Ireland with American majority October 28, 2024
By Rachel K (University of Galway) - abroad from 06/17/2024 to 07/12/2024 with
University of Galway: International Summer School
I learned more about Irish culture. It was worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really enjoyed the Archaelogy class in this program. The content was interesting and it was not too time consuming. The Representing Ireland course was quite time consuming and the teacher did not organize the class well (needed a better plan on the conversations and notes that had to be taken). |
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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? |
Living arrangements were very nice. I was grateful for the private bathrooms and the nice living area |
| * Food: |
It was a little disappointing when we had meals provided that the welcome and farewell dinner was the same fried food. I was hoping to have something that was original to Ireland and that would help embrace being in a new culture. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The archaeology class was one of the main sources that helped me integrate into the local culture. It was fun to have time to explore the town. However the Literature class was a lot of work and I did not get to travel around Ireland as much as I would have wanted to. In addition the meals provided did not help integrate 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
I would want to go somewhere with more international students and be more immersed in the Irish culture |
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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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 |
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| 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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | Explore the country more, dont stress so much about classes. This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and your classes should not be bringing you down when you are abroad. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Representing Ireland |
| Course Department: | Literature |
| Instructor: | Time Keane |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was a challenging and time consuming course. While it did make use of one field trip, I would have found it more beneficial to go on more field trips. Instead of spending everyday in class (explore the new country more). The teacher was knowledgeable but did not prepare classes well. It a lot of different directions and it was hard to follow along. In addition, I thought the workload was excessive and grading was harsh. I am not a strong writer and I need multiple weeks to write a paper, and I don't think he took tha\at into consideration. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No Issues |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Archaeology of Ireland |
| Course Department: | Archaeology |
| Instructor: | Mags Mannion |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class was an appropriate level of challenging. It made use of the location with several field trips which helped solidify the ideas that were talked about in the class. We were assessed with an exam and a paper which I though was a good way to tie the course together and test our knowledge. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No Issues |
