Dublin, For People Who Will Likely Spend As Much Time Studying As Not-Studying. Past Review
By Isaiah P (Music., Trinity University) for
IFSA: Dublin - University College Dublin
I had a ton of cultural awareness before i left. I didn't learn as much or enjoy myself as much as i expected. But that is just a personal issue and i believe many people enjoyed it greatly. I'm glad i went through with it though, because i did learn a lot of things about my own preferences in the social world.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Irish program leaders were very helpful in every way. They always had a backup plan if anything were to go wrong, such as the extra places to stay for students who had to deal with delayed flights at the end of semester, for instance. I think maybe the choice of Belfast as a Thanksgiving holiday spot was a little odd though. I didn't like the city itself, but the North Coast was extremely beautiful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I liked that the dorm was so close to everywhere on campus i had to be. I wish i could have lived with Irish students though. It was a very safe place and generally very calm. I had to buy my own bedware and cookware. |
| * Food: |
The grocery food was average. I wish i'd had enough money to eat out more often, because the Irish restaurants were very good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I wish there would have been more outings into the country, because it's so great out there. I myself could only afford a short trip to Cork, which was really nice. There were program trips to the theatre and a 5000 year-old burial ground, and Northern Ireland, all of which were very informative and interesting. I should have gone on the adventure weekend, because i heard it was excellent. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Just make sure you only carry cash when you go have fun downtown. I know way too many people who lost their credit cards at bars and clubs. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | One could live off of about 10-12 euro a day for food. Meals downtown would be twice that. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bus trips to downtown would be 2 euro each way. A taxi for the same distance would be about 12-15 euro. Drinks at bars and clubs would be about 4-8 euro. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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