Study Abroad in Dublin: Best Summer Ever! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were interesting and fun, more laid-back than classes I had at home. I feel like I learned so much in such a short time about the culture and school work. We did projects and papers like any other class, but also had a couple of field trips.

On-site administration of your program

The school was great and Colum Cronin, the Director of Student Affairs, had an answer for every question we had. Everyone at the school was very welcoming and helpful. First day seemed kind of disorganized, but it was registration day so it was to be expected. Overall, great school!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The school arranged the housing for us before we got there. We had an amazing walk-up apartment. It had two bedrooms, two baths, and a loft with a balcony. The apartment was less than 10 minutes walk from school. There was a shopping center just down the block with a grocery store as well as retail stores. We were also one street over from the famous Grafton Street! Nightlife was great; there were pubs and clubs on every street. The apartment came with dishes and appliances, including a washer/dryer combo. We did need towels and bedsheets, but if you didn't pack it, you could walk to Dunnes (similar to what we know as Wal-Mart in the states) at the shopping center and buy some.

There are A LOT of cafes in Dublin. All of them had amazing coffee. My roommates and I also liked Porterhouse, which was a couple of blocks down from us. It is a bar, but they also serve some great food during the day. The city really offered any kind of food you could want though, like any other city. They had your traditional Irish food places right along side Italian and asian. There was also a fantastic sushi place down the street from our apartment. They did have McDonalds and Burger King as well.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

While we were there, we went as a group as well as individually to many different places. As a class, we toured Croke Park, where Gaelic football is played. We also toured the Guiness Factory and a museum. We had weekends free to travel with people in the study abroad program. With my roommates, I went to Cork and Galway and got to see the Cliffs of Moher. In Dublin, my roommates and I did the Viking Tour and saw historic areas of Dublin. The World Street Performers Championship was also held while we were in Dublin. It was an amazing thing to see.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I actually felt very safe for being in a big city. All of our experiences with the local Irish people were great, all were very helpful. For example, my roommates and I were walking to the bus station to take a weekend trip to Galway and got lost. A pub owner was out on the street cleaning up from the night before and I guess could tell that we were lost and offered to help us without us even having to ask. I do remember that someone did get sick while we were there, nothing major, but the school helped her find a doctor and get medicine. They had drugstores that had stuff for your every need. We did learn that they call band-aids "plasters." That caused some confusion but we figured it out. Overall, it was a great experience.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Americans