Expensive but great city April 28, 2024

By (Journalism, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/17/2024 to 04/27/2024 with

Boston University: Dublin - Internship Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Definitely worthwhile, I learned a ton from my internship and Dublin is just an amazing city that I have no real complaints about except cost of living

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:

In retrospect it feels insane that we received zero stipend for food/groceries and were provided a total of 1 meal throughout the entirety of the program (it was on the last day)

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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? No

This program was very very small (27 kids total) and did not give us any stipend for food, I assume because it's connected to a university and not an abroad agency. If I were studying abroad again I would choose a bigger program whose only purpose is abroad programs so they would support us more

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $100 - this was eating oatmeal and rice exclusively
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Dublin has a very high cost of living - not sure how to manage that maybe don't go here if you're not very wealthy

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Internship
  • City
* What could be improved?
  • Financial support (pay for our ISD cards and grocery stipend)
  • Size (not really program's fault)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Needed to save way more money before going

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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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.