Dublin: The Perfect Place to Study Abroad Past Review
By Dani S (Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Pace University) - abroad from 01/23/2015 to 05/23/2015 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Dublin, Ireland
I gained more of an ability to socialize and more confidence in myself in general. It was definitely worth it!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The intensity of the courses wasn't very high. However, my courses were interesting and I learned a lot from them! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The CAPA office was always available when I needed them from the trivial to the more complex problems. They were incredibly friendly and always tried to get the students in the program more involved with the school and with Dublin in general. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The living arrangements were better than I had anticipated. Griffith College provided us with large bedrooms and a decent-sized kitchen and living room area. There was campus security that was around if things got too noisy. I had always felt safe on campus. |
| * Food: |
The food in the cafeteria was decent, but there were several restaurant within short walking from the school that offered better food, sometimes for cheaper prices. The campus had a Starbucks and a bar in addition to the kitchen area that served different kinds of food daily. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The were no issues with language or communicating with locals. While I spent most of my time with people in the program, we would meet Dubliners when going out, some of which I'm still in contact with. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no issues with health care, but some friend of mine seemed to have a difficult time dealing with insurance. I cannot actually speak from personal experience. |
| * Safety: |
No safety related incidents toward myself or anyone I know. I would say the best advice I can give is to use your instincts. If a certain street feels like it might be unsafe, simply don't walk down that street. Be aware of your surroundings and you should be fine. |
| 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) |
If I had done more grocery shopping and less eating out, I may have been better off. I spent about $100 a week on food and personal expenses. Mid-semester I was able to get that down to $50 a week, not including the cost of travel. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50-100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Grocery shopping is a big one. Also Fridays and Saturdays are expensive days to travel. If you have days during the week to spare, be sure to use them! |
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? | Ireland is not some scary, far-away land. It's very easy to find your way around and assimilate with the city. |
