My Time in Dublin Past Review
By Mary Matthews (Simmons College) - abroad from 06/13/2016 to 07/08/2016 with
Simmons University: Nursing, University College Dublin
I felt like I grew both academically and socially. I worked one on one with a faculty member, having done this gives me confidence to come back to Simmons and interact more with my professors. Also the program forced me to step out of my comfort zone. I was the only Simmons student in the four week research program and had to reach out to students from other schools and make friends. At first I was terrified but after I put myself out there the first time it kept getting easier and easier. I definitely feel that this program changed my attitude towards meeting new people and am excited to bring my open minded and more friendly demeanor back to Simmons!
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 four week research program was interesting. I learned a lot about how to review research articles. They integrated nursing into the lectures by talking about evidence based practice. All graded course work was done in the second portion of the program during independent study. Although it didn't seem like a lot when assigned it was pretty extensive. The research paper and matrix requires a lot of time and guidance. My mentor was great! Very kind, helpful and accessible. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Lisa Molloy, the program coordinator, was great! She was very personable and accessible! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was pretty sweet! Every student gets a single in an apartment with their own bathroom. I lived with people from different schools. For me it really worked out, I tried to hang out in the kitchen/lounge and got to be close with my suite mates. |
| * Food: |
No meal plan provided. Some special meals which were really good! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Field trips were great! It let students see into Irish culture. They're weren't any student around since it was a summer course so students had to go into the city to meet locals. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any experience with healthcare. I'd say the biggest adjustment in terms of health concerns is that there is a fair amount of smoking in the country. |
| * Safety: |
I felt really safe. I'd suggest just being self aware. They're were a few times I got lost in the city with friends and we just asked for directions. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Absoletely loved the program! It was a great experience, especially since most traditional nursing programs do not offer study abroad opportunities. Being right outside of Dublin was fantastic, UCD is a great mix of both worlds. The campus was fun to hike/explore and only 20 min bus ride from the city. I always felt like there was something to do! Also there were students from lots of other Amerixan schools, it was great getting to meet people outside of the Simmons community. The faculty was also great! The assigned workload wasn't too overwhelming and a large emphasis was placed on enjoying the country and exploring the city by faculty. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer! |
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) |
Had to buy all your own food, plus with the exchange rate of the euro most things were more expensive than back home. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100-150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget for the week. It's really easy to blow a lot of money when you go out on weekends. |
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 wish I took a day at the beginning of my trip to go around and explore the city on my own. I started going in on my own later in the trip and wish I did it more! There's a lot to see, and by just walking around you get into more of the resident and local areas that aren't as touristy as the main streets. |
