Past Review
By ireland09 (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Providence College) for
Arcadia: Dublin - University College Dublin
Worthwhile. Difficult and trying but definitely an incredible learning experience. It wasn't what I expected at all but I don't regret it in the least. It made me a stronger person, more independent and self-reliant. However, I did feel that it was lacking something -- that sense of adventure, because a lot of other things (school, budgeting, etc) got in the way. I heard of kids having cleaners and fully-furnished apartments right in the heart of cities -- not here. You are on the outskirts, 20 min bus ride to the city, responsible for the upkeep and furnishing of your apartments, must pay for laundry services, must pay for the buses (which the program does a poor job of advising you to get the student rambler passes for the 75 day limit -- do that!), must pay for linens, kitchenware -- it all adds up and leaves you broke! And as far as field trips go, you have 3 max. Whereas other programs I heard of had something going on every weekend. No bells and whistles are included in this program and its tough.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Although it's a lot of work, it does teach you a lot about your capabilities and pushes you to new limits in a good way. It also helped to enhance my writing skills. However, I spent a lot of time outside the classroom focused on schoolwork which wasn't ideal for making the most of my experience in Europe. I missed out on a lot due to the courseload. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration in the US (with Arcadia) were unorganized and unhelpful. Many things got lost in the mail, classes were approved that weren't offered. Poor communication. Not very helpful with questions. Not very knowledgeable about the UCD program, housing, etc. The Adminstration in Ireland, however, was very organized and always as helpful as possible. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
On-campus apartment housing with one American in our program and one local student (most however, lived with other Americans in the program). Had own bedroom. Shared common room, kitchen and bathroom/shower. <br /><br /> They were very old apartments. Not clean when we arrived. Other abroad programs had much better set-ups in the newer buildings. One perk: right across the street from the Arts Block building which is where all classes were. |
| * Food: |
You have to buy all your own food and prepare it yourself -- and Dublin is expensive!! I was definitely mal nourished. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I decided to go abroad without any friends -- I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. But it did teach me a lot about my independent capabilities, etc. It was great to meet new people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
they gave us a brief little card about mumps I think, I don't even remember. It was very easy to feel safe in Ireland because it felt a lot like home and the campus and city is very well protected. The program did a good job informing us of emergencey procedures, etc. and stressed the importance of being aware when traveling to other countries because of how easy it was to feel safe in Ireland (though not the case for other countries). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you are concerned about money, I do not recommend Dublin. Galway perhaps if you really want to be in Ireland, but not Dublin. Everything is twice as expensive as anywhere else in Europe. I didn't know this going into it and I came out dead broke and in debt (and I didn't go out often). Traveling adds up, and food is pricey. A night out can get expensive too with pints at 6 euro a pop (thats about 8 us dollars). Banks get you also with fees, one fee for a home bank and another fee for the abroad bank -- make sure you set up a card without fees!! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Make sure you know what you are getting in to. Check everything to make sure it matches up before you go. Don't expect meal deals at awesome restaurants and eateries -- that all comes out of pocket, so I guess don't expect to eat out much at all. Don't expect too much extravegance or extras -- either there isn't the money for it because Ireland is expensive, or the program just doesn't live up to the experiences I've heard of students who studied in Spain or Italy. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
19th Century Literature |
| Course Department: | English 30240 |
| Instructor: | Tutor: Patrick Lennon |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Although the lectures were great (and taught by people who were not necessarily grading your work) the class dicussions were painfully awful. One of the fellow members of our program asked to switch Tutors (the class runs in a lecture/tutorial system: one day lecture, the other day discussion run by the tutor) and it was the best decision she could have made. I have never tried so hard in a course only to do so poorly. A true disappointment (but only if you get this Tutor). The Tutor had no guidance and if he disliked the style of your writing (nevermind the content, he could care less about WHAT you write. For him its all about HOW you write) you'd be lucky not to fail. He had no profound insight and was a true bore, I got very little out of this class. I wish I could get my money back on this one. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | This class only transfers as an English Elective and not as a required course. |
