<p>Which should I study abroad in? The advantages of Prague is that I would LOVE to visit europe, especially Austria, Germany, Eastern Europe. The downside is that I have to take Czech (mandatory) and will have to overload on classes next semester because of it. Also, I'd be going spring semester and Europe is cold in the winter.</p>
<p>If i Chose S Africa, I wouldnt have to take a language that I don't want to invest time in. It would also be warmer...I would also be living in a house with all American students-I consider this a HUGE advantage because it will create more permanent relationships....I wouldnt be able to visit Czech Republic often, so it would be hard to build lasting relationships with local Czech students. However, activities would be limited to the great outdoors-which I absolutely love...</p>
<p>Im absolutely torn-the fact that I have to take Czech really messes with my graduation schedule. Does anyone have advice?</p>
<p>I am an international relations major with plans for law school or PHD in IR....I would love to live in Europe for a while. I will be applying for English teaching positions in europe after graduation.</p>
<p>Really hard choice! But I think I would pick Cape Town. You’re more likely to have other opportunities to visit Europe in the future, but this may be the only chance you have to spend time in South Africa. Whichever you choose, it will be awesome, so you really can’t go wrong. Good luck with your decision and enjoy!</p>
<p>my daughter did study abraud in prague and it was amazing</p>
<p>the language compontent wasnt a big deal and she was glad she did spring semester as it was cold when she got there but amazing in the spring</p>
<p>she traveled alot and made great friends she still sees today</p>
<p>programs in the czech republic draw students who are taking classes in english there but are from all over</p>
<p>i wouldn’t dismiss it becuase of weather or the czech class, for my daughter no classes were taught on fridays so it was easy to travel on three day weekends, something to consider</p>
<p>My S’s good friend who was a landscape architecture major did a spring semester abroad in Prague. He had nothing but good things to say about his experience there.</p>
<p>Ask yourself what you want to get out of this study abroad opportunity.</p>
<p>Are you using this as an opportunity to travel or as an opportunity to learn about a place that is very different from what you know from living in a fully developed Western country?</p>
<p>In Prague you will have the opportunity to travel throughout Europe as a tourist, but what you will experience ( in terms of sanitation, povery, basic welfare of citizens) is similar to what you see in the United States.</p>
<p>In South Africa you will see well developed areas with Western standards, but also extreme poverty of a kind we don’t see here.</p>
<p>As an international relations major, which experience would bring you a wider knowledge of the world outside the U.S?</p>
<p>(One son just left Prague, and one son spent a minimester in South Africa last year. Both fantastic experiences, but one was much more of a game changing life experience.)</p>
<p>I agree with eastcoascrazy. You will get a much broader range of experiences in southern Africa, plus have a chance to explore the game parks, and CapeTown is a delight. Europe, unlike Africa, is extremely compact and the highlights can easily be visited over a summer with a Eurailpass.</p>
<p>I plan to move to a european country after graduating but i never had czech republic in mind. my school doesnt have sweden/denmark etc. so prague is the only one im interested in.</p>
<p>Honestly, how “western” is SA? I dont want to spend ANY time in a impoverished place…i heard cape town is the last western place in SA?</p>
<p>Huh? no i know there are lots, i can research that on my own…</p>
<p>I just want to enjoy the BEST SA has to offer. I do not care for participating in activities that include building homes for the poor etc…I would love to join activities like safaris though.</p>
<p>In Cape Town it sounds like you are going to be in a compound (probably necessary due to the extreme rate of violent crime in South Africa) with other US students. Therefore, if it is a cultural immersion experience you are looking for, this probably isn’t it. However, it does sound like Cape Town will fit in better with your academic goals and Prague may make it hard to graduate. You have two great choices, so try not to worry.</p>
<p>The most “western” country in Africa, with interstates and shopping malls and a definite First World experience. Very unlike Egypt or India, somewhat like Australia with lions rather than kangaroos.</p>
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<p>Have you actually been to Cape Town or are you just relying on what you hear in the media? The violent crime rate in Cape Town in areas where a visitor is likely to go is no worse than the violent crime rate in any large American city. In the US, one knows enough not to wander around alone and clueless in bad inner city neighborhoods. In SA, use common sense and do the same. Generally speaking, I found South Africans to be among the friendliest people anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>I am looking to pursue my studies and make long term connections with American students. I have no desire to immerse myself in SA or Czech culture. I list these 2 because they are the only 2 without language requirement that I need to fulfill…</p>
<p>If one were to go out in Cape Town, what is the partying scene like? Within UCT, how many American vs locals would i interact with?</p>
<p>I am impressed. Seems like you’ve seen through the study abroad scam. Since you’re going for fun and to hang out with other Americans (this is what 90% of study abroad is like, good on you for seeing that), I’d go to South Africa and not have to take a language.</p>
<p>Studying abroad in Africa also gives you bragging rights that those who go to Europe can’t match.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t bother going if I were you. Seems like you are too ignorant to enjoy the opportunity presented by studying in another country. Just stay back in America - these nasty foreign cultures won’t infect you there. What a prat.</p>
<p>Brojan! Many people know very little about South Africa, so take opinions with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>I am from South Africa, I am actually currently in Cape Town at the University of Cape Town (UCT) attending a research workshop. I have studied abroad in the US (Penn)and UK (Oxford, Edinburgh, Keele).</p>
<p>UCT is hands down the best campus I have ever visited. It blows Harvard, Penn, Yale, Oxbridge away. </p>
<p>Cape Town, and South Africa, is definitely not impoverished. The most posh places I have ever been to are in South Africa, especially Cape Town and UCT. If you don’t want to immerse yourself in SA culture or explore Africa etc etc - South Africa is perfect for you. Everything in this country, especially in Cape Town, was built to hide away all the ‘African’ from white people (read: Apartheid). If you go to Cape Town, you really won’t even notice you’re in ‘Africa’.</p>
<p>UCT has an amazing party scene, and there are more US students at UCT than anywhere else in South Africa and possibly Africa. Cape Town is the most international city in SA. The girls are beautiful and the weather is good. Every single high school student in SA wants to go to UCT because it wins in every department, especially for student life.</p>
<p>People can study abroad for whatever reason they want, and even with your reasons UCT is the best for you. South Africa is a bubble for the rich, a bubble you won’t find anywhere else in the world. Don’t even think about Europe.</p>
<p>Yes, there is a huge mountain right by the campus (Table Mountain), the Wine Route, great places to drive around and explore along the coast. The best hiking is probably in the Drakensberg though, which you’ll have to fly to.</p>
<p>Safaris are also more on the east coast like the Kruger national park.</p>
<p>I have been to Cape Town twice. Absolutely breathtaking. We visited a shopping mall that was head and shoulders above any I have been to in the US (including nice ones in Dallas, Houston, and Boston). The mall was spotless, too.</p>
<p>I also found the SA people to be very friendly. There is a beautiful paved trail right next to the water in Cape Town. I went for a ten-mile run and felt very safe, even as a woman running alone (I asked ahead of time to make sure it was OK).</p>
<p>Both times I was in SA, I visited Kruger National Park with a friend of my dad’s who leads safaris often. Those trips were beyond description. On our second trip, we saw a total of 18 lions.</p>
<p>Boulder Beach is not far from Cape Town and has a large colony of penguins. I have a photo of my daughter swimming with them! The area next to the beach was wooded - you don’t expect to see penguins in the woods, but we did.</p>
<p>I could go on and on. I will say that my parents have traveled extensively, and SA is their favorite country. I think they’ve been there eight times now.</p>
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