Welcome to the Karolinum. A year ago I sat in the same seats as you, listening to the same opening ceremony in this beautiful building, wondering where my future was taking me. What I was feeling, was probably the same as what most of you are feeling today: nervous, tired; obviously confused listening to the ceremony in czech, as I didn’t speak any yet. Most vividly, however, I felt scared. I felt terrified to acknowledge that I had left my home, my family and friends, everything familiar to me; and I wanted to go back. I was afraid that if I really commit myself to studying here and fail, that I would be nothing more than a failure.

Everyone here has arrived to the Czech Republic under different circumstances, but we have all come with one purpose: to learn czech.

I knew, as all of you know, that this was going to be very hard. You can imagine what lies ahead of you. All the flashcards, the frustration, the afternoons, evenings, and nights of studying - I don’t have to tell you this. I am here to remind you to believe in yourself. It’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to feel stressed or scared at times. Know that all your peers are going through the same thing, and know there are many people at UJOP who want to help you, and want to see you succeed. Don’t be afraid to give it your all, and to reach out when you need help.

Time will fly by. It really does feel like yesterday, that I sat here listening, just like you. Though your main priority is learning, take the time to enjoy this part of your life. Be open to new experiences, meet people and make friends, eat good food, find little things to enjoy, and most importantly, remember to live. Balance between hard work and fun is what makes such a difficult task possible.

My mother always says; “Luck favors the prepared.” Be proud of yourself for choosing to prepare for your future. With hard work you can do anything, even learn czech. The road is long and scary, but you must give it your all. I congratulate you on making it this far. Please, go forth, and learn!

"UJOP Charles University helped me a lot. Even though I didn't have a solid high school foundation in mathematics and programming, I don't feel that I know less than the local students, precisely because in Poděbrady I had not only language training, but also professional subjects, without which my studies in the first semester would have been significantly more demanding. I didn't have much experience with programming. Before I started at UJOP, I only had the basics, but then we had homework from Mr. Jílek, and that really helped. The university course Language C is difficult, but if you already know something, it is a huge advantage. So everything that is covered in the UJOP course – everything will be useful to future students. In general, I would really recommend keeping an eye on professional subjects.

I notice that students of other language schools often have problems with Czech concepts in mathematics, which is not a good thing – you will not have time for Czech at university, every student should be able to understand at least in exercises and lectures. You won't have time to revise what a trigonometric function is and how its typical values are calculated, or to study the basics of complex numbers that every Czech high school student must understand. I don't know any other school that devotes so much time to specialized subjects and has good teachers. It is a pity that in recent years the number of hours for vocational subjects in Poděbrady has been decreasing."