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author
Leonardo Mermoglia
Leonardo
faculty
Fakulta sociálních věd
academic year of the stay
2025/2026
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author
Leonardo
faculty
Fakulta sociálních věd
academic year of the stay
2025/2026
University of Oregon
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
How does Leonardo rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about accommodation
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
The University of Oregon was extremely proactive and helpful when it came to organizing events for students and providing academic support. The huge university campus is amazing, it feels like walking through a national park every time you go to class. It is fully equipped with libraries, sport facilities and restaurants. Everything is fully accessible to students and incredibly modern. Take a look at the university website, that will take away any doubt you might have, I did it before visiting and was still surprised by what I saw when I got there as it exceeded my expectations.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
The study methods did not vary much compared to Charles University, classes might be occasionally bigger than some of the ones at Charles. Exam methods stay the same with written exams being the only evaluation methods for the most part, many courses have multiple parts that compose the final grade, not only a final exam. All classes have a midterm exam of some form. Pay attention to the courses you select, 400 level courses are taken also by master students and might be difficult, chose them if you are looking for a challenge, from 100 level to 300 I found them to be easier and less study heavy.
What is student life like at university?
Life at the university is very active as the campus is constantly full of people. Student associations are everywhere and of any kind, just to give an idea to how many different kinds there are, even though I was not interested, I discovered a University of Oregon Pokemon club and many people were attending. Just look for anything you are interested in and you will find it, sports are a big part of university life, I joined a basketball tournament when I was there, just keep in mind that many of these include participation fees, this however does not mean that you cannot join a pickup game at the student recreational center whenever you want. Specifically for exchange students there are many associations that organize day trips and various activities, a great way of visiting Oregon and meeting people.
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
There were some english requirements, they are all clearly stated on the university website. I took the duolingo test and passed without any kind of problem. I think that all people that are taking english taught degrees at Charles will not have any problem with it.
about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
During the day time the campus is very active, everything is aimed at satisfying the needs of students, if you need to take a run or a completely quite room for studying you will find it. The city itself is quite small and there is not much to see, the city revolves around the university. However, near it, the nature is incredible, there are a lot of walks you can do and incredible places. You will need a car though, both Oregon and the USA are pretty big and public transport is horrible compared to Europe, as long as you stay in the city you have a few options with buses and bicycles but already going to the supermarket starts to become a little bit of a headache without it. Personally I found many people that could help me get around without any problem, make friends from the place, they will not only be enjoyable but also of great help with these kinds of things. However, the associations I mentioned before also provide rides from time to time to exchange students in need, look for them in the introduction days and give them your phone number. At night time there are just a few bars near the university, expect a very different situation compared to Prague, drinking age is 21 and you will not get in if you are younger. Even though it was different I had a lot of fun and long nights, just do not expect the Duplex kind of experience you get in Prague.
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
I was granted a double academic scholarship from Charles university from the mobility fund. That was of huge help, I would not have been able to take part in this experience without it. I was able to pay for most of my housing costs with it. Generally the country is expensive but I spent almost the same amount of money I would have spent in Prague in general, I am not including various in country/state trips I took when I was there and the money from the scholarship. Without scholarship I believe this experience is very expensive. In any case the various expenses you will have to face are shown on the university website, they give you an idea.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
To save money buy food at the supermarket (Costco, Albertons) and cook at home, use the bikes present all around the campus to get around as much as you can (discounted subscriptions for students) and generally keep the same habits you have in Prague to save money, there is not much difference.
about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
I stayed for only one term and chose an outside of campus accomodation. You will have the chance of sleeping in the dorms but even though it looks great for the experience it is not, all the people I met that stayed there were not happy, furthermore it is more expensive than getting an apartment overall. Maybe rent is lower by a couple hundred dollars, but what you will spend to eat in the cafeteria is a lot more than what you would spend if you could cook in your own/shared apartment. For shorter stays like mine Arena District apartments was the only building that provided a month to month kind of contract without the need to sign a 12 month/full academic year contract and was the less costly option as well. It is a little far from campus walking but with a bike (rack at 3 min from the building) you reach the other side of campus in 8 minutes. All other private buildings offer longer contracts only.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
I travelled only in the United states when I was there. In Oregon there is a lot of nature to see as I already said. In Oregon I visited Blue Pool and the Terwiliger Hot springs, both amazing. Outside of the state I visited Redwoods National park in California, also very beautiful, New York City and Washington D.C. I honestly do not have anything to not recommend, I like everything I did.
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
I feel like American people are quite superficial, this does not mean that they are not nice to you, everybody was very nice to me and welcoming, they want to know about foreign culture and people and will be very helpful. The problem I found with most of the locals was to keep the connections alive, even if interactions were positive this did not mean that you had found friends. This is also why most of the friends I made and that I am still in contact with are not American.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
The only challenges I found were before my arrival, everything else came by itself with no stress. Understanding how to select courses was complicated, also there is not really an official conversion table for credits, the one I received from Charles in the end was not respected, Instead of 12 total credits for 3 courses I took in Oregon I received 8 for each because most of them were 400 level. Use the Charles table as a guideline and then be happy if your coordinator assigns you more credits at the end, think about it like this. Be sure though to signal to your coordinator or who transfers your credits to look closely at the transcript, the various levels of the courses will be clearly stated even if in smaller writing.
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
Very accomodating, they are especially helpful with exchange students, professors as well.
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
Contact the University clearly stating your needs, they are very helpful and won't hesitate to help you.
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
I believe it was an experience that closely reflects the idea of American college life we have in Europe. Sports, nice campus, fraternity parties ecc. I would for sure send my friends there for two terms, no doubt, a full year on the other hand fully depends on who you meet there to be honest and how you are as a person. Generally speaking all the people I met that stayed the full year were sad that some of us left after just a term but in the end they found other friends a things to do and told me they were happy.
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...
I good pair of walking shoes and a rain coat.
Before leaving, I would like to know that...
The movie "Animal house" was filmed at the University of Oregon, WATCH IT, some things might still be true today ;)
What surprised me most was that...
The size of the football stadium, it felt like I was watching professional players but those guys went to class just like me.
The hardest thing for me was...
Choosing courses and understanding the credit conversion.
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