The Prague Post Online: Careers: Western education a benefit

July 7th, 2008

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Western education a benefit

Schooling in Prague has rewards at a fraction of the cost of studying overseas

By Curtis M. Wong
For The Prague Post
June 20th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST

Jan Felt, a student at UNYP, says new, Westernized programs award students a well-rounded, flexible education. enlarge

Jan Felt always knew he had a flair for communications, although it wasn’t so clear where or how he could channel his skills. These days, his dream is to become either a magazine journalist or a public relations agent — two similar industries, he says, in dire need of some fresh Czech talent.

“I’ve always found it very interesting to figure out new ways to get a point across,” he says. “I’ve learned how to be creative, and I want to try to combine something practical with my creativity. Besides, the Czech Republic could use some elevation in journalism and marketing communication.”

Sitting in an Anděl café, the 19-year-old speaks with the focus and self-confidence of someone a decade older. He outlines his career plan in great detail. First, he’ll head either to the United Kingdom or the United States to get some professional experience under his belt. Second, he wants to attend graduate school for his MBA, and after that, he hopes to return to the Czech Republic, possibly to start his own public relations firm.

Of course, before any of this, Felt needs to graduate from university first.

Felt is one of many Czech and East European students who are opting for an alternative higher education in Prague. Instead of a traditional Czech-based university, he’s attending the communication program at the University of New York in Prague (UNYP), which will grant him a dual bachelor’s degree — one part European, the other American.

Two Prague-based universities offer this dual degree option: UNYP and the new Anglo-American College. The UNYP program is a collaborative effort with Empire State College and the State University of New York at New Paltz.

The program aims to foster opportunities in high-income Western Europe and the U.S. for its graduates.

It isn’t just Czech students who feel the need for a Westernized education. UNYP administrators say the university currently attracts students from more than 40 countries, including Poland, Russia and Croatia, who feel the program will offer them many benefits — for a fraction of the cost of a U.S.-based college tuition.

That was the case for Gosia Pietrzak, 24, who will graduate from the business administration program at the end of the month. Like Felt, Pietrzak is exceedingly ambitious and also hopes to pursue an MBA in the future.

“I originally wanted to go to the U.S. for my degree, but the distance and financial factors changed my mind,” Pietrzak says. “I really want to work and live abroad, and I feel that this type of degree will have more value for doing that than one from a Polish or Czech state university.”

Felt, who will begin his junior year in the fall, says the advantages of the dual-degree program are numerous. The new Westernized programs, he says, provide students with a well-rounded, subjective education, which is certainly beneficial for liberal arts majors.

“I’m a strong advocate for Westernized education. They use a much more free-thinking system that fosters discussion rather than simple memorization,” he says. “Sometimes I feel that communism hasn’t been entirely eradicated from many Czech universities, and there are many old traditions lingering.”

More so than the programs, it’s often the professors themselves, he says, that are the biggest difference when compared to domestic universities.

“The professors here adopt a totally different outlook compared to those at Czech universities,” he says. “Even if they frame an issue, they have to allow students to think for themselves. This mentality isn’t present among many Czech professors. If you challenge a professor at a Czech university, you’re likely to get thrown out of an exam. If you challenge a professor at a Western university, you’re likely to get a higher grade.”

Pietrzak echoes this sentiment.

“I really like questioning authority if I can,” she says. “The way professors here teach is very different. They teach you to think critically and not believe everything that you hear. Plus, most of the classes are very small, so you don’t feel so anonymous.”

Although the multicultural environment is an advantage in itself, most dual-degree graduates will reap most of the benefits immediately upon entering the work force.

“Based on my experience in the Czech labor market, higher education offers no real advantage, because if you don’t have connections or the capital to start your own business, there’s no way to be successful,” he says. “Here, you’re given a great opportunity to build your business networking base, and I think that’s essential.”

Adds Pietrzak: “With a degree from UNYP, there’ll be name recognition.

“For one thing, [if I have an American degree], I won’t be questioned about whether or not I can speak English,” she adds. “And everyone around the world can place New York on a map, unlike Prague.”

A native of Nematovice, Felt’s quest for a Westernized education began in high school, when he participated in a year long study abroad program based in Los Angeles. His decision to study communication came at the suggestion of a close friend, who was attending a similar liberal arts program at the University of Southern California.

Felt credits his family with always being supportive of his professional ambitions, even when he chose a field without immediate job opportunities, he says.

“I’ve always had a good level of family support,” he says. “In the Czech Republic, there’s a great pressure to go to university to become a doctor, lawyer or businessman. Communication is a wide-ranging field. It has a very extensive scope. It’s all about individual perception; you can’t generalize it in the same way.”

Like Felt, Pietrzak is pleased with her UNYP experience albeit considerably more nostalgic with graduation pending.

“Of course I’m happy that it’s over, because now I can have my life back,” she says. “Like anything, it’s had its good and bad sides. But I wouldn’t change a single minute of it. It was exactly the type of program I was looking for.”

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at specialsection@praguepost.com

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