Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Experience the Artistic and Cultural Aspects of Ireland! Past Review

By (Stephen F. Austin State University) - abroad from 06/18/2012 to 07/03/2012 with

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA): Traveling - SFA Theatre in Ireland

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely a worthwhile trip! I learned about the different ways other countries go about with theatre and where the money behind the productions comes from.

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.

While in Dublin, we were busy almost every day with lectures and shows, but we had plenty of time to experience the city as well. Our time in Galway was mostly spent seeing the city and traveling the countryside and was a nice break, but we never lacked things to do!

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The administration was done through Dr. Jones, his connections, and the international office at SFA as opposed to administration through Ireland.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We had a little bit of a different set up than most study abroad trips seeing as we stayed at Trinity College in Dublin for the first ten days and then we moved to College Crest, a bed and breakfast in Galway for the remainder of the 5 days, but it was the perfect set up. In Dublin, we were living in the middle of the city, and in Galway we had a five minute walk to the city center.

* Food:

I didn't have a single thing I didn't like!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

One of the girls on the trip got tonsillitis while we were there, and she was taken to the ER immediately, so everything was well taken care of.

* Safety:

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)

There was a lot of money spent on not only money, but also on souvenirs, clothing and other personal expenses, so it added up easily.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About $150 I believe.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy some food to have in your room so that you don't have to spend money in restaurants every day!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • N/A
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
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?
  • The freedom to experience the country on our own during the free time.
  • I loved living so close to the center of the cities! It made life a lot easier when we had to get to certain places at specific times!
  • I loved seeing several different levels of Irish theatre, from professional to semi-professional shows.
* What could be improved?
  • Better communication with the lecturers about what we'd already covered in the few weeks before traveling over to Ireland.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had planned a little further for the days off and what to do with the days off that we had.