Would probably recommend January 08, 2025
By A student (Chemistry, Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/02/2024 to 12/20/2024 with
Arcadia: Dublin - University College Dublin
I gained knowledge on Irish history and culture. I also understood for the first time what it truly means to be a foreigner. I am still getting used to being back in America.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academics were challenging, and the professors did not feel as easily available as at my home school. They were still pretty engaging during lectures. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff from Arcadia's study abroad office were very nice. They helped me with traveling around Ireland and learning its culture. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in Glenomena House 2, and it was really nice. I got my own bedroom and bathroom, which were well-kept when I arrived. I had great suite-mates who made sure we all kept up with chores. |
| * Food: |
As a picky eater, I felt there was a lack of enjoyable food options on campus. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The staff at Arcadia did their best to help, but I struggle with meeting new people and feeling like we could truly connect. I didn't get out as much as I wanted to. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to get an emergency refill on a medication, and the doctor from the Student Health Centre was friendly and quick to get me what I needed. My vaccinations were all up to date, so I did not need to get any new vaccines specifically for this program. |
| * Safety: |
The city felt very safe except for this one night when I was crossing a highway and the crosswalk stopped after just one lane. I was stuck in the middle of this highway and had to be very cautious when finding a way to cross the other lanes. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The program was still ultimately a good fit for me, and I likely would've had similar struggles at other programs. |
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) |
I shopped at the Centra on campus quite a bit, but never went over ~$75 a week. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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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? | The upper-level Chemistry lab I took did not have any discussion of techniques in the lectures, expecting students to have a high level of familiarity with certain processes. I had to learn some things that hadn't been taught at my home school on the fly. |
