Belfast : What Troubles? Past Review
By Will G (Political Science and Government., Presbyterian College) for
Queen's University Belfast: Belfast - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I now have been somewhere with people that are much different than the people I'm around back home. I see things from an Irish perspective as well as from other perspectives. I have learned so much the friends I've made from the USA because they are from such different places. I will definitely make time for a lot of traveling in the future. Traveling gives you the ultimate feeling of freedom and now I need to chase that feeling. I would definitely study abroad again if I could!
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. |
Workload is not as heavy as at home university. Three classes are the max normal load for a student as opposed to five back home. Do not go to class as much here as we do back home. Grading seems easier than at home as well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of my expectations were met |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived with international students and local students. I had hall baths, they were usually clean. Problem with heat because only hot water at certain times of day. Walls very thin and easy to hear through them. Internet was not always reliable in dorm. |
| * Food: |
No frying in accommodation. Buy groceries from Tesco, they have the cheapes. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Pub life in Belfast is awesome, although it is expensive. Queen's did organize trips to various places, like giants causeway. They were all cheap and good experiences. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Safe city. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Overall it is the most expensive place I have traveled to. Food can be expensive as well and drink. How much money is spent depends on the week. I've spent anything from 20 pounds a week to 200 pounds. When I first arrived I spend more money because I did not know the cheapest places to shop and what to buy but over time I became better at saving money. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | When you first arrive you must buy things like blankets/pillows/plates/forks/cooking supplies. You cant bring things with you that you normally take advantage of already having. |
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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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? | Bring a lot of money!!! This place is expensive but its worth the money! Bring you rain gear, it rains all the time! Political science majors will enjoy Belfast due to its history of the troubles. |
