5 weeks in Ireland; The perfect summer study! Past Review
By Sondra B (Elementary Education, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College) for
GEO: Dublin - Study Abroad Programs in Dublin
I am moving to Ireland after I graduate in May 2012, just 10 short months after the program finished. The country was beautiful and it will be so easy to travel to other countries from Ireland. I am hoping to find an elementary teaching position.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was just enough. Not too much, but I still learned a lot. Especially about Ireland's history! Having the weekends off was a perfect opportunity to travel and get a real experience being abroad. The teaching methods were lecture by powerpoint. They were effective lectures that were not boring by any means. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My wristlet got stolen one night a week before the program ended. I had the opportunity to borrow cash and it was just tagged onto my bill. The unlimited DART line and bus pass was the most useful thing for transprotation. The program was the PERFECT size. I would not have wanted it to be any bigger or any smaller. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My best friend and I planned the trip together, and requested to be placed with the same family. AHA honored our request and we stayed in the same home for the duration of the stay. We had the upstairs room, which was big enough for the both of us and allowed us to have our own space being on top floor. We did not have to buy anything but toiletries. Our host family was fantastic! We got keys to the house so we could come and go as we pleased. They always let us know before hand about what time dinner would be. |
| * Food: |
Bakers Corner was right down the road from IADT. It was a perfect lunch spot! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Dan Dwyer suggested a friend of his that did tours (Giddy Goats Tours). We went on a 3 day weekend tour to Galway. He was an excellent tour guide and we had a blast!! He took us to places that other tour guides wouldn't have. It was very reasonably priced. During that trip we went to Connemara, Galway, and camped on one of the Aran islands. We also went to the Cliffs of Moher. We also had built-in field trips every Wednesday. They were all very memorable and relevant to what we were talking about in class. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't have any problems and do not know of any that occured during my stay. |
| 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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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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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? | Just do it!! Don't think twice. The workload was never too much and you have a ton of free time in the evenings and weekends to explore the beautiful country of Ireland! You will make connections with people that you will never forget. |
