An Amazing Experience! Past Review
By Mae Roney (New York University) - abroad from 06/16/2017 to 07/29/2017 with
New York University: Dublin - NYU Summer in Dublin
I learned a lot about the immediate, real-life effects that the tumultuous and rich history of Ireland has had on it's people. I also learned so much about the day-to-day life and culture of Ireland by just being there, which are not necessarily things that you can understand as deeply in a classroom.
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 courses were extremely informative, and they usually corresponded with the excursions that we had on the weekends. It was great to learn about topics in the classroom, and then go to different places in Ireland and see the history and the culture manifested in real life. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff of the Dublin program and at Trinity were incredible. The teachers and faculty of the Dublin program were always helpful, and looked out for the students, while still taking us on fun trips that educated us about Ireland as a whole. I felt comfortable knowing that we could come to the program Director and Assistant Director with anything that we needed. The staff at Trinity were welcoming and helpful, which made the whole experience great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing at Trinity is wonderful. There are housekeeping services for the dorms, and the housekeeping staff are friendly and helpful. |
| * Food: |
Each dorm comes with a kitchen and cooking appliances, which makes it really easy to cook your own food. The food in Dublin is great, there are a lot of options for food that are within short walking distance of Trinity, which is at the center of Dublin. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
One of the best things about the program was the way in which they encouraged us to get out and meet local people all over Ireland. The excursions provided us with the opportunity to go outside of Dublin, and meet people with various backgrounds and ways of life. I felt comfortable almost immediately in Dublin, because it was easy to strike up conversation with many of the people that I came across. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have any direct experience with the healthcare; I was lucky enough not to need it while abroad, but the plan provided through the program covered a lot. |
| * Safety: |
Dublin was very safe in general, and the campus at Trinity is incredibly safe. After midnight, no one can get into the walled campus without a student ID. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I have family from Ireland, and am descended from Irish immigrants, and even though my family is connected to our Irish heritage, it was a completely different experience for me to be in Ireland in this program. I learned so much about the people, the history, and the culture, just by being in Ireland with this program. I had a lot of fun, and got to know people that I would not otherwise have gotten to know in the program. I also really enjoyed chatting with and getting to know local people in Dublin, and in the other places that we visited. |
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) |
The only real expenses were food during the week (meals were provided on the weekend trips). |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably around $50-$60 a week on groceries and other day-to-day expenses |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cooking at home in Dublin is cheaper than eating out, and there are plenty of cheap grocery store options. The program Director introduces the students to the cheap grocery and general store options during the first week, so we knew the best places to shop right away. |
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? | I realized how learning the history and culture of a place can be enhanced by being in the country. Everything that I learned in my classes stuck with me, because it was made real by what I saw and experienced living in the country for the six weeks of the program. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Sociology |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Eamonn Slater |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class was incredibly informative. Professor Slater is passionate about what he teaches, which makes it even more interesting. There is a lot of reading, but Professor Slater was good about highlighting which readings should be prioritized, based on each student's specific interests. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Irish Culture: Tradition and Modernity |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Padraig O'Cearuill |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class was really interesting, and was informative about the culture and history of Ireland, through the lens of the development of the culture. The course was specifically tailored to the trips that we took with the program, so everything that we learned within the class came back to us while on the excursions. The class made it very easy to connect the history and the culture of Ireland with the trips that we took, and it gave historical and cultural context to the people and places that we saw on the trips. |
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