"Ireland: Not what you Expect, Everything you Need" Past Review
By James W (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Trinity University) for
IES Abroad: Dublin - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
Definately. I would go abroad again in a heartbeat. Especially to Ireland - I think I fell in love with the place. I had friends that had gone abroad before, and after having gone myself, I know exactly what they were talking about when they said I would not regret the decision!
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. |
Honestly, the academics were great. The grading wasn't ahrd, but the professors wanted us to get out and experience Dublin and the rest of Ireland, not force-feed us information that we could learn at our home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The professors were hard to get a hold of outside the classroom, but the administrators were exceptional, and were very helpful with all things academic. They also provided help with other things, such as tips on how to get around the city. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We had a problem with our landlord 4 weeks into the program, so we had to split up our group and move apartments. In our new apartment there were few working appliances, |
| * Food: |
Be prepared to eat out. Dublin has some quality restaurants, with a wide variety of selections and types of food, all of which are great. There's not much to choose from as far as home cooking, though... |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I can't exactly recall, but it was definately more than back at home. The Euro was doing very well against the Dollar, so I burned through a good amount of cash my first few weeks. Once I got used to my spending habits, I did a lot better for myself and started saving money. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Taxi cabs - they'll drain you after a long night out. Drinks are expensive as is, and to get back to your apartment late at night will cost a little bit more. As long as you plan ahead, you should be completely fine. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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