Experiencing Irish Hospitality and Life Firsthand Past Review
By Colleen D (Journalism., Indiana University - Bloomington) for
IES Abroad: Dublin - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
Study abroad impacted me more than I could have ever anticipated. It was the best experience I have had thus far in life. I grew emotionally and intellectually, as well as psychologically. I learned more about myself and my habits than I ever could have at home, surrounded by my safety net of friends and family. I wish every day that I could return to the friends I made, and I look forward to the day that can happen. My eyes were opened to, literally, a whole new world. We often look at the world with blinders on, seeing only as things are in America. After studying abroad, not only has my personal view of myself changes, but the way I see others has altered as well. My interest in travel has grown exponentially, and the concept of living/working somewhere other than my home now seems plausible. I cannot encourage studying abroad more!
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. |
Classes met once a week, but for 2.5 hours each. Certain courses required more work outside of the classroom than others. However, none of the assignments were out of my academic ability. The instructors facilitated brilliant discussion and truly opened my eyes to the culture, history, and traditions of Ireland that I had no knowledge of prior to studying abroad. I felt that I developed a sincere relationship with and respect for each of my instructors. The class sizes were exponentially smaller than I have ever experienced, but I grew to enjoy it because of the relationships that I was able to develop with my peers and teachers. All of the resources we needed for projects and papers were available at the center classes were held as well. The only drawback of the system I can think of is that we were not studying with other Irish students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Every member of the IES Dublin staff, including the RA's, were knowledgeable, friendly, organized, and always available for anything we needed. No major issues came up for me personally, but I had no doubt they would be more than willingly to assist me in any way. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I included Host Family, because I stayed a few days before and after the official program dates with a family a friend introduced me to from home. They were the essence of Irish Hospitality. As for the apartment, we had the best location one could ask for. I also appreciated having my own bedroom. Being without a desk and without a proper drying rack for clothes was a bit frustrating at times, but nothing I could not get used to. It's comical looking back on it! |
| * Food: |
Food was completely left up to us. I tried to limit dining out to save money, but never regretted exploring the local restaurants. I did all of my shopping at Tesco. It was very inexpensive, a 3-minute walk from my apartment, and had everything I needed. I miss a lot of the food in Ireland. In many cases, it is much better than the states! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Culture Night in Ireland was a memorable day. Arthur Guinness Day was a site to see. The Rugby match coordinated by IES was a blast and a really cool experiences overall. I LOVED the field trip to Belfast. That is something I will never forget. I would advise taking advantage of all that Dublin has to offer. There are so many FREE opportunities right in town, like the museums and parks of historical significance. The Jameson and Guinness Factories were neat. Activities are there if you look for them! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safer in Dublin than I do at times at my own home university. I was always with a group or at least a friend, but it is not a threatening city to be in. I did not experience any health or safety issues, but I know of people in my program that had to deal with health complications. They were very satisfied with the support and advice provided by the IES staff. |
| 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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Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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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? | If you are a student seeking an English-speaking country, happy, friendly, and helpful strangers, then Ireland is the place to be. Dublin is a simple city to navigate and locals are eager to help in any way-they will be curious and talkative! Not only was Dublin lovely, but other cities in Ireland were just as so if not more. If culture-shock is a concern for you, Ireland would be advisable, because there are not many differences between America and, especially, a city like Dublin. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Northern Ireland Troubles |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Michael Murray |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Michael facilitated discussion with us better than any professor I have ever been exposed to. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No, everything transferred. I made sure to meet with all of my advisors before departure to sort out the credits. |
