Program Reviews

The Dublin Internship program is the perfect conglomerate of culture, society and politics. The program uniquely pairs class requirements with internship work which provides a nice variety in schedule - and plenty of time to enjoy Dublin! The benefits of this program extend beyond your time abroad. Working in the Irish Parliament is a real resume builder and definitely gets the attention of schools, professionals and employers.

As the title states, I had the best five months of my entire life in Ireland. Arcadia staff prepared us before we even left the United States, and continued to support us throughout our time in Galway. Ann Monahan was a great mom figure to anyone who had any questions or concerns. I met students from all over the United States through the program. We had the opportunity to not only attend classes with the Irish students, but we placed with Irish students in our residence halls. My roommate showed me around the city and was always there for advice on places to go out or grad a bite to eat. The nightlife is a blast with all of the nightclubs and pubs, whether you're looking to paint the town red, or have a quiet night listening to trad music. The cost of living was relatively cheap compared to other places I traveled visiting friends. Classes were taught differently than in the US, but it was refreshing to have a different learning module than I'm used to. Overall, I would (and do, all the time) recommend studying abroad in Galway to anyone if they get the chance! I still cry once in awhile when I think about my time there.

The most difficult part of adjusting to life in London was the weather and learning to look specific ways before crossing the street. Overall, London is full of many activities and you will find yourself visiting all different towns and boroughs since the public transport system is so prevalent in the city. Make sure you visit the weekend markets in Camden and Shoreditch and get cheap food, desserts, and produce. Lastly, don't be afraid to try different types of food- now is your chance! London has a huge variety of Indian food, kebabs, and other dishes that you won't be able to taste anywhere else.

This program was one of the best decisions I've made in college. I got the opportunity to experience classes in a different environment and participate in an internship that was both educational and rewarding. Beyond just the required coursework I had the opportunity to become a Londoner. I was able to take all the opportunities provided by both the school and the city. Though I wish I had more exposure to other foreign students this can be achieved by taking courses at nearby universities. I made both friends and memories I am sure I will have the rest of my life and fell in love with the city of London and England in general.

I did the summer London internship through Arcadia University the summer of 2014. I had never left the country before and was nervous about the process. One thing I remember that made me feel better about the initial flight and arrival was that Arcadia started and invited all participants to a Facebook page. From there I was actually able to find 3 people taking the same flight as me so we could meet up and arrive together. This made navigating the airport and going through customs a lot less intimidating.

The Arcadia staff provided introductory sessions to help us all understand more about what our experience in London would be like from different customs to understanding the public transportation systems.

The internship they found for me was perfect and a wonderful experience. I went 3 full days a week. I also attended a class through Arcadia that I went to once a week. I did the photography class and I am glad I did. We went on different trips to museums and different locations around the city. On the weekends, I was able to take several trips with the people I met. We traveled to Amsterdam, Paris, and Edinburgh. I was surprised how reasonable the travel costs were! I even ended up taking a week long vacation to Malta during my last week in the program.

All in all, I would highly recommend this program! The staff is wonderful, London is amazing, and you will have great experiences!

This program was exactly what I was looking for in a study abroad experience. I loved that I was immediately integrated into the University and had the chance to live with other Scottish students and feel like a real student, rather than a tourist during my time abroad. It was easy to get involved on campus and in Edinburgh there is always something to do whether it's going to a festival or a market, grabbing drinks at the pub, or taking a stroll by some of the gorgeous parks and landmarks that are sprinkled throughout the city. In general, Edinburgh is an incredibly walkable city, but if you need to go a further distance, the bus system is easy to navigate. I also appreciated Arcadia's role in my time abroad. They provided a great support system and plenty of excursions around the country so that we could get our touristy fill from time to time. Overall, I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants a more independent study abroad experience in the context of an incredibly friendly and liveable city.

One of the best experiences I had in Ireland was learning how to step dance. Not only did I get to learn a unique part of Irish cultures but I also made some of the best social connections with not only the other students but the teacher as well. We were given the opportunity to go to the Blarney Hotel Pub every Tuesday to play with the local musicians in an Irish traditional session and to perform the dances we learned for the locals.

The program at Accademia Italiana, Florence was wonderful. I was a junior in college when I decided to study abroad so I didn't have enough classes available to take a full semester, I did however get to take this shorter two month program. It is shorter than the full semester programs but the staff made sure to pack in so many wonderful experiences. Traveling as a group, and visiting local restaurants and sights, the staff made sure we were safe and having a great time. Since it was a summer program we were allotted a great amount of free time to travel around europe, the staff was always willing to help us arrange trips and give us tips and resources. As an art student with a minor in art history my favorite part was my art history class. Although our class was solely focused on Michelangelo our teacher took the opportunity to take us to a ton of museums and show us all of the important pieces central to florence and italy as a whole. This was a life changing experience I loved every second of it!

This program left me with a summer I'll never forget. This was my first real internship and the Arcadia staff worked to make sure the job would be beneficial to me and something that would help me in the future. I was able to explore London a lot during my art class (we visited a lot of museums and different historical sites) and I learned a lot in the process. The program allows you time to travel outside of London, as well, which was something I really enjoyed. I got to meet people from all over the US and was also able to interact with the locals. Overall, I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who is considering studying abroad!

My study abroad experience was everything I had hoped it would be. The only problem was a minor miscommunication with the on site staff which ended in a missed meeting with the Arcadia staff. But the UL staff was astounding! They were so caring and helpful, it was like having family in Ireland.