Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Planes, Trains, and Guinness Past Review

By (The Catholic University of America) - abroad from 01/16/2016 to 05/22/2016 with

Arcadia: Dublin - University College Dublin

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about what it was like to be independent as well as how much of a responsibility it is to plan trips.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Meeting Irish students was difficult.

* 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? 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)

It's doable to live on a student budget but with all the events going on and adapting to the food culture in Dublin made it hard to spread out the money. Especially if you plan on traveling because it is cheap to fly out of Dublin, but it adds up.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 200+
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Have groceries delivered from tesco because it costs about the same to be delivered as it does to go to the store by bus and it saves you time.

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

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local 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?
  • The people
* What could be improved?
  • Some prep as far as what to expect from housing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That the irish students aren't super active in sport clubs so if you really want to meet some you have to really get after it in the classroom.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.