Ireland - Definitely Worth the Trip Past Review
By Mary Nora L (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Providence College) for
IFSA: Galway - National University Ireland
My abroad experience was definitely worthwhile. The people I met and the places I went have impacted who I am and allowed to me to grow as a person.
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. |
I did not like the lack of continuous assessment. I prefer having many quizzes and multiple exams throughout the course of the semester. I found it very difficult to adjust to only having one exam at the end of the semester. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Buying food at the local grocery store and cooking it in my apartment was very easy and cheap. I advise students to take their time in the beginning to pick out food that they want to eat, that makes maintaining an eating schedule really easy while caught up in the adjustment of abroad. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would say that the hardest thing for me was to limit my purchases of gifts for family and friends. I wanted to buy something for them everywhere I went. I would suggest making a list of who you want to get gifts for and where you want to get them from if you travel. i ended up buying my parents and some of my good friends one thing from every country i went to, which really adds up in the end. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I think someone who is pretty confident in their independence but would like to try to let it grow a little more would definitely benefit from studying abroad in Ireland. |
