Program Reviews

Studying abroad has always been something I wanted to do in my college experience. Once I found out that my major at my home college offered this opportunity, I signed up. I was nervous because I did not know anyone but also excited to take on this new journey.

Studying abroad in London has truly been a great experience and I am so happy I was able to do it. Taking classes here was different because we had 3 courses in 8 weeks. Classes were Monday-Thursday and each about 3 hours long. Beside sitting in classrooms listening to lectures, doing homework, we also got frequent field trips. This was fun because we got to explore the city of London and incorporate class material.

Being here for 4 months has taught me to appreciate culture and diversity. I believe the outcome of this has allowed me to grow as a person.

My time in Dublin was absolutely amazing! My goals during this experience included trying new things, travelling as much as possible, and convincing someone that I was Irish (my red hair made this pretty easy). Because of the opportunities that FIE was able to offer me, I was able to accomplish all of these goals. FIE puts on two weekend trips to Galway and Northern Ireland. These two trips were probably my favorite trips I took the whole semester. My favorite memory from the Galway trip was when we took a ferry out to the island, Inis Mór. I was able to go outside on the back of this ferry and hang on to the railing as the giant waves splashed me and my friends. I will never forget this and other memories I made while I was in Ireland. There were plenty of other opportunities for me to travel around Dublin as well as the rest of Ireland. Being located in the city center was great because I was able to do things I never would have imagined of doing in the suburbs of Minnesota that I currently live in. I would not trade this experience for anything in the world and I can't wait to go back to Ireland some day.

This was a spectacular semester! We went to so many incredible places. Everyone on the Fighting Words Dublin team was so supportive and helpful whenever we needed it. I also loved having my internship. Through that experience, I definitely felt like I became a part of the Irish community. It was so incredible to be able to work with schools and I feel like I learned so many skills and gained confidence that I will use later on when I become a teacher. It was great living in the bustling city center of Dublin. It was a great experience and all of the classes were very interesting. I learned so much about Irish history! I loved going to so many museums and trips. It was great having planned tours so I was able to learn so much about Irish History. I also loved being able to go and travel to see so many spectacular places in Ireland and truly get to experience the great beauty and archaeological wonders in Ireland!

FIE london grants you the special opportunity to live in the heart of the English capital. In walking distance is the gardens where Princess Diana started her famous gardens, as well as the palace where in they reside. Just a quick tube stop to many famous locations including Piccadilly Circus, Parliament, Portobello Road market and the South Bank. FIE offers a competent class schedule, as well as a wonderful and responsible staff. If you were ever thinking about exploring London on a study abroad trip, I would recommend it heartily!

I really enjoyed studying in London, especially since one of my classes had to do with London itself. The class itself was about monsters (such as Dracula or Frankenstein) in England, and it was cool how I could visit the areas that the books talked about. I especially enjoyed the freedom of being able to travel to other countries during the time. Since London is a great central point for travel in Europe, my friends and I had lots of options to go to other countries, but just did not have the time to visit more than three. My only complaint would that it could be longer...

My semester in Dublin was amazing. Located near city center, most of the city is within walking distance from your flat. My semester included an internship which was a great opportunity to experience Irish culture from a different angle.
Dublin has everything from theater to live music to your neighborhood pub. It is home to many museums (like the Natural History Museum and the Archeology Museum) and Phoenix Park both of which are great places to just walk around or take a few hours and really see it all.
Study Tours to Northern Ireland and Galway were great ways to see other parts of the country with our group but there was also plenty of time for independent travel and city exploration. Make sure to take a few weekends to explore the rest of Ireland! The Ring of Kerry and Cork are both great places to visit.
The FIE staff are very helpful and friendly. They will help you make Dublin your own and be a friendly face as you explore this new culture.

You know when you look forward to something all your life and when it happens, its a disappointment?
Well this was the complete opposite. I had been dreaming of living in London all my life and the program exceeded all expectations. I cannot stress enough how much London has impacted. I went in the Fall.

FIE is set up in a way that half the time you are studying with professors and half the time you are placed in an internship. For the studying portion, I had really great professors like Dr. Carolina Valiente who was great Finance professor. I also had the chance to fulfil a passion of mine and take street photography. Because of that class, I realized how much I had been keeping my creative side dormant and now I even have my own graphic design freelance business on the side!

For internship portion, they say we will get to experience diverse professional settings and boy did I ever. I was placed in Mercato Metrapolitano-an vibrant food market- where I got to work with Italians who fed me and talk me essential Italian phrases like dov'è il bagno or Posso avere più vino. It so happens that an independent cinema owner-Backyard Cinema (recommend everyone attends a showing) also shared space in the market. Me as a cinema lover was so excited with the unique experience that I asked if I could also work with them in my time off so I can attend showings and in no time I was participating in the brainstorming of their next season! It was so exciting, I still keep up with them from time to time. Don't be afraid to ask for opportunities, the worst thing they can do is say no.

The best recommendation I can give anyone is to not be afraid to experience. I went to 7 countries in the short four months I was there and trust me, if I had more time the number would have doubled. I recommend if you are booking a flight, not to be afraid of using nearby airports like Gatwick, Luton or Stansted because tickets tend to be cheaper even if you include the transportation cost of going back to South Kensington. Explore beyond South Kensington, places like Elephant and Castle and Brixton are gems of their own. Never check bags, it is time consuming and stay in hostels! I met so many great people who went exploring with me around the different cities!

Also, don't be afraid to go by yourself to the study abroad trip. You will make friends with the people you live. I knew nobody coming to London and to this day, my flatmate became my best friend. In fact my favorite memory was in one of those nights out, we went out to celebrate, got lost in the process, figured out the bus system (back when Piccadilly line was not 24-hours) and bar hops around London.

All in all, use all the time you have, it is gone in an instant!

Studying abroad and interning with FIE was incredible. I made some of the most amazing, kind, adventurous friends in the world, see things I’d only dreamed of seeing, and gain international work experience on top of that. I couldn’t imagine a better program, honestly. I loved every minute of it and wish I could do it all over again.

I think what I’d tell future students is whatever city you’re studying in, let that city become home. Let yourself be comfortable there, do your best to live how a native Londoner, etc. lives. That makes it feel like you have a home to go back to across the globe from where you’re from. It’s a feeling unlike anything I anticipated when I left for my study abroad experience.

My semester in Dublin was everything I could have asked for and more. The people, the city, and the Guinness really made this experience for me. Everyone was so friendly- like your long lost cousin. If I could do it again, I would make a point to meet more people and hear their stories (the Irish are the best at telling stories). Dublin is a fairly expensive city, which can make going to pubs every night get pretty spendy, but there are plenty of things other than pubs to do in the city, so keep your options open.
My experience in Ireland really helped me put the world and it’s size into perspective. Ireland is so small especially compared to the United States. Coming back to the US, this was something that I’ve kept in my mind every time I meet someone new.
Some tips: get a leap card and use the buses- first they can be really confusing but they are super helpful. Also with a leap card, take the dart outside of the city. Some of my favorite days were spent in Howth and Dunlogaire. Get out of the city center and see what the greater Dublin area has to offer!

I cannot say enough positive things about my experience with Foundation for International Education (FIE) in Dublin. (I was abroad in Spring 2018.) The city was fun and easy to navigate anywhere on foot. Additionally, I completed an internship as part of the program which was a great way to immerse myself into the local culture while also building professional skills.

Three points that come to mind about my experience are the accommodations, the excursions, and the FIE staff.

We lived in the Binary Hub student housing, and the quality of the apartments we were in far exceeded my expectation when I applied to study abroad. You get your own individual bedroom and bathroom/shower and share a kitchen and living area with others (mine was a 5-person). Almost everywhere we wanted to go in Dublin was less than a 30-minute walk, and groceries were only 5 minutes away.

The included excursions in the Dublin program helped me get to see so much more of Ireland. We went on two weekend-long trips to Northern Ireland and to the west. We had a great instructor on the bus with us to tell us all about what we were seeing. FIE also organized several small day trips as well as events around Dublin at a discounted rate.

Finally, the FIE staff is incredible. They were as nice as could be, helpful, fun, and caring. Their office is at the ground floor of Binary Hub, and we found ourselves stopping in on our way in or out of our building just to say hi and chat. They are always there to answer questions/concerns, but they never were overbearing. There also were two student life assistants who lived in apartments near us who were on call in the evenings and weekends to help us, and they couldn’t have been nicer.

I attended Dublin Business School (DBS) and took classes that count toward my business major in the U.S. I was expecting to be with Irish students but was surprised that wasn’t the case—DBS is a highly international school with many students studying abroad from other European countries. So while I didn’t get to study with people from Ireland, it was fun to meet people from all around Europe.

All in all, I would highly recommend the Dublin program and FIE to anyone looking to go abroad. I felt independent yet never alone or lost without help. Being in a city with a large international airport also helped me see more of Europe as I flew to other countries several times on weekends or reading week. I wish I could do it all over again!