Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Once in a lifetime experience Past Review

By (Truman State University) - abroad from 06/15/2017 to 05/15/2017 with

University of Limerick: Limerick - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I've learned a lot about independence and traveling. I've learned a lot about myself and how I react to different situations and while there were issues with the University, I wouldn't give up this experience for anything. I may not have learned much academic learning but I did learn real life experience.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I felt as though the classes at UL were contradictory in their level of academics. Classes would be in large lecture hall classes and the professors did answer emails in a timely manner, however, the communication between professor, tutor, and student needed work. The material in the classes wasn't difficult, however, the expectations for the students were not widely made available making it difficult to truly know how to complete work.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I liked living with other international students from around Europe. It was fun to make connections with other people and learn about other cultures.

* Food:

Restaurants are expensive and so are the pubs. The food is good but a lot of the time is spent making your own food.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

The academics at UL made it difficult to learn and be comfortable with going other places. With virtually no guidelines or information about how to complete school work, there was no way to know if I was doing my assignments correctly. No explanations were given on why points were taken off. When asked, some professors explained they were in a bad mood and stopped grading the papers properly, instead just taking off points because they felt like it. Because my grades transfer as actual grades instead of pass/fail, it was difficult to rationalize going to other places on the weekends when I was worried about how this semester would affect my overall GPA back home.

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)

If you create a budget and stick to it and don't spend much money out at the pubs it is easy to live for not much money. However, the food you end up eating becomes very tiring because you end up eating so much of the same thing.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $70
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Once you arrive and see how much food costs, make a budget for weekly food allowance.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Ireland
  • meeting International Students
* What could be improved?
  • relations with the University
  • the academics
  • preparing the students/ having more communication before the time of departure
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Exactly how much money the program was going to cost. Instead of having the price of the program, there should have been information going out about the cost of living in Ireland.

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 Linguist
You 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!