Student Life

CERGE-EI students form a very special community. One of the greatest benefits of having small class-groups is that students get to know each other well and form strong friendship bonds. The CERGE-EI experience is that of a close-knit family ­– you will always find someone whom to share your interests with.

Sports Activities

Karlštejn Bike Trip

Brave students and faculty members get together every summer (usually in July) and cycle about 37 km from Prague to Karlstejn. The lovely river-side trip is well-suited even for beginner-level cyclers and the Gothic Castle awaiting to be discovered is well worth the biking effort.

Softball Team

Traditionally, the talented CERGE-EI team participates in the Heavy Hitters Softball Tournament held each year. The tournament is attended by over 300 people and the funds raised from the event go towards educational programs. Though for many students softball is a new game, after some practice they are welcome to join our team, the Invisible Hands, and have a lot of fun.

Basketball Fridays

CERGE-EI students get together every Friday evening for a friendly game of basketball. Anyone is welcome to join, regardless the experience or level.

Squash Tournament

Squash has become a very popular sport among the CERGE-EI community. Each October, CERGE-EI students and alumni hold a tournament in the nearby squash center. Everyone is invited to come, support their team, network, and enjoy the action.

Fussball Championship

The Student club is where a great tool for stress-relief lies within the fussball table. Students can play during free time just for fun, or practice for the November fussball championship.

Running

Whether you jog for leisure or enjoy the challenge of a marathon, Prague offers plenty of scenic routes to run on and also races to compete in. CERGE-EI professors and students usually kick-off the spring sport activities by running in the Palestra Kbelska 10K race, which is one of the biggest cross country races in Prague.

Student life can get stressful at times, and what better way to let your mind rest and find inner peace than Yoga? Twice a week, yoga sessions are held at CERGE-EI.

Students Activities

International Food Party

At the beginning of the academic year, the CERGE-EI courtyard becomes a buffet of traditional food and drinks from around the world. As the student body has become more diverse over the years, so has the variety of flavours: taste “bryndzové halušky“ from Slovakia, Ukrainian “boršč”, Czech “nakládaný hermelín”, Russian fish salad, and good Georgian wine or Ethiopian coffee. Join the International Food Party and delight your senses!

Coffee Breaks and Movie Nights in the Student Club

The student club provides an environment where you can relax and read a book, chat over a coffee, or play games. Even better, why not watch a movie with your colleagues after a long day? Movie nights are a tradition at CERGE-EI – thanks to the diversity of CERGE-EI students, you can enjoy the best movies from the countries of your friends and colleagues and get to know their cultures a little better.

Beer Parties

The Czech Republic is world famous for its beer. Each semester, usually after exams, a celebratory evening is organized in a typical Prague pub to enjoy good beer in an informal atmosphere with friends, professors, and alumni.

Special Events

Annual Graduation Gala

During the intensive study it is easy not to fully notice that we are headquartered in a Palace. June of 2013 kicked off a new tradition at CERGE-EI – the Graduation Gala which sheds a completely different light on the Schebek Palace. The red-carpet event welcomes the whole “extended” CERGE family: students, faculty, staff, alumni, affiliates and friends, for an unforgettable evening. Make sure you do not miss the opportunity to see CERGE-EI in its full colours.

Enjoying Prague

Prague is a spectacular city, filled with a rich collection of cultural heritage and activities, and is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. CERGE-EI is located in the center of Prague (see Contact Details), within walking distance of its main attractions. Be more than just another visitor; discover Prague’s hidden gems that only the locals know about: the Use-It team comes up every year with an updated version of a "non-touristy" map.

Prague ranks among “Top 10 Best Cities for Young People to Live In” and there are a multitude of reasons.

The Czech Republic prides itself as the country with the most castles per square meter. In Prague alone there are over 40 castles and chateaux. CERGE-EI is located in the center of Prague, thus within walking distance from the main cultural and tourist attractions. You can stroll down Wenceslas Square (Prague’s main boulevard) and within 5-7 minutes you are in the Old Town (Stare Mesto), where you can see the famous Astronomical Clock; further on, cross the historical Charles Bridge and you will see the iconic Prague Castle on the far side of the Vltava River. 

Prague is a very lively city, there are plenty of events and many of them are student-budget friendly. Discover where and what can you do free of charge in Prague on:  https://www.facebook.com/PrahaZdarma

“Prague Is Happening” – sometimes it is hard to keep up with the multitude of festivals, concerts, exhibitions and overall events in the city. There are well established traditions of movie festivals, photo-exhibitions, drama/theatre, music festivals and concerts, underground performances, sport events, wine festivals, beer festivals, even burger festivals – so no matter what your interests are, there is always something to your liking happening in Prague.

There are a few sources to help you mark your calendars accordingly and make sure you don’t miss out on some spectacular events:

http://www.festivalguide.cz
http://www.pragueeventscalendar.com

The Czech Republic is also home to some of the best beer in the world, but you can be the judge of that and taste for yourself. http://www.praguepubs.co.uk – is a list of almost 50 pubs and bars in Prague (and these are just selected few), which could be the starting point of your research into the world of Czech Beer and Czech Cuisine.

In Prague there is a large community of foreigners, commonly referred to as Expats. They have created the http://www.expats.cz – here you can find a lot of useful tips and information on everything a foreigner might need to successfully discover in order to integrate into the Czech world.

CERGE-EI has also created a special student map that explores a multitude of places “just around the corner”, so that you can make the most of studying right in the center of Prague.

Suggest A New Event

Keep up with the on-going CERGE-EI events: join us on Facebook and read our Blog.

In addition to the on-going traditional activities at CERGE-EI, if you come up with an idea for an event that you would like to get involved in, you are more than welcome to get in touch with either the Sport Representative (Daviti: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or one of the Student Representatives (Bill, Iuliia, or Petar: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and make it happen.