Student Life
Your student life will be what you make it! It may sound clichéd, but the Faculty offers a lot of activities that you can take part in passively as audience or actively as organisers.
Events organised by the Faculty of Science
The Public Relations Department (“OVV”) organises numerous events for students and the general public during the year. These include the Museum Night at FSc, the Science Is Beautiful photography contest, and the presentational Faculty of Science Ball at the Žofín palace. The celebration ball to mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of FSc was held in 2020. The Faculty balls also include bestowing the Velemlok (Giant Salamander) awards on the best teachers for the previous academic year. Upon producing your student card, you can visit the Faculty museums and collections free of charge (including the Botanical Garden’s greenhouses (except for exhibitions), the Chlupáč Museum of Earth History and the Hrdlička Museum of Anthropology,https://www.natur.cuni.cz/eng/museums-and-collections).
Events organised by the Student Chamber of the Academic Senate
The Student Chamber of the Academic Senate (“SKAS”) organises several events throughout the year to form the community life of the Faculty. Voluntary work at the Albertov slopes is a major annual event. This takes place on the land between the “small” and the “large” Albertov stairs every spring. Přírodovědci sobě (By the Scientists, For the Scientists) is an annual event held at the beginning of the academic year where students get to know Faculty associations, the Academic Senate, and the Faculty leaders. This happens in a very friendly and informal atmosphere with refreshments supplied.
Student Associations and Activities
The associations (Czech only) can be divided into two principal categories: professional/study and sports. Professional associations are active within every Section and the lion’s share of their activities involves science. Rather than additional study, they are a free expression of the fact that you love what you do.
There are several associations in the Biology Section that primarily popularise biology and present it to high school students. These are the Biozvěst correspondence course, Biology Club for High School Students, Arachne (Czech only) Association and the Fluorescent Night (Czech only).
The Chemistry Section has its own popularisation association, KSICHT (Correspondence Seminar Inspired by Chemistry Topics; Czech only). In addition to popularising science with high school target audiences, KSICHT also organises a one-week camp directly at Albertov.
The Geography Section hosts a chapter of the European Geography Association for Students and Young Geographers (EGEA; Czech only). The EGEA organises discussions with teachers and travel lectures at the Faculty, and its members can take part in international exchange programmes involving students from other European universities. Demographers are gathered in the Student Demography Club (Czech only) operating under the auspices of the Department of Demography and Geodemography.
The Geography Section is also home to the Hydrant hydrology association for young people who are interested in water, its associated global problems, and the outlook for the future. Last but not least, Geography Volunteers (Czech only) assist in organising the Section’s events during the year.
Geology students can participate in three associations, namely the SGA Student Chapter Prague, Charles University in Prague Geophysical Society (CUPGS), and Geology Academic League (GAL; Czech only). SGA focuses primarily on deposit geology and mineralogy and organises both domestic and international field trips and lectures by various experts for its members. CUPGS gathers students with an interest in geophysics and operates under the auspices of the global Society of Exploration Geophysicists. GAL is predominantly a leisure association aiming primarily to help first-year students of bachelor’s programmes and involve them in the Faculty’s student life. It offers information on how the Faculty works and advice on how to prepare for study successfully.
Students interested in sports can choose from a large number of sports clubs active in our Faculty. You can join the ranks of the Přírodní vědy Praha (Czech only) Softball Team, the PřF UK (Czech only) Floorball Team, the HC Přírodověda UK Ice Hockey Team (Czech only), and the BC Přírodní vědy (Czech only) Basketball Club. University Sports Clubs (“VSK”) are also active at the Faculty; these currently have eight sections (basketball, futsal, volleyball, climbing (Czech only), floorball, swimming, tennis, and diving).
Those who do not prefer science or sports during their leisure time can try their luck in one of the two theatre companies at our Faculty, Divadlo Viníci (Czech only) and the Hamba Theatre Troupe (Czech only).
In addition, there are various other associations at the Faculty that focus directly on community life. These are the FSc Erasmus Club that offers help to exchange students, presents the Czech culture to them, and facilitates contact between international and Czech students. The FSc Tourist Club (Czech only) organises regular hiking trips.
Some events are held at the Chladič Student Club (in the basement at Hlavova 8; Czech only), which can also serve as a meeting point for university friends during daytime, etc. You can organise your own events related to FSc in Chladič. All you need to do is contact the club manager (Jakub Režňák, jakub.reznak@natur.cuni.cz) and book a date; the current contact details for the manager can be found on the notice board by the club entrance. Chladiči includes a lockable kitchenette.
An alternative option is the A6 student club at Albertov 6. This is a meeting place for the students, employees, and friends of Charles University’s Faculty of Science. The A6 is located on the ground floor of the building at Albertov 6, directly behind the main staircase, and is open from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm on instruction days. Outside those hours, the club can be reserved, subject to prior arrangement with club manager Jakub Petříček via e-mail: jakub.petricek@natur.cuni.cz.
Culture at student-friendly prices
In addition to discounted last-minute tickets, which are highly affordable provided there are still vacant seats half an hour before the performance at the National Theatre, Švanda Theatre, and Divadlo Bez zábradlí, or standing tickets (Činoherní klub – CZK 50), students can also use the highly useful Faculty of Arts Student Council News Feed (a SML system; Czech only). If you register and pay a small annual fee, you can take advantage of several discounts intended for SML system members. You can choose the clubs from whom you want to receive information e-mails (Music Club, Film Club, Theatre Club, discussions with guests, etc.) and book your tickets to selected events using the system. The CU Film Seminar (Czech only) presents the current production at Celetná 20 every Tuesday. Visitors need to register; each registration is valid for one semester.
For music festivals, one event worth mentioning is certainly the free-of-charge Strahov Open Air, which is usually held at the turn of September and October, and the non-commercial Studentský Majáles festival. Make sure you visit the Faculty of Arts’ Celetná student club in Celetná Street at least once during your studies.
A cult-status Faculty amenity, the Mrtvá ryba (Dead Fish) bar at Benátská 4 (behind a large steel door) is where you will meet many university friends and teachers. Subject to an arrangement, certain areas can be reserved. Mrtvá ryba is situated in the same building at the FSc Rybička Kindergarten (Czech only), so that students with children can easily combine parenting and student life at the Faculty.
Mrtvá ryba student pub: facebook.com/Mrtv%C3%A1-ryba-187716801292837/
List of student associations and current news at FSc: natur.cuni.cz/fakulta/studentske-spolky/ (Czech only)
Faculty of Arts Student Council News Feed: sml.strada.ff.cuni.cz (Czech only)