are very friendly and helpful and it is easy to get along with them, because of smaller campus.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
in the dorm

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
0 USD

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
I did not have to pay anything, because MU paid that for me.

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
My roommate had a lot of stuff, so I did not need to buy anything. The room has a fridge, wardrobe, table, chair and they also provide towel, pillow and blanket!

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
It was on very last minute for me, which means 1-2 weeks before going there.

What are the catering options?:
There are two dining halls in campus, where I had certain amount of money for the semester. It was enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
The cost is usually about 2x higher for most of the groceries.

Transport to location of placement:
They waited for me on the airport and took me to my room.

Rough prices for transportation:
There is a night shuttle bus from edgewood, which is for free. Also, the Madison bus ticket for the whole semester is 10 dollars (provided by Edgewood College).

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
If you want to fly somewhere, check the price everyday, the price is changing very quickly. As a student, there is an Office in Memorial Union, where you can buy cheap roundtrips for example to Chicago.

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
There are buses as a public transport. They have also very nice bike paths and the downtown is accessible on foot as well (around 20 mins.)

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
I do not think there are some extras

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
The price for the insurance was around 700 dollars - WPS health insurance
When I was traveling to different states, I also used insurance from Czech Republic.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
No

Did you work during your studies?:
No

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
You can work up to 20 hours per week, but just on campus

Tips for free-time activities:
walking, kayaking, skating, running, movies, exploring downtown, lots of outdoor/indoor activities, hanging out with people from college or UW. There is a lot of events in Madison for students.

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
80000 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
20000 CZK

Number of supported months:
four

Total number of months:
five

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
My own finances

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
0 CZK

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 CZK

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 CZK

c/ amount of other fees (which):
0 CZK

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
200 USD

a/ of which for accommodation:
0 CZK

b/ of which for catering:
100 USD

c/ travel and recreation:
200 USD

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
15

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
30

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
yes

What problems did you have with recognition?:
no problems with recognition

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
2

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
1

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
no

What would you recommend to take with you:
some small czech gifts, winter clothes, adapter for electricity,

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
Kind and friendly people

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
expensive health insurance and cold in the dorm during the winter

Further comments: