Ireland: A Sophomore's Look into What She Did Her First Semester Freshman Year Past Review
By Carina F (Communications, Plymouth State University) for
University of Limerick: Limerick - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
When I came home, I instantly wanted to do it all over again, despite some challenges.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The grading system was very fair-if you did the work, you got rewarded with the grade. I took three Irish classes and two PSU classes (we had a prof from Plymouth come with us because it was a group program). The Plymouth prof graded us even harder than any of my other profs from UL. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our prof was barely accessible, even in the most reasonable situations. Very frustrating and everyone complained to the head study abroad coordinators when we got back to the US. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing situation went well for the most part. I had to move later on in the semester due to some fighting between roommates, but we each had our own room with two shared bathrooms and a shared kitchen/living space. Some of the townhouses/apartments had kitchens on the top floor instead of the main floor, but it depended on the arrangement of the space. |
| * Food: |
As I knew going into studying abroad due to prior experience with food from the UK, Irish food is not the best tasting food in the world. Very hearty "meat-and-potatoes" meals and things of that nature. Fruits and vegetables were expensive and hard to incorporate in meals because of their price. I ordered a lot of Indian and Chinese take out food to make things easier (albeit, not the healthiest choice, but for what I could afford it made sense). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were no field trips of any sort arranged by the program directors or prof because the prof basically did her own thing on the weekends and such. I never saw her at all except for in class. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Strength in numbers. Watch for pick-pocketers and be wary of your surroundings, but that pretty much goes for anywhere in the world. |
| 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? | 50-80 Euros per week on food and personal expenses. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Have extra money on hand or available if you get sick and have to be hospitalized. A close friend within the group had a health emergency and was hospitalized for 5 days during the middle of the semester. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | IF you're interested in travel, go for it! If you're not sure what you want to do or where you want to go, go for it! Traveling like this is a great experience; you find out a lot about yourself and the world around you. |
