A Semester Spent in Dublin, Ireland: Good Craic Past Review
By Molly Q (Accounting, St. Catherine University) for
IES Abroad: Dublin - Study Abroad With IES Abroad
I gained so much cultural awareness and independence. I learned how to cope with uncertain situations and adapt to change. Study abroad helped me grow and develop as a person in many ways.
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. |
Irish Academic systems are so different from American ones. Everything is very unstructured, teachers do not give |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The IES staff were great. They arranged a pickup on the first day and brought us to our apartments for move-in. We had a few delicious dinners and monthly coffee meetings with them that were very fun, in addition to a couple trips that were fun as well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Shanowen Square apartments with a couple other American students. The apartments were decent and thankfully each room had a separate bathroom within it. The apartments were very close to the university which was nice but they were far away from the nightlife and fun of the city center. This made it difficult and expensive to get there. Also laundry was hugely expensive (3 Euro wash/3 Euro dry). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I met so many amazing people while abroad and this honestly made my experience great. I traveled all over Ireland and the European continent which made amazing memories. I loved this part of being abroad! |
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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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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think students should definitely do study abroad. It is a great experience to meet new people, experience new cultures, and venture out of your comfort zone. My advice to those considering it is to pack MUCH less and have way more money at hand. Also buying a bike would make for quicker, cheaper, and easier transportation. Study abroad, you won't regret it! |
