Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Ireland and Northern Ireland: An Immensely Rewarding Exploration of Social Conflict. Dublin - Transformation of Social and Political Conflict Past Review

By (Sociology, Trinity University) for

SIT Study Abroad: Reviews from Former Locations

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
After doing this program, I know that I want to be involved in community organizing. Additionally, I now want to move to Northern Ireland because I enjoyed working with many of the groups there as well as the culture there. I learned many strategies for coping with conflict. Additionally, I learned just how complicated conflict can be.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Having a field approach to learning was a great way to learn about these issues. Because I knew relatively little about the conflicts and culture in Ireland and Northern Ireland, becoming immersed in the issues was the best way to learn a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time. The workload was lighter than my US university. the grading system was pretty similar to my US university as well.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

My expectations were met. My program director was always accessible. She was always there for classes and would always respond promptly. I do wish that our program size had been a little larger. There were eight of us. While this was good for class discussions, I wish that we could have had more people in the program. However, because the program was so small, there was a lot of support for all of us. We were constantly asked about how we were adjusting to living abroad.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Other students who had dietary restrictions were accommodated. My host mom made really good food and I always had enough. Everyone in the group seemed to feel that we had more than enough food at every meal.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We spent St. Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland which was very interesting. Additionally, we took a lot of sight-seeing trips. We travelled around the northern part of Ireland and saw the Giant's Causeway. Additionally, we went on several hikes together to better learn about the country.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

All of the cities that we were in were very safe. Dublin is an incredibly safe city. There were no real health issues that were relevant to our program.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? We got a stipend for food and transportation every month. Because of this, I did not have to spend any of my own money on food or transportation.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? By buying lunches at supermarkets rather than restaurants, you can save some of your stipend for other things.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • I liked that it took place primarily outside of the classroom.
  • I liked that I was able to design and conduct my own research.
  • I liked that we travelled around Ireland and Northern Ireland with the program.
* What could be improved?
  • I would have liked to have more contact with local people our own age.
  • I wish that we had started the research project earlier.
  • I wish that the group of students was bigger.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Students who are dedicated to learning more about social conflict and different strategies for solving conflicts will really enjoy this program.