Tea, Politics, and Great Craic. Ireland: Transformation of Social & Political Conflict Past Review
By Elizabeth G (Anthropology., Trinity University) - abroad from 08/26/2014 to 12/09/2014 with
SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations
I learned so much from this program. I think the biggest takeaway was learning what it means to be really independent and to immerse myself in a culture completely. It was absolutely worthwhile.
Review Photos
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 overall program was phenomenal. It was intellectually rigorous while not being too intense work-wise. A huge emphasis on experiential learning which was really important to me and really unique. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Administration was great. Really passionate and caring about the people in the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living with a host family was my favorite part of the entire experience. I know it can be a hit or miss, and significantly affect your experience for the better or the worse, but mine was definitely for the better. They were an awesome support system and truly treated me like family, making the transition so much easier. |
| * Food: |
Fish and Chips= delicious Irish food is not super varied, so just be warned that eventually you might get sick of eating pub food and/or sandwhichs if you are eating out a lot (on a budget) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program does an amazing job of integration. You meet so many people and I definitely felt like I understood the culture when I left |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
N/A |
| * Safety: |
Dublin is the safest place I have ever been, I've never been so comfortable anywhere |
| 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) |
You get a really reasonable stipend, and honestly I didnt eat out that much because I loved my host family's cooking. Probably most of the money you will spend will be on traveling/souvenirs/coffee(if you're like me). |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Some people bought sandwich stuff for lunch so their money went even farther than mine. You don't get a travel stipend during the ISP so it's nice if you save up some money earlier in the semester for that time |
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? | How actually hard it is to make friends with locals when you're in a program of only Americans and you're not at a University |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
