Ireland: Coming Full Circle (with lots of music along the way) Past Review
By Caroline O (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Providence College) for
Arcadia: Galway - National University of Ireland, Galway
I want to travel more, and I gained a greater appreciation for my hometown, too. As a musician, I can definitely see myself coming back to Galway to live!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment itself was nice, and I haad an American girl as a direct roommate whom I liked a lot. I'm friends with our Irish housemate as well, but she's very VERY messy, and her friends would come back after a night out and trash the kitchen. That being said, she's still nice, just a bit immature. We lived 20 minutes away from the university, and 20 minutes away from city centre. You get used to the walk after a while. |
| * Food: |
Buy your own food! But make sure you get all your nutrition in as well, and find cheap places to eat (there are a few of them out there!). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Music festivals! Also a literature festival in Galway that was awesome. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I had to use the student health centre a few times because of a cough, and they were so helpful. And free. |
| 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | GO EASY THE FIRST COUPLE MONTHS. I wasn't a big spender, so now at the end of my program I still have money left to do cool things. And my parents weren't paying for everything, so I really had to budget. It can be done. Remember to factor in things like hair dryers, a phone, laundry, soap, etc. It adds up. Buy on sale! Ah, buying bedding and duvet covers was in there, too. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I knew a little bit of Irish anyways, but most Irish people speak English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Students who aren't very type A personality would love it here. Irish people take the concept of time with a grain of salt, and everything gets done in its own time. If you're expecting things to be militantly looked after, look elsewhere. I love it, but some people might get confused! |
