Galway: My Favorite City in the World Past Review
By Julie (National University of Ireland, Galway) - abroad from 01/09/2018 to 05/19/2018 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Galway, Ireland
I gained so many friends from all different background and a greater understanding of a different way of life and different cultures. From traveling while abroad, I learned skills such as budgeting, price checking, navigation skills, and became more culturally competent. This opportunity was definitely worthwhile and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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. |
The classes were not very intensive which allowed for a lot of time to join societies, travel, and hang out with friends. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Thomas was the best resource to have and helped out with even the smallest of problems. An awesome advisor. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
By the end of my time in Galway, I felt like I belonged in the city and was familiar with and friends with many of the residents. |
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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
Studying in Galway was the best 5 months of my life. From the amazingly positive and welcoming people to the lively yet quaint city center, I cannot say enough good things about this city. I'd highly recommend this program to anyone looking to study in Ireland. You will truly fall in love with the city and all it has to offer. |
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) |
Most of the expenses came from traveling while abroad. If just living in Galway without traveling it is much easier to stick to a budget, but the cost of even low-budget traveling quickly adds up as it would do with any abroad program. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Schedule flights and hostels far in advance and use apps like Skyscanner and Hostelworld to get the cheapest prices. It's much easier and cheaper to travel while in Europe than from the U.S. so if you can budget it all out I definitely recommend traveling even if it is low-budget. If you can't get to many different countries, I'd definitely recommend taking buses to all the cool cities in Ireland. |
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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| 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? |
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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? | Nothing, learning about the culture piece by piece as I experienced it allowed my experience to be unique. |
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 Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
