Study Abroad in Dublin, Ireland with API Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The educational system is a lot different than over in the states. The classes are much bigger. The entire grade is usually based off of 2 grades (midterm and final). Also for some professors it was hard to get in touch with them outside of class (i.e office hours were not a thing usually). Some of the classes over there (mostly upper level 200 or 300) were challenging.

On-site administration of your program

The API people over in Dublin were great. The person in charge of the API students was always reachable if needed. And would help with doctors appointments or anything else that was needed. Or if we just had any questions.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived on campus in Belgrove. It was apartment style housing and was fairly nice.

You had to make your own food, buy takeout, or buy the school food. They don't have meal plans because most of the school are commuters. The food that I did buy was good. Also if I went to the city there were many different good options for everyone.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was hard for me to hang out or speak to the Irish students in my classes because they already had their friend group and some were not super inviting. However if you join clubs or are more outgoing then it will be easier to meet the locals. After living there for a month or two I felt more in touch with the culture because I would go into the city center (and surrounding areas) as much as I could each week, to where I felt very comfortable navigating and giving people directions, and knowing all the good spots to go.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got pink eye over there and it was very easy to deal with. API gave me a doctor that was near the campus. The doctor saw me that day and got me treated and a prescription that I needed to pick up. It was reasonably priced. My doctor was very nice and if I had any problems or it had not gone away (or started to) after a week I should call back and come back to be looked at.

I felt very safe in Dublin. I would feel like I could walk around by myself and be safe during the day. At night there would be more reservations with walking by myself but knew to keep away from the "bad spots", after living and going out at night. But the city I felt safe for the most part.

I liked everything that API did for me and the trips that they took us on. And I felt if I went by myself, without a program I would not of had the same good experience.

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

For the first month it was hard because I didn't really stick to a budget (I regret that). But then I would take out 100 euro from the atm at the beginning of each week and would stick to the budget for the most part.

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• Dorm
• Apartment
• Hostel

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• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The trips
• The helpfulness of the program director
• Going into the school with some people I knew (sort of well)

• Roommate selection
• Telling us about the telephone plans over there

The Avid Adventurer