Program Reviews

My favorite things about Galway were Shop Street and all of the buskers there, the Spanish Arch (Sparch), the farmer's market every weekend, Boojum, and the fact that my little apartment felt like home by about a month in. I traveled around Europe on the weekends and one of the best feelings, even though I love going new places, was when my plane touched down in Dublin and I rode the bus back home to Galway. It is such a beautiful city, the people are wonderful, and I would do anything to go back. Studying abroad was hands down the best decision I have made in college. Try new things, do what you love, enjoy yourself!

One of the best experiences I had abroad was the 'reading' week we got off in the middle of February. While most people I knew went to Portugal or Greece, a friend and I decided to fly to the arctic. In the northernmost part of Norway, we went on a midnight dogsled through the wilderness. That alone would have been an incredible experience. But as we returned to camp, I noticed a faint silver thread floating through the sky. I stopped. I let go. I sat into the snow as the darkness opened to greens and pinks drifting through the sky. Before, when I pictured the Northern Lights I always pictured an overwhelming magnificence that was, for some reason, loud. But out there, I was struck by the most beautiful silence. Pure and soft. Everything else disappeared.

I entered this program to go to an interesting and historically complex place and engage in an incredibly complex endeavor-- community development. The additional challenge for me was that I was tutoring children in a township, and I can't stand kids. Going to see these kids every day was exhausting, and I actually made myself sick once because I didn't want to go to work that badly. But when it was all over, I think I still represented a different kind of American to those kids, and provided an example for them by being okay with being different. In the end, I don't think I learned anything about community development, only that it is so much more loaded of a term then I was previously able to comprehend, and that revelation help me to mature a lot, emotionally and in regard to my education in social sciences. I still don't care for kids either, but I can stand to be in the same room as them now.

Living in the heart of Athens was a once in a lifetime experience and Arcadia managed to find the perfect balance of academics and excitement. All of the classes were interactive, regularly taking place throughout the city, with one weekend trip included for each. The faculty and staff are amazing and really made us all feel right at home, while still pushing us outside of our comfort zone. The semester I spent with Arcadia in Athens helped me grow as a person, travel through Europe and allowed me to make some of my best friends. Αγαπώ Ελλάδα!

Having never traveled overseas, I suffered some culture shock upon landing in Scotland. First, no one mentioned that Scotland is actually on the same latitude as Alaska, and so the sun makes a VERY short appearance during the winter days. This in combination with cloudy skies, rain, and a relentless wind, made my first few weeks in Scotland a tad miserable. In addition, coming from a small rural liberal arts school, I had to quickly adapt to big university life in a relatively small, but still urban environment. For me, studying abroad wasn't about falling in love with the place, but about pushing myself to try new things. Don't get me wrong--Scotland is absolutely one of the most beautiful countries in the world. In fact, I can't wait to go back to the Scottish highlands in the future. But, studying in Scotland taught me that I don't want to live in a city, that I don't want to live where the sun only shines for 5 hours during the winter, etc. Regardless, I'd still do it again.

I met some amazing people during my time abroad. And yes, the miserable weather and lack of sunlight was a huge talking point. But, what I liked most was that Edinburgh attracted people from all over the globe. I met so many people from Australia, I could travel around that continent just sleeping on friends' couches.

The academics are comparable with U.S. universities, but the workload is distributed differently. With three classes and only two assignments per class, I had to manage my time very efficiently to ensure that I got the work done and done well.

I encourage anyone interested to go to Edinburgh in the fall semester. You get better weather and plus you'll be there for the Christmas/New Years festival, which is world famous. While the program is longer in the spring, just be aware that spring break leads into the exam period, which together lasts 5 weeks. So, that's five weeks of just living in Scotland (after you've already been there for 4 months) which can get pretty boring if you have exhausted your financial resources.

Coffee is a HUGE part of Greek culture. However, coffee is a social even among the Greeks who will sit in a cafe for several hours and only drink one cup. I, being the typical American, am addicted to coffee and drink several cups a day. Not only am I a frequent drinker, but I drink my cappuccinos very sweet. During my time living in the Athens neighborhood of Pagrati, I became friendly with the baristas of several of the local coffee shops. They recognized me when I came up to order and knew what I wanted every time (or at least thought they did). One of the barista's at a shop I frequented always would greet me, and say with confidence what he thought was my order. He would get it wrong every single time but after a while it became a game. Even though it was a small interaction that would happen once or twice a week, it was one of the many little things that made my time in Greece so special to me.

At a different coffee shop, I would order three scoops of sugar in my cappuccino (like I always did) but at this particular shop outside the Acropoli Metro exit, the barista would always double check that I really meant three scoops, and, once confirming that I did mean three, he would smile, turn around, and chuckle to himself.

I chose to go to Athens because I thought I would be able to immerse myself in the culture. Arcadia, however, does very little to get you involved in the community. The Staff were not very helpful. In fact, I remember seeking help and support of one staff member, and I left her office feeling completely rejected. The director of the program did not like me, and she did nothing to mask her dislike, acting in a rather unprofessional manner.
The teachers, on the other hand, are wonderful. Some of the best teachers I have ever had.
Honestly, without the support of the staff, and with incompatible classmates, I spend a lot of time on my own. Traveling is amazing, and it was a wonderful experience to be in Athens.
However, and I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT choose Arcadia University for your study abroad experience.

Grand is quite the common word over at UL and an enjoyable experience is also commonplace. The bus availability to Dublin Airport is great, and Cappavilla Village staff and dorms are wonderful. You can't go wrong at Paddock's and be sure to go to the weekly Farmer's market too. It is a large institution so they are hands off and one must search help if needed but all interactions with the staff were positive. The music program is terrific and the campus is beautiful. Be ready for plenty of fags (cigarettes) and wonderful people.

I absolutely adored my time abroad and with Arcadia. Galway is the cutest, most quaint little town you will ever see. It is very easy to get to know and navigate. Through Arcadia, you are directly enrolled in NUIG and you take classes with Irish students! I lived in an apartment (in a place called Gort na Coiribe) with 1 other student from my college and 3 Irish lads...it was definitely an interesting experience! They loved to party and weren't the cleanest but I still enjoyed living with them. Living with the guys really helped me to dive into the culture hands on and learn how they live, talk, etc. Getting to know the Irish people and how they live (especially people our age) is one of the best parts of my study abroad experience I think. They are all so friendly, kind, chill, and hilarious.

The social life is absolutely fantastic! There are tons a pubs to go to (if anyone asks you if you want to go to the Silent Disco at the Rosin Dubh, GO! Other great pubs include the Kings Head, the Front Door, and Taffees (but you'll find this all out when you go CAUSE YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GO TO GALWAY).

It was nice because our program was made up of about 60 students from colleges all over the U.S. We had orientation for 3 days in Dublin before we got bused over to Galway.

Bond was one of the best experiences of my life. I made life long friends, had the time of my life. I was give opportunities that I could not have anywhere else, like skydiving 14000 ft. in the air over the ocean, bungee jumping, and cave diving with sharks. Australia made me grow as a person and made me realize that I can do anything. Arcadia's support system was amazing and the way they ran there program is amazing. Going to school at Arcadia state side really prepared me for my trip abroad.