Sleep Deprivation, Craic and Crossing Off Most Bucket List Items. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The CAPA classes were phenomenal, however I found Griffith's classes to be less rigorous than the classes I take at ASU. It was a bit disappointing because I was hoping to be challenged a bit more, as Griffith is one of Dublin's leading private universities.

On-site administration of your program

The on-sire administrators, Anne Driscoll and Susanne Bach, were truly amazing. They helped make my CAPA experience special; they were willing to help in any way possible, which was a relief because I had heard horror stories of students studying abroad only to be "abandoned" by their administrators and left to sort out things like credit transfers or navigating the city, on their own. I will miss Susanne and Anne; anyone studying with CAPA Dublin in the future: rest assured, you are in good hands.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with two other CAPA students and one French flat mate. I wish I had been placed with either Irish students or with a host family. I felt I spent too much time traveling, living, etcetera, with those CAPA students and not enough time interacting with locals. The flat also lacked an oven, which presented some problems.

I cooked all of my meals, and aside from the aforementioned oven problem, that was okay with me! Griffith has a dining hall but I found the food there to be fairly basic and somewhat overpriced. Luckily, Dublin has a blossoming foodie culture and there are a number of fantastic restaurants and supermarkets in the area, as well as bakeries, fresh produce markets and other specialty stores.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt I did not really interact with local culture very much. The majority of students at Griffith are international students and it is difficult to join clubs are they are often scheduled to meet during class times or are canceled. Again, I feel that if I were placed with a host family or stayed with other Irish students, I would have interacted with the local culture more.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

A few other students dealt with various medical issues while abroad and had no trouble receiving health care. CAPA was very easy to work with in terms of reaching those medical providers. There are no prevalent health issues in Dublin, although the cold weather definitely seems to encourage coughs and colds.

I believe Dublin was voted one of the safest cities in Europe and I would be willing to attest to that. I felt safer walking around the streets of Dublin at night than I do walking around my suburban New Hampshire hometown. New Hampshire was also voted one of the safest states in the U.S. There are unarmed police men and women who frequently patrol the city; they are also ready and willing to give directions or chit chat about the area, if asked.

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

In terms of living expenses, Dublin was very affordable so I'd give it about a 3. Traveling, on the other hand, proved to be quite expensive. I wish I had been more attentive to the amount of money I spent during my travels because much of it was allocated to unnecessary expenses. Moral of the story, Dublin is a relatively inexpensive city to live in, Madrid was also inexpensive. Paris and London are going to put some strain on your resources if you choose to visit those places.

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The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer