Studying Abroad at Queen's University Belfast Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload in the United Kingdom was very different from anything I experienced in my education here in the U.S. There is much more personal responsibility on the students to do work outside of class, not for credit, but in order to do well on exams. Also, for essays and reports and exams I have always been taught to be as concise as possible, but at Queens I was pushed to really elaborate on my opinions in many different aspects of the modules.

On-site administration of your program

The International Student Program at Queens was very informational, especially at the beginning when we all arrived. There were different orientation lectures we could go to explaining the culture of this new city, the different grading system, and the general campus life. I ended up taking modules specific to the music department and my major, and also becoming very active in the performing choir ensembles. Though some things were slow to get started, like my voice lessons, the education and instruction I was given was first class.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Although Northern Ireland and the U.S. speak the same language, the vernacular and slang is completely different. Even the accent and speed at which they would talk made it difficult to communicate at the start. But by living with students from there, and having classes with students from there, and making friends with students from there, I was able to have a better understanding and appreciation for where I was living.

I loved the food there. I did not find it hard at all to find something I liked. Also, if I ever had a craving for something more American, there were very many American food chains I could go to like Subway or KFC.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

At first, being in a different country was very daunting. At the beginning I did tend to stay around the fellow international American students because when I wasn't around them I was very aware of how I sounded so different from the people there. I never realized before how my American accent could really stand out. But after the first few weeks, I realized that I went abroad to really experience a different culture, so then I did. I started spending more time in the department where I was studying, and making friends with practically everyone there. Pretty soon, they were urging me to go to their formal, and inviting me out for drinks every week after choir rehearsal. After awhile, I even ended up picking up some of their accents. While I was away for holiday during the Easter break was when I realized that I cared so much for my new friends from Ireland and I was going to miss them so much when I left for good at the end of the semester. They introduced me to much of their favorite pubs and favorite foods from over there. Towards the end, they even surprised me with a going away party and dinner. The day I left, I had never had a more hard goodbye. I knew that these people, these friends, had meant so much to me, and I loved them.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

At our orientation in the first two days of being at Queens, we were told that Belfast is one of the safest cities in the world. I haven't been to too many global cities, but I did indeed feel pretty safe over there. There were times when my friends and I would walk back to halls late at night, and we all felt pretty safe together. And the security at Elms Village where I stayed was pretty tight, and at times annoying if you wanted a guest to stay over, but it was safe. I also felt taken care of with the healthcare system over there. I did see a GP twice, and although I thought they could have been more thorough with their assessments of what was wrong with me at the time, it was never anything that I didn't know myself. And I felt secure being put on the NHS system, because I didn't have to worry about how to pay for something if my preexisting condition flared up and sent me to the hospital again.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Dorm

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• Local Students