FIE: Foundation for International Education Reviews

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!

Studying abroad in London through FIE was one of the best college experience for me. I lived in the Manson place which was located in South Kensington. It was within walking distance from class and close by to the tube station. This made things more convenient. I felt safe walking back late at night .

Through FIE, they offered many fun trips. The Wales weekend trip was one of my favorite because it was well planned out and I got to jump off cliffs. How cool is that? I loved the adrenaline rush! The view of the coastline was breathtaking. I highly recommend this trip.

The staffs at FIE are very nice and understanding. They were all very welcoming and are willing to help resolve any problems. If I could do this again, I would!

I attended this program in 2012 when it was structured a bit differently -- first two weeks in London, not Dublin, and I added the extra 4 weeks of Arabic instruction in Amman. The entire experience was eye-opening. Our professor on the Troubles was deeply knowledgeable but approachable and friendly, helped me learn a lot about a conflict I was unfamiliar with. And I got to see so many perspectives on different issues in the Middle East. I enjoyed class discussions with my classmates, all of whom were from different backgrounds and came with different expectations -- I'm still friends with several of them to this day. I loved my host family. Living in Jordan was an adjustment, and I'm not sure it's somewhere I'd ever want to live again, but this was a unique experience and one that I think really affected my chosen career path in ways I didn't expect it would.

I truly cannot say enough positive things about this program. As cliche as it sounds, my semester in Dublin was easily the most life changing four months of my life. Nothing quite prepares you for how challenging it is to abandon everything familiar and immerse yourself in a new social and academic culture. But with this great challenge comes and immense payoff. I think I grew more as a person from this single semester than all of my semesters of college combined.

While the entire program was excellent, there were two things that, for me, really made it stand out. The first was the study tours and extracurricular activities. While classroom learning is great, the opportunity to immerse oneself in the culture and the country itself is invaluable and unforgettable. The study tours were a fantastic opportunity to see more of the country we called home for a short time and also brought to life many of the things we'd learned in the classroom. Ireland is also such a beautiful country that, aside from being academically valuable, the study tours were awe inspiring for their beauty as well.

The second thing that brought this program to the next level was the personal contact with the FIE staff. Dublin stole my heart from the very beginning, but it was this individual and hands on contact that really made it feel like home. FIE staff were always available via a variety of platforms if we had any questions, concerns, or just wanted someone to chat with. They were genuinely invested in our experience and that made all the difference.

This semester abroad was eye opening and life changing in more ways than one. I walked away with a better understanding of myself, a new career path (international education), useful and marketable skills, and a greater understanding of the world around me, and for this I am extremely grateful.

I have studied abroad before, which was the best experience of my life. I was very exited for the opportunity to study abroad again, especially with an internship. The school is located in a great area, but the housing itself desperately needs updating. The school crams as many students as possible into each flat. There are cleaning staff that clean the flats each week but they barely touch anything and the house got so dirty to the point that several girls were grossed out walking into the common areas. The classes themselves were okay (lots of field trips) except that the school does not have many accreditations and so a lot of the classes offered were not accepted by my school. The internship office is not as good as they make it out to be. Only 10% of the people from the program were satisfied with their internships. Several of us got such poor internship placements that we cannot put them on our resume. This is the sole reason that I chose this program, but had I know the truth I definitely would have not done it. The social scene is good. If you find the right group of people, then you will have a great time- there is always plenty of things to do in London. They give you a free oyster card which saves a lot of money! If you are looking to go somewhere just for fun, this is the right program. However, if you are looking for a program that will help you to grow personally and professionally, this is definitely not the right program. Although I did enjoy myself, I was thoroughly misled and dissapointed by my experience in this program.

My experience with FIE in Dublin was more than anything I could have asked for and I am having a hard time with how to begin. Dublin is filled with some of the greatest and friendliest people I have ever encountered and the staff at FIE is definitely included in this group. From the moment I stepped off the plane their smiling faces were there ready to support me in my study abroad experience and I cannot thank them enough for everything they did. Thanks to them I was able to explore all corners of Ireland, experience international classes, take my learning outside of the classroom with my internship, and do it all with newfound friends. I am so thankful for my experience in Dublin and have memories and lessons that will last me a lifetime.

Going abroad was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I knew I always wanted to study abroad but never knew I could actually do it. Being immersed in the culture with other students from the states made the transition much easier and I made friendships that will last a lifetime. The experiences I made were ones I will never forget, not to mention the many lessons I was taught. I couldn't have asked for a better group or a better abroad experience, thanks to all the people who were apart of it.

Studying abroad in Dublin was the biggest challenge of my life. I learned more about myself than I ever thought I could, met other students from all over the USA and from Ireland, and saw parts of the world that took my breath away. Through every challenge and triumph, I had the support of a truly amazing FIE staff. The friends I made studying in Dublin are friends I will have for life, no matter the distance. It was really cool to be able to take classes with Irish students my age, and the classes I took at Dublin Business School were directly relevant to my major and career goals, fun and interactive. Being able to see the entire country of Ireland, coast to coast with FIE and my new friends was an experience unlike any other. It is a beautiful country with the friendliest and most fun people. Dublin is definitely a modernizing city, and coupled with the history of the area was such a cool place to live abroad. I was able to see eight countries in my time abroad, as well as get to know the city of Dublin really well since we lived in apartments instead of on a campus, which I found to be a unique and exciting part of the experience.

Spending the semester with FIE Dublin was easily the best decision I have ever made in my life. FIE was so helpful and made sure we felt right at home in our new city. The program directors created such an inviting atmosphere that I immediately made connections with every person in the Program. I can honestly say the other FIE students are now my best friends and we still keep in touch every day.
The most memorable experiences I had abroad were the trips FIE planned for us. It was amazing to experience parts of Ireland with everyone on our trip, whether it was a weekend trip, or an afternoon tour in Dublin, it was exciting and interesting.
I would recommend studying abroad with FIE Dublin to anyone. I definitely found my happy place in Ireland.