Irish Way of Life! Past Review
By Allison B (Marketing, Western Carolina University) for
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology: Galway - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I absolutely loved studying abroad. I want to do it again! I see the world differently now, have a greater appreciation for others, am accepting of everyone, AND got way better at European geography! :)
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 workload is much different. You get one "continuous assessment" to do for the semester, which is usually 30% of your grade. You then have one final exam which is 70% of your grade. It's a make or break deal. Many teachers also don't care whether you attend class or not and many Irish students chose not to. It's very laid back and classes always started late. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Not very organized and didn't really want to help. No international students were satisfied. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Food is more bland, but it's still good. You'll find some great things like Guinness Stew, Shepard's Pie, Irish Cider, etc! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
AMAZING! Went all over Ireland, Spain, and Norway!! Met amazing people from all over the world! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We did run into one night where a man had knocked on our door and scared us. But the office took care of the issue and we didn't have another problem. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I would say between 70 and 100 Euro each week on food. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Bus money to get around town! |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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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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? | You can never be completely prepared. You will always have curve balls thrown at you, but that's part of life! |
