Ireland is the most beautiful place in the world. Past Review

By William C (Biology, General., Providence College) - abroad from 05/28/2014 to 06/18/2014 with

AIFS: Limerick - University of Limerick

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I gained a lot of confidence about traveling in general, but especially regarding traveling in Europe. The experience was worthwhile, but I would choose a different program because AIFS was not worth the money.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Took a film class while abroad that studied the use of Irish cinema in portraying history, stereotypes and current issues. The professor, Dr. Emma Bidwell, was extraordinary. She was very engaging, funny, and helped ease students into cultural differences. The class was very informative and helped tourist spots and cultural excursions make sense due to the background gained in the class.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Program was well run but wished there was more for students to do. They provided one night activity in the form of a trivia night during our month long stay. Other than that, students were left to find personal enjoyment every day from 4pm on.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Each student was given a single room with a private full bathroom and twin sized bed. There was a communal kitchen and living space for 6 people that was cleaned and stocked with breakfast food daily.
* Food:	Food was more expensive than in America. Students were given vouchers for meals, but these vouchers did not always cover the full cost of a meal. Many, many, many dishes were served with fries and much of the food was greasy and unhealthy. Food became repetitive by the end of the month.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Americans were some of the only students at the University which is about 15 minutes from the center of the downtown. Once down there, people can always tell you are an American, but the University did a good job of helping students understand local slang, food, etc.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Dorm buildings required key-card access to enter and there were many safety vehicles that could be seen driving around after dark.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)	Much of the food was very expensive and tourist attractions not covered by the university are pricey as well.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$75
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Be smart about what you eat and don't get extremely expensive things. Also, be smart about water. The tap water is fine to drink so that will save a lot of money, but if you do buy water bottles, buy very large ones (2 liter) because they are cheaper than small 0.5 liter ones.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?	0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	The class Cultural excursions Other students
* What could be improved?	More excursions Higher meal vouchers More nightly activities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew that AIFS does not provide what they say they do on their website. They stated that students would be doing more things during their excursions than they actually provide for. As just one example of this, for the Dublin trip, our Saturday was described as consisting of: "Take a sightseeing tour of historical and cultural Dublin. Visit the Book of Kells and enjoy free time to explore Ireland’s capital also known as Baile Atha Cliath or “Town of the hurdled ford”. In actuality, we took no tour, and were given all day to go and pay for admission to the Book of Kells or do whatever else we wanted. While free time is nice, I wish I had known that the program would not actually cover any costs when their website deceivingly sounds like it will. I would have chosen a cheaper program and done those same activities on my own and saved money.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Avid Adventurer The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Screening Ireland
Course Department:	Film
Instructor:	Dr. Emma Bidwell
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was not very challenging but extremely informative. The professor was very knowledgeable and explained cultural differences we had to ease the transition of students. We were given only one final assessment which was a paper and not difficult as long as you attended every class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues.