Ireland: a Different Place Past Review
By A student (Barnard College) - abroad from 01/05/2012 to 05/30/2012 with
University of Galway: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Of course it was worthwhile. It may not have been exactly what I wanted all the time and perhaps I would have chosen a different program if I could have, but I have now had this experience and have grown and learned more about myself because of it. So, I can't say that it wasn't worthwhile, because it is now a part of my life.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
As a visiting student, I, of course, wanted to travel and see the country that I was in, especially seeing as Ireland is so small but full of so many different landscapes. However, the cost of living is higher than I'm used to and it was expensive to travel around, so while I did get to travel, it was not as extensively as I would have liked. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $20-$50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget from the beginning of your trip. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
As Irish is not the language spoken by the majority of the Irish people, my use of Irish was very minimal. I was able to use it on trips that we took into the Irish speaking part of Ireland, but the course was more to get a feel for the language and culture of Ireland than to actually transform us into Irish speakers. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | The number of Americans at NUIG was much higher than I thought it would be. This turned out to work quite well and I made some good friend, but it also made it harder to meet local/Erasmus students. I also didn't have a good sense of the Irish culture before I left, so certain aspects were not as I had expected (this, however, is understandable in any study abroad experience). |
