A Student of Russian in Ireland January 11, 2022
By A student (Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/02/2021 to 12/18/2021 with
IFSA: Dublin - Trinity College
It was definitely a worthwhile experience. I gained the experience of living in another country, which is something I have always planned to do, and I will take that experience with me to the next place I end up.
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 |
IFSA was pretty good. Trinity itself was not so great on the logistical side of things - I didn't really have any issues but a lot of others did. |
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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? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Obviously Covid was an ongoing issue, but it felt less concerning than in the US due to the much higher vaccination rate. I don't think either Trinity or IFSA actually required vaccination (which I found somewhat odd) but my home university did whether we would be on campus or abroad, and I would guess it was the same for others participating in the program. |
| * Safety: |
I know that one of the people on our program had a small safety incident but everything worked out alright for her as far as I'm aware and I never felt unsafe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
While I did like the program a lot and had a good time, Ireland is really not the most useful place to go for improving your Russian (unsurprisingly). I did know that going in, and chose this program anyway because I had some concerns about going to Russia (among other reasons). Having done some more thinking about my future plans, I would like to have gone somewhere that would have helped my Russian to improve a bit more, but I did like this program, and if not for that I would choose it again. |
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) |
Dublin is a somewhat expensive city, but if you budget carefully you should be fine (though it should be noted I did not do a huge amount of travel outside Ireland due to Covid, which might increase expenses for others). |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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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| 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? | I wish I had a slightly better understanding of what I wanted to get out of it. |
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. |
