FIE: Foundation for International Education Reviews

In Spring 2013, I studied at University College Dublin through the FIE program my university partnered with. Of the Dublin programs my university offered, UCD was the best fit for the academic and cultural experience I hoped to gain from the program. It was great to live in an on-campus apartment on an international campus and get to know other students from Ireland and several other countries. I did not have an internship while in Dublin, but I did go back with 24 course credits because of the minimum requirements at UCD, which was 8 more than I would have been able to take at my university. It seems like a lot, but many courses only met once a week, so it ended up being a smaller workload than I was used to! Because UCD is a traditional college campus, I was able to join student organizations for an easy way to meet new people and get involved with events happening on campus and in the city. I’d definitely recommend the UCD program for that reason, but do make sure you do some research on UCD’s location in Dublin and plan ahead. Because you will need to take the bus between campus and City Centre, make sure you plan to spend at least $200-300 in bus and taxi costs alone. UCD is a beautiful campus with a lot to do, and the FIE staff will support you fantastically while you are there!

Words can only begin describe what an amazing internship experience I had in Dublin this past summer. I worked for a small accounting firm during the week and traveled all over Ireland on the weekends. I had the best of both worlds. Dublin is by far one of my favorite cities. The people are very hospitable and genuine.

Living in a different country for 2 months can be a bit overwhelming but I felt right at home in Dublin. My advisors at FIE were very welcoming and knowledgable. They also planned weekend trips with the other students in your program so everyone could get to know each other and experience Ireland's culture.

I would highly recommend college students to study abroad, especially with FIE. I am able to use my study abroad experience in any part of my life. I will never forget this past summer, especially the people that I met.

This was an amazing program! I had never been to Ireland before, but the teachers and program leaders did such a great job of helping us learn the city, and taking us on tours of all the sites. I would definitely recommend this program.

My experience with FIE in Dublin was without a doubt the best decision I've ever made in my college career. I know that may sound completely cheesy and insincere but I am being completely honest. I have always had a love of travel and wanted to spend more than just a week or two in a city, I wanted to really see what the whole country had to offer. i could not have dreamed of a more fulfilling trip! The professors wee so passionate about their country and in five short weeks gave us a much deeper insight into the rich and complex history of Ireland.

There is definitely work to do and you'll spend time in class but if you are considering studying abroad or have an interest in Ireland this is the program you want to choose.

The FIE program in Dublin is absolutely remarkable. Each and everyday is a brand new experience packed with adventure and personal growth. I attend a small liberal arts school in the United States and it was quite the shock to learn how to live in a major European capital such as Dublin. However, FIE is with you every step of the way.

Your journey begins well before your semester and they ensure that you are entirely prepared once you arrive in Dublin. They are honest and upfront about registration costs and ensure that you know exactly what to bring with you.

Throughout the semester, you will be given the opportunity to participate in service activities, day trips, and weekend excursions across Ireland! The semester seems to fly by with all of the activities and events that are available to you through FIE.

I cannot stress enough how supportive the staff are. If the grading system is confusing, or your heating in your flat seems to have a mind of its own, the staff at FIE are there for you every step of the way. I will forever be grateful for all that they have done for me and my personal growth.

Having been a practitioner in security and defense, both as an analyst with a think tank and a policy advisor in the EU, I highly recommend this program.

It is well-orchestrated, providing students with a unique perspective by simultaneous exposure to the theory and practice of peace and conflict resolution. In London, just as we were taught about the Northern Irelands and learnt the various models of political tolerance, we met and questioned different actors involved in the conflict, including Tony Blair's then Chief of Staff who was central to the Good Friday Agreement. Our instructor was not only an academic on the subject who advised the British government and the international community but had in fact lived Northern Ireland Troubles.

I attended the inaugural program which at the time did not include a Dublin portion yet it was clear even its infancy that FIE had gone to great lengths to develop a successful program. The lessons from Northern Ireland were meant to prepare us as we went to Amman, Jordan to grapple with contemporary conflicts in the Middle East. Could these lessons on resolving conflict be replicated in the Middle East? We were similarly exposed to intensive theory on Middle East conflicts even as we met individuals that have over the years played important roles. This included Jordan's former Prime Minister who signed the peace treaty with Israel who we bombarded with questions and thoughts on what lies ahead for the Middle East. In order to fully appreciate the unique challenges in the Middle East, we needed to understand the actors... the people who's lives are affected daily by the political stalemate in the region. We went to the desert and met Bedouins. We engaged with Palestinians living in Amman as well as other students from across different parts of the region. This provided important perspective.

It wasn't all serious as we got to truly enjoy our time in London and Amman. We ate various cultural delights and toured various sites.

The FIE/AMIDEAST London Amman program has to be the most incredible experience I have had. The three cultures we were immersed in will forever have changed my life. Living in Amman is safe, friendly and even more such an enriching time. My host family was the sweetest and most helpful people. FIE and AMIDEAST are such respectable companies. They helped immensely in every process. The trips during the program were incredible as well, seeing a wonder of the world and living the aftermath of the conflict in Northern Ireland, My research interests are in Conflict Resolution and this program helped to really expand my knowledge and reinforce my future career goals. It was a first hand experience in conflict management.

The London-Amman program is unique in its aim to provide a study tour on the subject on Conflict Resolution.As a Psychology and Political Science undergrad, I found no other program was able to transcend the social sciences. As students we were astounded by the fact that our professors were leaders in the field. What deepened our study was the emotional experience of walking through what was once embattled ground. In the UK, we met with Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's Chief of Staff, as well as members of the Houses of Parliament. In Jordan, we exchanged theories with preeminent thinkers about the Arab -Israeli and Pan-Arab conflict. On the Syrian- Jordanian border, our group witnessed the Syrian struggle first-hand and interviewed refugees. That summer, both Secretary of State and President Obama actually followed the same travel itinerary and were present in Belfast and Amman while we were there. If I pursue clinical psychology, I plan to study conflict resolution as an alternative for young people in the criminal justice system. No matter what career I ultimately choose, this experience will inform how I orient my work. I have done study abroad before, and this program really managed to capture our hearts and minds.

This trip was absolutely academically stimulating, but much of what we learned was outside of the classroom. Both professors, Paul Arthur and Zaid Eyadat, were very well connected and ensured that we were exposed to an education beyond what they as individuals could provide. That is not to say that they themselves weren't excellent lecturers, they were, but there is a difference in being told about a conflict academically and experiencing its effects in real life.

This program is divided into two parts, the first being between London and Northern Ireland learning about the Troubles and the methods of conflict resolution used in that particular case. The second part is spent in Jordan learning about the variety of conflicts in the Middle East and the challenges to finding peace in the region. Each part of the trip involved speaking to many distinguished individuals with interesting insight in their respective fields, but in both parts of the trip there was a single experience that impacted me more than any other.

In the first part of the program we spent a few days in Northern Ireland in order to get a feel for the conflict that we had been learning about. One of the cities we visited was Derry (/Londonderry). The night we were in Derry we went to a Theatre of Witness workshop. In this workshop women from both sides of the conflict discussed their experiences during the Troubles. This served to humanize the conflict. These were real people who had their lives turned around, they weren't on video or in a book, they weren't academics or politicians. These were normal people. It was a unique moment that I could not have had on a different program or under other circumstances.

I had a similar moment in the Jordan portion of the program. Instead of our normal class session one day we got on a bus and drove to the northern desert to speak with a tribal sheik about peace and conflict resolution. While we were there we had the opportunity to speak with an extended family of Syrian refugees. We spoke to them about their experiences in Syria, of their journey to Jordan, and of their treatment as refugees. This gave us valuable insight to the Syrian conflict and the status of refugees.

This program provided us students with unique and incredible experiences. Each day was different and held a new adventure or learning opportunity. I learned more in the few weeks I was in this program than I have in most classes in my entire undergraduate education an in my graduate education thus far. I wholeheartedly suggest that if you are considering this program that you go.

This program offers the unique opportunity to study in two very different parts of the world as part of the same program. I liked how the program intertwined the lessons of the Northern Ireland Conflict with the current Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The professors for both parts of the program were well versed in their topic areas and had personal experiences that complemented the curriculum.