Excellent location and program Past Review

By (Illinois State University) - abroad from 05/23/2012 to 06/13/2012 with

University of Limerick: Limerick - Summer School Programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about the culture and grew personally from my experience. It was absolutely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Great teachers, great program, excellent resources at the library. Course was a little less intensive than I thought it would be for a 3-week summer course.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Limerick's study abroad staff was pleasant, interested in how we were adjusting, and very helpful

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Nice apartment style accommodations, with 6 single rooms and one shared kitchen/living room in each apartment. They provided towels, bedding, milk, juice, tea, bread, and cereal daily. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and open closet. Only downside was that the walls were incredibly thin. If you sleep lightly, you might want to consider bringing earplugs.

* Food:

Good food, but little variety. Salads are hard to come by, so get fresh fruit where you can!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The only actual Irish people we met were our lecturers and the study abroad staff. It seemed almost segregated from the community and culture; there wasn't much opportunity to meet locals or engage in the everyday culture of the country.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never had any experience with this.

* Safety:

Security was well-present and did routine sweeps of the campus and the village where we were staying. Signs were posted asking us to avoid a river walk that was potentially unsafe after dark.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Most everything was included, so money spent was on souvenirs, drinks, or other things as desired.

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50-$75
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? If you don't need it, don't buy it.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The atmosphere
  • The people
  • The accomodations
* What could be improved?
  • More interaction with people outside of our own nationality
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Pack even more lightly! I didn't wear about a third of the clothes that I brought.