Visiting the Homeland Past Review
By A student (Roger Williams University) - abroad from 12/31/2011 to 05/19/2012 with
Arcadia: Galway - National University of Ireland, Galway
A better understanding of myself and of Ireland, and I learned a great deal about Irish history and culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The university was great, but the library services were very different and the classes were much larger then those at RWU. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Friendly, kind, and very helpful throughout the duration of the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Great accommodation, and living with actual Irish students was a huge help. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living and having classes with Irish students made me feel like a local. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
Groceries were not very expensive if you planned out your meals and went to one of the many budget supermarkets. Personal expenses could add up if you went out a lot of nights, but if you were careful and planned you could easily cut down on expenses. As expected, traveling outside of the country could easily become very expensive. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | About 100 Euro a week. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Shop at cheaper grocery stores such as Aldi, Tesco's and Lidl, don't be ashamed to buy generic brands, and don't wait until you get to the pub to start drinking, as drinks are expensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| 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? | Beginner |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 10+ |
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? | How prevalent the Gaelic language is, how expensive traveling can be. |
