I'm so glad I chose Ireland! Past Review

By Kerry L (PSYCHOLOGY., Truman State University) for

University of Limerick: Limerick - Summer School Programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned a great deal about Ireland and Irish culture. It also was interesting to look at parts of Irish society and see how they are similar or different to the US. It gave me a new understanding on a lot of social and international issues as well.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I was in the summer school program in the Sociology class. We would have class every day and there would be short articles to read before class. Our grade was simply based on the essay final, and they do use a different grading system.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	There were about 60 students in our program, and there were several classes that people were split up in. The classes themselves were well organized and run. There were some minor annoyances, such as having our field trip itineraries changed at the last minute. This was partly due to the usual study abroad person being on leave and so the person in charge was trying to handle two jobs, which would not usually be the case.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	We were housed in dorms with single rooms and bathrooms (Cappavilla). There were six rooms on each side of the building that shared a lounge and a kitchen. The accommodations were very nice and bedding was provided for the summer program. They were situated next to other campus housing and the laundry facility was an apartment building over. It was a good 15 minute walk from the main buildings, library, and cafeteria on campus. I always felt very safe around the apartment and the only people around were other people in the program and the workers at reception.
* Food:	They had a lot of standard student food as well as more traditional dishes. I think I had paninis at Stables more times than I could count, so it definitely wasn't an issue for me to find things to eat.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	There were several field trips arranged by our programs. Also, there are a lot of interesting sites in Limerick, such as King John's Castle, as well as the rest of the country. Be sure to plan at the beginning of your program where you want to go and make it work. Two of my favorite sites I went to see were the Cliffs of Moher bus tour and going to see the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Plan on traveling!
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I didn't need any vaccines for traveling to Ireland. I found Limerick to be fairly safe, but it is an urban environment and I would definitely not walk around by myself at night. The program was good at telling us certain safety related things and as long as you're with a group of people at night, there shouldn't be any problems.
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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	We had vouchers for lunch and dinner and they usually had yogurt/fruit/etc for breakfast in the dorms. The only money I spent on food was snacks, and on the weekends when I was traveling. Food is much more expensive in Ireland, so don't be surprised at paying 10 euros for a drink, sandwich, and chips.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Food and drinks were definitely more expensive than most people are accustomed to. Also, train fares were fairly expensive. If you know you will be traveling, order a student rail card from irish rail online. It gives you a significant discount and no one had told me about it beforehand and it takes several weeks to process, so it was too late for me to get one there. Also, some people had issues with spending a lot of money on alcohol, so if you planning on drinking, put that into your budget.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	I loved having several long weekends to travel around Ireland and I thought the class was fascinating and I learned a great deal about Irish culture.
* What could be improved?	There was just a lack of communication before the program that could have been improved.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I absolutely loved this program and would definitely go again. I wish the program had been longer, but it was nice not to be out of the country for several months and miss an entire semester at Truman. Look at where you want to travel beforehand and look at travel guides (I've always found Rick Steve's books very useful and easy to read). If you are planning on traveling at all, definitely do the the student discount rail card. Make sure to get out of the dorm and have fun, but take your class seriously.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Sociological Perspectives on Irish Society Summer Class
Course Department:
Instructor:	Multiple
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was fascinating and I learned about many aspects of Irish society in depth. We had several wonderful instructors who taught different subjects, which gave us different perspectives on these issues. It was similar to classes at Truman, being mainly lecture based with some discussion.
Credit Transfer Issues: