An Enriching Experience as a Mitchell Peace Scholar Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I felt like academic rigor wasn't that strong at the University College Cork, but in different ways compared to the United States. We weren't assigned any homework besides readings and we didn't have rigorous in-class work, it was mostly just standard lecturing from the professors. The assessments at the very end the classes were hard because (stemming from a lack of homework) you had no idea as a student of how the professor graded, what standards they were looking for, etc. This made the final assessments hard to write but the actual content involved wasn't intense/difficult. There didn't feel like there were a lot of resources readily available on campus if you had questions about academics as a study abroad student, but perhaps they were there and just weren't marketed well. Overall, I wasn't very fond of the educational experience and wished that there had been more information provided to international students ahead of time about what the academics are like there.

On-site administration of your program

It was very easy to settle in once I got to Cork. The George J. Mitchell Peace scholarship had covered almost all of my costs and so I was able to settle in much more quickly and efficiently compared to other students who had to figure out financials and housing once they were abroad.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was very satisfied with my housing! Victoria Lodge was a very nice place to be housed in. The caretakers of VL are very nice and helpful if you have any questions/concerns. The apartments themselves are nicely set up so that each student has their own bathroom (mostly ensuites) and a decent amount of space. The kitchen already comes stocked with some essentials for cooking and the space is modernly decorated. It always felt like a secure location to stay, as it is also gated. The one issue with VL was their fair usage policy for electricity. Everyone that I know who lived at VL got an email warning them that they were almost over and some of us never used mass amounts of heats (rarely had our heating on and such to save electricity). So that's the only issue that I encountered!

The food in Ireland, in general, was nice. I'm a "meat and potatoes" kind of person anyway so the food environment was easy for me to assimilate into. I did find that Cork did a good job of also trying to cater to other diets, such as the Quay Co-op Vegetarian Restaurant and Wholefood Store. They offer a variety of vegetarian and vegan options and are located right in the city of Cork. Many restaurants also tried to offer some alternate options for various diets, which is nice. Buying food at the grocery store was always fun, coming from the USA, because groceries are very cheap over there compare to here. Stores like Aldi and Lidl offer great prices on groceries!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I absolutely loved the general culture of Cork! It was a vibrant city that commonly had street performers, musicians, charity events, and just lots of activity going on. It was a vibrant atmosphere and was just big enough that it will be a real city experience for people from a rural area (such as myself) and small enough to be homey for people from bigger cities in the USA. The mature crowd of people were very sweet and loved to randomly strike up conversations with students. They were also very helpful if a student is ever lost/confused in the city. A very engaging and friendly population, for sure! The only complaint that I would have is one that isn't specific to Ireland. The younger crowd of people weren't always as pleasant and were very messy/rowdy once night fell. It was very hard for me to make friends with most Irish students but I did become friends with some. Overall, I felt fairly integrated into the culture and also felt appreciated by the locals. I would recommend that students get out and go to social events in the city so that you meet more people and integrate. The worst thing that you can do is stay home because there is always something going on in Cork!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had a healthcare experience personally besides basic coughs and colds. Pharmacies are everywhere throughout the city and near student housing. The pharmacists are very friendly and will help you with any basic illnesses that you are dealing with. The local hospital was very close to Victoria Lodge, but I never went there.

The student/younger population gets highly intoxicated at night and they can get messy. Catcalling is very common and sometimes people try to get handsy or approach you if you are alone, especially in clubs or on the streets. That's why I would say that you shouldn't go out to social events at night alone or walk alone if you are out late in the city. This is easily avoided if you go out with friends and keep a careful eye out!

This program is absolutely incredible. Most of the questions from this review were geared towards the study abroad environment, but the George J. Mitchell Peace scholarship funded the entire experience for me. I never would have been able to afford to study abroad without them and I learned so much about myself and the world while I was abroad. This scholarship affords you the opportunity to not have to worry about finances while you study abroad, so you can completely focus on assimilating into the new culture and experience as much as possible while you are abroad.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I would say that it would be a 3. It depends on how you live as a student because groceries and basic essentials were very cheap in Cork, but social events and activities could get costly.

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• Dorm
• Apartment

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• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The unique opportunity that it provides
• How it fully covers almost all costs
• The unique interactions that it fosters with locals

• More contact between the program and the student while abroad
• An opportunity to meet/contact the incredible man who created the scholarship

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer