Study Abroad in Galway Past Review
By Chelsey G (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse) for
University of Galway: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
No comment
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. |
We had American teachers, from our institution teaching our courses. One instructor was phenomenal and did a lot of cool activities to enhance our learning and connect it to the Ireland culture. The other instructor was clearly nervous and unsure, as this was her first time teaching abroad. However, she didn't handle her insecurities very well in my opinion. She constantly told us that she didn't enjoy being in Ireland, and didn't sleep well. She also mentioned on numerous occasions that her children were driving her crazy. By the last week of our program, she told us she regretted coming to Ireland and that it was never something she would consider again. This was the morning after girls in my program had seen her very intoxicated coming home yelling profane things. The unprofessional behavior coupled with the lack of support for our cultural transition from 1/3 leaders was disheartening. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
N/A |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Corrib Village was the apartment style rooms pods we stayed in. It would have been helpful to have apartments close to one another but that was not the case. I felt like this lent itself to feeling disconnected from groups of our program at times. The customer service was also terrible, which I actually found to be the case in most of Europe. Therefore, I wouldn't blame it specifically on Corrib. However, one night 20 something males were pounding on our door and yelling things at us around 3:00am. I had awoken from a dead sleep and was really upset/scared. We called the front desk and they had their "security" come to take care of the problem. The men quieted down for about 10 minutes and then proceeded to pound on our door AGAIN. It was a frightening experience. |
| * Food: |
Irish food is incredible! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Aran Islands were great, so was the downtown of Galway. Every Saturday there is an incredible market! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Don't walk back home alone, overall the city is safe but can be dangerous at night. I got sick (just a cold) which made it rough in the beginning. Take good care of yourself, you won't regret it! |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300 or approx 200 Euro |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Laundry is SO expensive. Bring pryex sheets instead of buying detergent there. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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