Student Guide

Edited: 29/07/2022 

As a new student, you probably have lots of questions about where to go to find the resources and information you need. Here you may find advice and general information to help to settle into the life of a new Ph.D. student in Brno.

1. Information for CEITEC PhD School students
The majority of the information to successfully manage your Ph.D. studies is summed up on the website.
At the beginning of the studies, it is required to fill the individual study plan in cooperation with the supervisor. This important step helps you organize the main ideas, key milestones, and individual tasks during your studies.  Later on, you will need to set up your own Thesis Advisory Committee providing additional mentoring support during your Ph.D. Every Ph.D. candidate must be supervised and mentored during their studies by  3 TAC members at least. Except for the information about the individual study plan and TAC, you can also find additional information about the courses, credit system, and so on. 
Note: If you are a student outside CEITEC PhD School Programme, search for more information on your university's websites. 

2. Join the Facebook group
If you want to get the most recent information about the events or meet other colleagues, join the CEITEC PHDs group. 

3. Seminars and courses organized by CEITEC
CEITEC provides many useful courses and seminars. You can choose according to the field of your studies:

• Life Sciences Seminars
• Molecular Medicine Seminars 
• Mendel Centre Seminars
• Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Seminars
• Principal Investigator MU Seminars 
• Bioinformatic Seminars

Recently, CEITEC, as a partner organization, provided a course for NGS data analysis Nemhesys. The registration for the course should open again. Besides lectures, CEITEC also organizes workshops to improve your writing and communication skills, such as writing grant applications and many others. Keep up with the events on the CEITEC website.

​4. Events organized by CEITEC Ph.D. Committee
Our committee organized two major events:

• CEITEC Science Mixer (3-times per year)
• PhD Retreat (once per year) 

Both events provide an opportunity to meet your colleagues, broaden your professional network regardless of your study field or year in the programme. The registration for PhD Retreat will open soon. Find out more information on the Retreat website. 

5. CEITEC Tea time
The aim of these meetings is to create a platform for informal discussion with a friendly atmosphere and to make new contacts with other students and employees. CEITEC BUT Tea times used to happen once per month on a different topic (Colombian Tea time, Tea Time detox etc.). CEITEC MU Tea times are happening every Thursday at 1 PM. Both events provide a nice environment with tea/coffee and some sweets. You only need to bring your own cup and a good mood! :)

6. Fitness and sports activities
Last year we joined the nationwide challenge Bike to Work and cycled or ran almost 16 000 kilometres. You can join the facebook group to see the news and members involved in the project. 
Campus Day MU is another event where individuals, complete or incomplete teams, can apply for floorball or badminton. 

MU employees: All MUNI staff can join nine lectures free of charge provided by the University Sports Centre. Due to current measurements, they prepared online courses on various types of physical activities.
BUT students: The Centre of Sport Activities (CESA) provides an opportunity for students to attend two sports hours per week each semester. CESA offers sports in the form of optional courses, most of them free of charge. International students of short-term stay can either enrol in sports activities explicitly designated for international students in the English language or join sports activities together with Czech students in the Czech language.

7. Tackling mental health along the PhD journey
All Ph.D. students enrolled in a present (daily) form of studies may ask for psychological counseling. These consultations are offered as part of the standard advisory services for students in a form of personal or online consultations. If you are experiencing a lack of motivation, stress or you feel like you have lost control - we encourage you to apply for these services. Reasons to search for a therapist are many, and they don't have to be connected to study-related problems. Our well-being affects many aspects of our life, so we kindly recommend making an appointment with a specialist when you need it.

What are the possibilities?
MU students: The university covers up to 5 consultations, and you can make an online appointment in the booking system by using your personal number received from the university (UČO) and your primary password. Currently, they have two English-speaking psychologists; one of them provides consultations also in French. Online meetings are set up through Skype and the duration for both personal and online meetings is approximately 50 minutes. 
BUT students: The university covers up to 7 consultations, and you can also make an online appointment by filling the form available in English. Standard consultation with a counselor takes 50 minutes, and the frequency of the meetings depends on individual arrangements.

8. Start learning Czech
Most of the places in Brno provide service in English, yet you can be lucky enough to find someone who speaks only Czech. While most of the things can be communicated through body language, you may later appreciate the basic knowledge of this lovely language in your daily life. Let's be honest, it's not the easiest language, but with a little bit of practice and the support of your colleagues (who will appreciate your effort), you can learn a lot of useful sentences and also the beauty of Slavic culture. 
How can you start? Easily! The Centre for Foreigners JMK  holds free Czech courses for foreigners. Students from MU may also apply for courses listed on the Language Centre website.

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