Missing Dublin! Past Review
By Clara K (Communication Arts, Marymount Manhattan College) - abroad from 09/20/2014 to 12/20/2014 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Dublin, Ireland
I learned how to make friends with locals, how to travel on a budget, and pretty much everything about the history and culture of Dublin.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Dublin is fantastic- the people, the culture, the food, etc. I took classes at Griffith College which is a little outside the city which was nice to get an escape of the rush of people in the City Centre. I loved the locals (Irish people are incredibly friendly) and I met many people that I expect to be lifelong friends that were both local Irish people and other American students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The professors and advisors that are directly associated with CAPA are some of the best I've ever had. I always felt like I had a resource of someone to go talk to when I felt overwhelmed, and I think that's really important to have when studying abroad. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartments were huge compared to apartments that I had been in prior to this trip. Fortunately I got along very well with the other American student in the flat, so it was nice to have someone to bond with from the same culture after spending so much time around people from different backgrounds. |
| * Food: |
Coming from New York City, I'm used to cheap and really good quality food. I was not disappointed by Dublin at all. It was definitely pricey, but after you budget according to the euro/dollar difference you'll be fine. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Studying abroad is really what you make of it including interacting with the local culture. I chose to constantly try to put myself out there and meet new people, and Dublin is the perfect place to do that. Everyone I met was incredibly friendly and would quickly introduce me to more people. I feel like I spent more time with locals than American students, and I left the program completely satisfied. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no medical problems and so I did not have a chance to compare the healthcare systems. |
| * Safety: |
Dublin is like any city- safe, but keep a good head on your shoulders. I would take cabs home if I was out late, and I kept a buddy with me most evenings. There isn't a lot of crime there and I never felt unsafe. |
| 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) |
Dublin itself was not overly expensive, however I chose to travel a lot during my time abroad and that was where my money mostly went. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 euros (including travel) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Always stay at hostels when traveling! There are some very great and safe options if you do your research and they often will include breakfast! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had worked out a better budget because the euro/dollar conversion hurt my spending a lot. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
