Amazing Craic Past Review
By Griffin D (Marketing, University of Massachusetts Amherst / UMass) - abroad from 01/23/2015 to 05/23/2015 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Dublin, Ireland
I learned a lot about independence, time and money management, and breaking out of my shell.
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. |
The courses through the CAPA program were all great and informative. However, the one business course that I took through Griffith College was not as in depth as I had hoped. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of the CAPA staff were very helpful every step of the way. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The bathrooms were too small to move around in. We reported a broken television and couch at the beginning of the semester and nobody ever fixed them. However it was nice having our own kitchen and the apartment was bigger than most dorms I have seen. |
| * Food: |
Although on campus options were very limited, there were many nearby places with great food. The option to cook for myself in the kitchen was great. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The CAPA courses did a good job at integrating student with the culture, but Griffith College itself did not seem to have a high percentage of local Irish students. This made it a bit difficult to integrate with locals my own age. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I personally did not have any health issues in my time abroad so I cannot really judge. |
| * Safety: |
The campus was locked down every night at 10:30, only accessible to students. |
| 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) |
Cooking my own food rather than ordering out saved me a lot of money. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook your own food if possible. Take the bus or walk as often as possible rather than taking a cab anywhere. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
It was encouraged to use the language, but since most locals don't even use it, it was difficult to encourage. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Italian 4 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | People in Ireland are extremely friendly, don't be afraid to go out and meet new people. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
