Studying Abroad in Ireland was the best experience of my life! Past Review
By Nicholas C (Finance and Financial Management Services., Providence College) for
IFSA: Dublin - University College Dublin
That is an understatement, as I said, this experience was the best time of my life.
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. |
The workload was somewhat similar to Providence College. What differed the most was the teaching/grading style. I enjoyed this because many module coordinators taught using hands-on methods. This was helpful, because it gave us the opportunity to step away from the text and learn by doing. Also, the grading system was very different and took some time to adjust too. As opposed to starting at 100 points and losing marks for incorrect answers, the Irish grade in the opposite manner. In order to earn marks, you need to have the correct information or else you could fail. But overtime I was able to adjust successfully, and enjoyed the teaching. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I could only picture strengths when discussing my program advisers in Ireland. Together, they alone made my whole trip. Getting to Ireland was a big adjustment, and they helped me at every second along the way. Honestly if it was not for them I do not think I would have lasted. I want to mention Geoff Rooney specifically as one of my advisers in Ireland. He played as such a great mentor and guide that he truly made my experience. He is a great adviser, instructor, and overall person and I believe he deserves to receive praise for this. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I did need to buy additional things for the apartment, but my roommates and others were very helpful in guiding me in the right direction. I was able to find cheap deals and had success in doing so. |
| * Food: |
Dublin has a great selection of food...I recommend Luigi Malones in the temple bar area. Also a lot of great pubs with snack on foods and a nice cold beverage to enjoy during. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Great field trips that enabled me to travel around most of the country. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Very safe city. But just like anywhere else, there is low crime and you have to be careful. Obviously be smart about your belongings, especially when traveling other places in Europe (Barcelona has high theft). |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You have to pay for GARDA registration (Irish Police) and other miscellaneous expenses. So have money on you. |
Language
| 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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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? | My best words of wisdom would be, "Travel, travel, travel!" See the world, and experience everything you can. Looking back on the trip I had no regrets, I was able to maintain a solid GPA while at the sametime traveling every weekend to various locations all around Europe. This opened my eyes to many things and life as I would say that this trip was solely the best experience that has ever happened to me in my entire life..(so far hopefully). |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
FIN 207 Principles of Finance |
| Course Department: | Commerce, FIN20010 |
| Instructor: | James O'Neil |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The teacher was very knowledgeable and provided great stories through life experiences that helped greatly in understanding the course material. I would say I participated the same, but took a sincere approach to actually get to know the instructors over the semester. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | As of now, no. |
