If you want to study in Ireland, Galway is the best place to be! Past Review
By Courtney W (PSYCHOLOGY., Barnard College) for
Arcadia: Galway - National University of Ireland, Galway
I'm glad I went, as I saw a lot of beautiful places and met a lot of great people. My classes at the university were really interesting, and I learned a lot about Irish history and culture. If you want to study in Ireland, I think Galway is the best place to be. However, if I did it again, I probably would consider choosing a country that doesn't speak English for a richer cultural experience.
Personal Information
| 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. |
I really enjoyed the classes I took, but they definitely were not on the same academic level as Barnard. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Arcadia was really fantastic. They took care of everything we needed, and they were very supportive and helpful during the course of the semester. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived in a student village, Gort na Coiribe, about 20 minutes away from the university. I lived with one American student and one Irish student. The rooms were very nice, and the kitchen was equipped with everything we needed. <br /><br /> The other Irish students at the village were often destructive, but the administration was generally quick to clean up. The location was fantastic. My biggest complaint was that the internet was completely unreliable and down for most of the year. Also, the people working at the village were very unprofessional and rude when addressing students. |
| * Food: |
Our apartment was very close to several grocery stores, which made shopping very easy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Galway is a really great city, and there was always a lot going on. The student organizations at the university were really active and always had great events. Arcadia also arranged several excursions that were really fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never really experienced any safety issues, but due to the lack of public transportation and the distance between our apartment and the city and university, we often had to walk back in the dark. When I was injured during a trip, the Arcadia staff was excellent, checking in with me and helping me to arrange a doctor's appointment. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably around 30 euros a week, but it will really depend on how much you travel or go out to pubs. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | A lot of the other American students on my program had taken out loans for spending money, and I wished I had done something similar. You definitely need to have a lot of money saved up, as with the exchange rate and higher living expenses, things add up very quickly. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Arcadia is fantastic, but if you're looking for a different cultural experience, you should probably go to a non-English speaking country. |
