Program Reviews

Study Abroad was an amazing experience and this program allowed me to enjoy my experience to the fullest. The only downside is the price of the program which is a little expensive.

The housing provided by Arcadia was optimal. We lived apartment style and were conveniently located five minutes away from campus. Additionally, Arcadia did excursions throughout the semester which allowed us to explore parts of Ireland we could have never gotten to ourselves.

The only downside in my opinion is the price of the program. The students in Ireland pay very little tuition and their housing is cheaper than what we have to pay when you add up all the costs. All in all, it feels a bit overpriced considering all Arcadia has to do is host an orientation and then provide students with transcripts.

Overall, the experience with Arcadia was phenomenal. They are a great program and provide excellent service. I was much more prepared and had a good network to reach out to for help in case I needed it. In contrast, some of the other students I knew studying abroad with different programs had very little support.

The experience was a very exciting one overall. The classes were pretty relaxed, so I had ample time to explore London, England, and other European countries. However, the university was very disorganized. There were cancelled classes and we were not made aware of it and were criticized when we had questions about it. Also, there was a large paper that I had to write and was not made aware of it until the last minute, which was a bit stressful.

By far the best decision I have made is studying abroad in Barcelona. The Arcadia Staff made sure the experience was extraordinary, fun and insightful for all of the students. Everyone got along so well and we became a family within the span of 4 months. Words do not do it justice. Useful tips: Hang onto your phone tight at clubs or it will get stolen. The fixed rate for the taxi is about 2 euros. Elisabets has amazing cheap tapas. Pregame at D-9 for cheap cheap drinks, the best club is Razzmatazz; it's expensive but worth it.

The opportunity to live in Havana for 4 months is quite honestly the most unique study abroad opportunity most U.S. American universities offer. Havana is a beautiful city teeming with spirit and positive energy and the Arcadia program specifically helped me experience that. Compared to other U.S. study abroad programs at the U of H, the Arcadia program administration and staff formed the closest ties to the University of Havana and allowed for me and my fellow students to feel like a family. Our housing situation, with all the program students living together in the same casa particular, felt like the ideal combination of a dorm/home stay, with the perfect amount of independence and privacy coupled with support and care from Arcadia staff and the house staff. Arcadia's resident director arranged for our dance classes, our beach trips, some of our nights out, etc. and truly cared for us while abroad. The Arcadia program's semester break, cross-island trip via van was also the opportunity of a lifetime, one that students on other study abroad programs envied, and with good reason. We got to visit every province in the country save for Guantanamo and experienced everything from the country side to the coast to el Oriente. While classes at the University of Havana were not that challenging compared to the courseload I've been used to, I learned a lot and my professors were all eager to engage with me outside of class and talk about things from an entirely different sociopolitical perspective than the dominant one in the U.S.

Overall, my time in Edinburgh was a dream, filled with magical moments and friendships that I will treasure for the rest of my life. It wasn't always perfect, however. During the dark, winter months, I found myself isolated, depressed, and unsure what to do with my days. Because of professor strikes, I did not have many classes or homework. This meant that many days, I did not have any real reason to get out of bed in the morning. This, coupled with the bad weather trapping everyone inside, made for some tough days. The mental health resources were there, but not super accessible or helpful. Luckily I made two great friends with whom I explored the city and traveled with. Once the weather got better, and classes resumed, I felt more like myself again. For the last month and a half, I fell completely in love with the city and had more adventures than I thought possible. I met someone in the meadows, who that same day lent me her camping gear, I hiked Arthur's seat to watch the sunrise (highly recommend!!), I explored Crammond Island, I backpacked/camped in the Pentlands, found secret gardens throughout the city, barbecued on Portabello Beach, walked through Deans Village and the Botanical gardens, volunteered in people's gardens, discovered countless cafes and hole in the wall restauraunts/bars, traveled to Glasgow and the Highlands, and so much more. I learned how to confidently connect with strangers and put myself out there. I learned how to make things happen, execute ambitious plans, and work through crises. Although I wasn't pushed academically as much as I would have liked, I developed many valuable life skills. I wouldn't change anything about my semester abroad; I had the time of my life.

My semester in Dublin was one of the most amazing moments in my life! I had the opportunity to work firsthand with Irish politicians and learn a lot about the Irish culture and history. This trip allowed me to grow as a person as I learned more about a very different culture. I was able to take classes to learn about the recent history of the island while learning about current issues in the Parliament. This program has made me completely enamored with Ireland and I hope to return soon!

I enjoyed that this program only held classes from Monday through Thursday and it allowed for us to travel to other places during the weekends. The staff was particularly helpful with any issue I had and it helped reassure throughout the semester that I made the right decision. The extra-curricular activities they offer bolster the reputation the program has and it was enough to provide an outlet for my extra energy outside the classroom setting. Do not hesitate twice on selecting this program if you want to have an eventful study abroad experience in Barcelona!

Studying through Arcadia was amazing because they helped me be prepared for anything i could expect. Housing was set up, they even bought bedding. We were showed around town and orientation in Dublin beforehand was not only helpful but a great set up to meet everyone. I also loved the excursion opportunities. I wish there was one more option that left Ireland, but the excursions were very planned out and perfect.

Absolutely loved my semester at UCD and the Arcadia program as a whole. While I only made friends with a couple of other students on the program, I am still glad I chose Arcadia study abroad because of the wonderful support and extracurricular experiences offered by the program. The Arcadia staff was an amazing group of people who only added to how much I loved Dublin and UCD. The extracurricular activities also gave me the opportunity to meet students studying through Arcadia’s other Ireland programs.

This was a wonderful experience. I met so many people from all over the world, travelled to cool places, and learned a lot about myself. The most enriching thing from this experience was meeting people from different countries. Since Edinburgh is such an international city, it was easy to meet people not only from Europe but from Asia as well. I'm glad I didn't hang out with Americans as much. Meeting all these people helped me realize it's impossible to really understand other people and yourself without meeting people who have been brought up in completely different cultures and environments. The Arcadia Global Studies program facilitated a few trips that I took advantage of. I really appreciated that the trips were well though out, subsidized, and informative. I was also really pleased with how kind the program staff was. Although I never really sought out help, I wouldn't have hesitated if I needed it.