Broken Ankle, Still Best Life Experience Past Review
By Brandy B (English Language and Literature, General, Secondary Education, Vanderbilt University) - abroad from 09/15/2014 to 12/19/2014 with
IFSA: Belfast - Queen's University Belfast
I learned that there was so much about the world that I didn't even realize that I didn't know, and it really opened my eyes. It was absolutely worthwhile, and so much so that I am considering doing my post-grad abroad.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program was extremely well-organized, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the entire experience was extremely valuable on a deeply personal level. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The ladies in Belfast (and Dublin) were wonderful! They were incredibly helpful to me and great resources. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
This is very subjective because you are responsible for your food with this program, but the variety of food available and the good prices makes it five stars for me. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
When I left, I felt like I was leaving my home. I felt like I belonged in Belfast, as a part of the city and the people, in a way that I never thought was possible. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I broke my ankle while I was abroad, and both the IFSA-Butler staff and the host university helped me INCREDIBLY much in figuring out a new housing assignment, getting to class, getting to the hospital, and getting to IFSA events. The local healthcare system was wonderful because they have the National Health System, so I did not have to even pay for my x-rays! |
| * Safety: |
People like to characterize Belfast as unsafe because of the Troubles in the past, but I think that is incredibly unfair because I felt extremely safe in that city. I felt safer walking down the streets of Belfast than I did the streets of Nashville, where my home university is located. |
| 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) |
Belfast is such a cheap city, especially if you eat healthy foods, that I found myself spending less than I do at home, even with the exchange rate. If you were to eat out every day, that would not be the case, but otherwise I think it is quite manageable to live cheaply in the city. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 25 pounds |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you're going to eat out for any meal, do not do dinner; it will be the most expensive, and you will save so much money making spaghetti in your flat. Even if you want to hang out with people, get ingredients and make dinner with them! I made pizzas with my flat, and they were delicious, and we all had a great time! |
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? | Everyone uses Whatsapp, so a little local phone is really only necessary to call taxis or the hospital. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
ENG 2072: Intro to American Writing |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Andrew Pepper, Philip McGowan, Catherine Gander |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class was wonderful, with a wide range of American readings that I had never heard of, and a good selection of not-so-mainstream readings from even highly popular writers. The assessment was a mid-term type essay and a final essay. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
ENG 2040: Late Medieval Literature |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Stephen Kelly, Malte Urban |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course made medieval literature sensible and enjoyable. The professors are exactly the kind of professors that you hoped you would have coming to college, and they make the class fun and interesting. The assessment was a mid-term style essay and a final essay. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
ENG 2062: 18th Century and Romantic Literature |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Daniel Roberts, Lucy Cogan, Deborah Russell, Timothy Carson, Joanne Davies, Joe Lines |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The course was especially interesting to me because I got a chance to read a lot of the works that I had wanted to read but had never had the time, and a lot that I did not know about previously, but now feel like I hear about all the time. The assessments were a mid-term type essay and a final essay. |
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