Ireland was blast! Past Review
By Mike C (Finance and Financial Management Services., Providence College) for
Arcadia: Dublin - University College Dublin
I gained a strong sense of a different culture. It is truly amazing to get the opportunity to live in an unfamiliar setting and become a temporary citizen. By the end of my stay I felt a strong connection with the culture and natives to Ireland. Being from Irish decent it was great to get in touch with my roots and learn where my family came from. I certainly grew as a person and learned a lot about my abilities to survive on my own in an unfamiliar setting. Truly a worthwhile experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
While studying at UCD the workload was minimal and attendance was not required. The entire grade for a class was primarily based on the final exam. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Arcadia supported their students very well during the study abroad experience. All emails and phone calls were responded to promptly and they were very well informed about UCD. I was satisfied with the Arcadia study abroad program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Arcadia took our study abroad group to many cities within Ireland including Northern Ireland as well as setting us up with a home stay in Galway where we got to live with a host family for three days. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | Well, everything is significantly more expensive in Ireland because of the VAT tax and as well as the currency conversion between USD to EUROS. You're going to need to bring at least $6,000 to comfortably live in Ireland for a semester. |
Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Social scene is awesome, there is something going on every single night and the academics are very manageable. I would definitely recommend it to someone who is looking for a good time in a new culture. The Guinness is amazing. |
