Dublin, could it get any better? Past Review
By Anna M (Child Development., Montclair State University) - abroad from 05/20/2012 to 07/14/2012 with
Connect-123: Dublin - Volunteer/Intern in Ireland
It was just overall amazing, I gained insight into my future career and into developing my people skills.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Wheelock College |
| 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. |
Working in a hospital in another country gave me insight into how the healthcare system works in various places. Connect was always available for help or guidance. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Connect was amazing at keeping in contact with me, being available, and helping me take this amazing experience and applying it to my future endeavors. On the last meeting Connect helped my update my resume for internship applications. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was safe and easy because it was through a program. It's a little more expensive but not by much and you don't have to stay in the housing if you don't want to, some people staying in the EZ Dublin house for a few weeks and moved in somewhere else with new friends that they made. My housing was one of my best experiences in Ireland, because Dublin is so European my housemates were from all over, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, this was amazing learning each others languages and sharing food secrets. It was great to live in such a diverse environment. |
| * Food: |
The food was delicious and not overpriced, Dublin has really expanded the variety of food they offer over the years. In my time there I had traditional food, stews, burgers, thai food, fish and chips, even sushi. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The people are the nicest people you will ever meet in your life. They are welcoming and inviting and always willing to lend a hand, or tell a joke. There is plenty to do that is immerses you into the Irish culture from museums, to pub crawls, to just being around the city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There were no vaccines needed for this program. Nor did I really need to use the healthcare system. I did get sick while I was over there but nothing that some over the counter medicine from the pharmacist didn't help cure. |
| * Safety: |
Dublin in a city in another country, no matter how friendly the people are it is still important to be safe and mindful. I felt very safe being in Dublin because I was always out in a large group and always had my wits about me. We lived in an area that was not the best so the only time I felt nervous was coming home from the bars in the cabs, we made sure to only get irish cab drivers and to travel in pairs or groups. |
| 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) |
I spent a lot of money going out at night so that made me spend a lot of money each week, plus along with the trips that I took all around Ireland I was spending a lot of money, But that is what I saved up for this trip for, if I wanted to live on a modest budget I don't think it would have been a problem. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * 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? | 50-100 not including housing |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bring your student ID, sometimes they accept that as a student card. If there are a lot of things you want to see in one general area try renting a car with a bunch of other people. Connect offers discounts on tours that are really great. |
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? | Ireland is colder than I originally thought so just packing wise I wish I had known that. I also wish I knew how much I was going to fall in love with this country. |
