Belfast-Great Craic! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Studying at QUB is great, because it's not like those other study abroad programs where you take classes with just Americans. You are truly a student at Queen's, taking classes with other British/Irish (as well as international) students. I also love the British system of teaching, in which you have one 60-ish person lecture a week, followed by a tutorial with fifteen of your classmates where you talk about what you learned in lecture on an in-depth level.

On-site administration of your program

I made great friends with some of the IFSA-Butler staff, and I loved the programming. The only complaint I have is that I wish we got to start earlier-I realize QUB doesn't start until October, but I would have loved to come a little earlier and explored around, like the IFSA group in Cork got to.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Elms at Queen's is really cool in terms of set-up, and I liked that we had communal kitchens. I LOVED that we had singles with our own full bathroom. The rooms were definitely plain, though. Also, I was placed on a single-gender floor without my permission (while most everyone else got to stay on mixed-gender floors).

Food in the UK/Ireland is much more delicious than its reputation would suggest! There are some really great restaurants in Belfast. My only warning is stay away from the boxed sandwiches. They are vile.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were a few things I would've done differently to get to know other Belfast people (make sure to join the student groups for your major, I wish I had done that!). But I still met some really awesome people and I would say the Northern Irish, despite their reputation, are some of the friendliest folk you will ever meet (and bonus, if you're American, they LOVE Americans. Not sure why.).

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

This doesn't apply to me, because I only had a cold that I took care of myself. But my friend had some health issues and said the NHS was pretty great. They are one of the most renowned universal healthcare systems in the world.

Belfast gets a lot of flack for its bloody past, but overall, it's really safe. The only thing that was a little hard was leaving the library late at night, but that would be uncomfortable for a small female such as myself almost anywhere.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

At the time, the UK was pretty expensive. Not just in terms to pound/dollar exchange rate, but also in terms of price indexes. However, things may have changed- I know the dollar/euro relationship changed dramatically in the last few months. Also, there are some great deals you can get as a student in Belfast, especially on social situations like drinks and movies.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The people
• The University
• The countryside

• Advice about how best to meet locals (I made lots of international friends, though)
• Longer stay prior to its start since the fall program is so short.
• Warning people that Nirish people like to go home on the weekends (that was so weird).

The Avid Adventurer