Past Review
By CLaw925 (English/Spanish, Providence College) for
Arcadia: Dublin - University College Dublin
Studying abroad was the best academic decision I've ever made in my life. For the first time I can remember I did not care about how many A's I was getting. I learned a lot and that was all that mattered to me. I absolutely fell in love with Ireland and everyone there. I've never encountered a more welcoming country in my entire life. I hope to return there very soon and I would consider living in the amazing country. I became more friendly abroad and more willing to speak to strangers. I was always an independent individual but I became even more so abroad. I cooked nearly every night, went grocery shopping on a weekly basis, and maintained a clean apartment. Although studying abroad was an amazing experience it has made living at home even harder. I miss traveling every weekend and being surrounded by extremely kind people. I also miss everyone from my Arcadia program.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University College Dublin |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
A's are virtually impossible to attain in the Irish school system. This was a bit of downer because I thought this semester would boost my GPA, however, it will lower my overall GPA. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff over in Ireland was extremely helpful. The staff in the U.S. was good but did not interact enough with the staff in Ireland which made the class registration process a nightmare. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with two Americans; however, some members of the Arcadia program had foreign roommates. <br /><br /> |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I really enjoyed Killarney and Galway/Cliffs of Moher. Both beautiful places that I'd like to return to again one day. |
| * Safety: |
Campus was secure and there was always security driving and walking around. |
| 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? | You must purchase everything you need for a full kitchen (pots, pans, utensils, plates, glasses, knives, cutting boards, etc.) upon your arrival in Ireland so bring over as much as you can. |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Although the Spanish language program was quite intense, I learned a lot. Several of my classmates had lived in Spain before so it was great to be in class with individuals who were completely fluent in Spanish. I feel like my accent improved and I learned a lot about grammar that I had never been exposed to in the US. |
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? | Have lots of back up classes and make sure you get classes pre-approved by Providence (as many as possible) because a lot of people had problems with this abroad. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Sociology of Health and Illness |
| Course Department: | SOC30080 |
| Instructor: | Dr. Anne Cleary |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was by far the most interesting class that I took abroad. I learned a lot about Irish culture and society throughout this class. We examined madness in the Irish society, class and gender variations in health, and suicide and factors which affect it. I encourage anyone studying abroad to consider taking this class. Although we had to write three papers in addition to a final written exam, the work was well worth it for the cultural experience. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
