Shenanigans and Craic Past Review
By Stephanie S (PSYCHOLOGY., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/28/2013 to 05/20/2013 with
University of Limerick: Limerick - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I made tons of friends from all over the country and the world. I got to immerse myself in Irish culture and see which stereotypes were true. I shattered some stereotypes of Texans, too. I came home with the desire to travel my own country and see the fun things it in too. It was definitely worthwhile and I wish I could go back.
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. |
The international office set up orientation programs and encouraged students to get involved with trips and clubs in order to get acquainted with the area and the school. It was very helpful when it came to finding classes, resources, and studying. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I only took one psychology course, but I loved it. Most courses at UL involve one or two hours in a classroom a week paired with extra research that the student needs to complete to supplement their learning and studying for exams. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Plassey Village. It is generally the first year and international student housing village. It was noisy at times, but staff was very friendly. College in general is noisy, but if you need quiet to study, I'd recommend another village. It was located across the street from a bus stop, which made going into town easy. |
| * Food: |
I bought the meal plan, and it was the first year that the meal plan was introduced. There are still a few kinks, but it's helpful for students who don't have time or want to worry about making lunches and dinners every day. The only downside is that if you have later classes, the restaurants aren't open very late. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's easily to not become integrated when you only surround yourself with people like yourselves. I made sure that I made Irish friends, started using Irish terminology, and ate Irish food to get the entire experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Limerick can have an unsafe reputation at times, but if you stay smart (go out in groups at night, make sure you know where you're going, etc) then you will have no problem. I never felt unsafe on campus or in the city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | $100 or so, depending on the week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | As soon as you get your money, make budgets. Plan how much you want to spend on travel, food food each week, souvenirs, and personal things. That's something I told myself I would do, but didn't actually get to. Also, put aside some money in a savings account and plan not to touch it.It helps a lot when you find yourself needing a little extra money for that trip you didn't know you wanted to take, because that will happen. |
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 |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 0 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | You don't really need to know Irish to function in Ireland. Everyone knows english and most people don't really remember Irish from school. It was helpful when you wanted to know what some signs in smaller towns said, but most signs and things are in english anyways. It was just a fun class to take. |
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? | That independent research is a big part of the learning experience...and you need to start doing outside research early. |
