A TIME ABROAD TO REMEMBER Past Review
By Stephanie Hooper (University of Hartford) - abroad from 09/01/2017 to 12/23/2017 with
API (Academic Programs International): Dublin - University College Dublin
How to live by myself, and be independent
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 resources at UCD are vast, but since it is a public school the class sizes are large. It ranges from 100-200 people in just one class sitting. The course load is similar to schools in the states. It will be a lot of READING. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They planned activities to immerse you in the Irish culture by allowing all study abroad students to go on trips for a reasonable price. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing at UCD is beyond lavish. I felt like compared to my home institution best available housing on campus, UCD was above it. UCD has the best housing compared to any other school in Ireland, hands down. |
| * Food: |
Vast options because for them unless you have a meal plan on campus each housing has a kitchen and you have to cook. There are restaurants on campus that are pretty good, but you don't want to spend your money there every day. Most people who live on campus usually cook their own food or order out. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I can say with the Pubs, the School Clubs, and just the peoples makes it easy to be immersed in the culture. UCD has so many social clubs you can be apart of and get to meet other Irish students. I was involved and that made a difference. Get involved on campus and time will go by faster than you know it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I bought all of my medicine at a local health store when I was sick, and I asked my local Irish friends for popular medication because the prices of seeking help was a bit expensive. I chose home remedies because I didn't feel like my health was worth an ER Visi.t |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe in Ireland, while abroad you always stay aware of your surroundings, especially at night. But the Security on campus was always patrolling and they even close. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The trips we went on, the people I met, taught me what it would be like in the real world and alone. I had to provide for myself and budget. |
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? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | BUDGET, AND PLAN AHEAD! I went over my personal budget every month! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| 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? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | n/a |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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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? | Overall just what to expect |
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: |
Introduction to Folklore |
| Course Department: | Folkore |
| Instructor: | Dr. Bairbre Ní Fhloinn |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This course was an introductory level so it was relatively straightforward you had terminology that you have to learn and some historical factual information of Irish traditions. Since they divide their lectures and small group seminars up, I felt like the class was similar to my home tuition. I participated more in the smaller class settings. For this course, I was assigned 2 papers, 1 exam and A LOT of READING! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
