Ireland is sound Past Review
By Nicole L (PSYCHOLOGY., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/21/2013 to 05/21/2013 with
University of Limerick: Limerick - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
While in Ireland, travel as much as you can. Traveling is easy and relatively inexpensive, both in the country and to the continent. The Irish are incredibly friendly, helpful, and witty. You'll learn a lot about the culture and people as long as you're open minded, you'll have quite an adventure. It'll be the craic!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
UL is a great school, and as an international student, I took mostly Irish studies classes, which were filled with international students. In major-related classes, there were many more Irish students. Courses weren't hard, but usually the whole grade consisted of a paper and your final grade. All instructors, TAs, and faculty were great and very accommodating to international students! |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone in the international administration were super upbeat and helpful. They always made sure you were taken care of and got what you needed. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
On-campus housing is best- being close to school and to other students you meet. They provide you with many things, like furniture and dishes. Also, living on campus, you could have the possibility of rooming with Irish students or other international students from different parts of the world. The living spaces (especially Kilmurry and Plassey- crazy student living) could get loud with rowdy Irish, but it was still sound. |
| * Food: |
I don't eat meat, and I was a little worried because I had heard in Europe all they eat is meat, but Ireland has literally the best soups I have ever had. Plus almost everywhere they had vegetarian options. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Irish are so friendly and nice, always happy to help out. It was easy to get around the country and learn about the culture and become integrated with the people. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Literally the one rude person I met in Ireland was the school receptionist at the nurses/doctors' office. She was super unfriendly and not helpful. But I heard the nurses and doctors in the school were great. |
| * Safety: |
I would never walk around the city centre alone at night, but that's just typical safety anywhere. I felt very comfortable wandering around with friends on nights out or going to the city (or other cities) during the day. The school has security all over, so it always felt safe. However, drunk college students can be stupid, so I would always keep windows shut if you're not in the room and lock your room door if your roommates invite over rowdy crowds. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
Personally, I spent very little on food, so I could use as much for travel instead (Lidl and Aldi are amazing for cheap food). Really the most expensive thing that anyone I know would buy was alcohol. My expenses included travel, I would leave the city almost every weekend. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy cheap food from shops like Lidl and Aldi (unless you need the brand name product) because it saves a lot. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would have learned more about interesting places to travel to in Ireland, therefore my weekend trips would have been better. |
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! |
