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Since recovering from the pandemic, the UNK study abroad program sent 24 students to the Czech Republic. These Lopers are making the most of this journey as they explore Europe and experience new adventures. 

“Studying abroad may not seem financially possible or somewhat scary, but I cannot recommend it enough,” said Ty Eggen, UNK senior. “You will meet countless people, learn a tremendous amount of knowledge from all areas and grow as a human being.”

Transportation while abroad is more affordable than one would think. Flights in the United States can range hundreds or thousands of dollars, but flights in Europe can be significantly less expensive.

The students are studying at the Palacky University in the Czech Republic where schooling is much different compared to UNK.

“The way that classes work, I’ve always wanted to show up for all of them,” said Rachel Higgins, UNK senior. “Whereas normally I would dread going to my statistics class but going to every single one of these is super fun.”

Classes at Palacky University teach the students the history of the Czech Republic and help them get a better understanding of their people. 

Students are also learning outside the classroom. 

Jacob O’Grady, UNK senior, said he enjoys learning new languages and feels accomplished when he picks up words and phrases from different countries.

“Learning the Czech language and immersing myself into Czech society has helped me to understand a new culture and way of life,” O’Grady said. “Even though it is important to know about the history of this area, I think it is much more practical to know the language.”

Outside of classes, students get to travel with groups of other students while abroad.

Spring break is a popular time for college students to travel and go on vacation. O’Grady visited Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome, Santorini and Athens.

“It was crazy to see all these places in only 10 days, but it was definitely worth it,” O’Grady said. “I really enjoyed the beautiful Italian coastline of Cinque Terre and the colorful towns that make up this location.”

Of all the places Higgins has visited, she can’t pick a favorite as they are all “beautiful sites to see.” Lucerne or Prague were Eggen’s top two favorite places visited as he called them “breathtaking.”

Higgins, O’Grady and Eggen will not be able to study abroad again as an undergraduate, but they all hope to go back to the Czech Republic or one of the places they visited again.

“Without a doubt I would do this again in a heartbeat,” Eggen said. “My experiences so far have driven me to want to move to Europe at some point later on in my lifetime.”