Program Reviews

Firstly, the API Staff at Galway are incredible. I was warmly greeted immediately at the airport by what I still consider as a distant Dad. Every question was answered with ease and with an interesting or funny story to go along. They made me feel at home and very safe without being overbearing or strict; they weren't with us most of the time which was important to soak up the culture firsthand, but I wish I had spent more time with them. They really made the experience.

The campus is gorgeous, but since I only had 5 weeks to see Ireland, being off campus and doing as many Irish activities as I possibly could was very important to me. The staff completely understood that, and encouraged it. Though I really enjoyed clogging and Gaeilge classes the university offered to the study abroad students!

The Galway Arts Festival started in the middle of my time there; I loved that API included tickets to the most famous play happening. Our excursions really were ridiculous, I could go on and on about every one. I saw more ukulele, clogging, music, pubs (the best secret ones) than I could ever imagine, not to mention the fantastic fish and chips of Dingle and the best beer I've ever tried, Crean's.

I roomed with three other API girls in a three story apartment. It was a really good set up and very close to town; we walked everywhere, day and night. I loved walking through the city every day but I wish I had brought heavy-duty shoes and a heftier coat (it still gets pretty cold at night during the summer). I had to buy a raincoat because of the weather but I did not mind the constant cloud cover and sporadic rain; Galway is such a beautiful city that it easily rises above this. Summer attracts a lot of tourists, especially to Galway because of the festivals, so tons of people were constantly about town, and pubs were packed out at night. I can't see this being an issue during the year.

This trip is the best decision I've made in college, and the most rewarding experience I've ever had.

My time at the University of Leeds with API was, hands down, the best travel experience I have ever had.

Leeds Uni is an amazing and wonderful university, with a thriving and vibrant student scene as well as incredible and top quality education. Going with API made a near perfect experience absolutely perfect. I was able to travel around the country and experience more of the English culture than if I had gone on my own, or even with another international programme. My resident director provided excellent support and was always available to help me with whatever I needed.

I grew on so many different levels. I made so many friends and had so many wonderful social experiences. Frequently, I would make the comment for friends and family at home, "who knew I was a social butterfly disguised as a shy person?" In addition, my thoughts and way I viewed my educational field changed and developed. I had never been challenged in academics like I was there and I learned more in my one semester that the rest of my university experience in the States.

The best way to see how much I enjoyed the experience is that I became inspired to continue my education in England, at a university not far from Leeds. This means I am able to go to Leeds frequently to see my friends and see familiar sights.

When I first decided to study abroad it was set that I was going to Ireland. What was not decided was how I was going to get there. I went to my university's international office and they gave me some brochures to look at. API was on of said booklets. The API booklet was also the first I looked at and the last. The program outlined by API was so much what I was looking for with the fantastic accommodation -- a single room and private bath with a common area that was also only a 5 min walk to campus-- and great over all program. Even if my university had trips to Ireland, I am so grateful I went through API.
The trips, were a great part of the program, we went on a day trip around western Ireland, one to Dublin, small excursions around Limerick, and two over night stays in Paris and the Aran Islands. These were great, and I know many of the girls in my program also went on trips on their own.
We were given freedom, but also had the support of the program when we needed it. Maria Cooney was the best part of API Limerick. She was utterly fantastic and helped us with class scheduling, getting us settled in our new homes, and even when we were sick she was there to help us in anyway. She also helped us if we needed it when we were planning our own adventures to other countries around Europe. I wholeheartedly believe that the API program is superior because they have a resident director there to aid students.
I studied in Ireland in Spring of 2012, and it was the greatest experience of my life thus far, many thanks to API for the wonderful times and memories.

I chose to study in Galway because of the location in the West of Ireland, strong cultural ties, and large university lifestyle. It truly fulfilled (and exceeded) all that I had expected from a semester abroad.

Not only did I love the quaint city of Galway, but I fell in love with the people too. I was incredibly lucky to live with a wonderful group of Irish students who helped make my transition into the Irish lifestyle easy. I felt like I got the most authentic and traditional full immersion experience- living with Irish students, taking classes at NUIGalway, traveling the Irish countryside- it was perfect.

Not a day goes by where I don't think about my time spent diving into Galway Bay or walking along the Salt Hill prom, or the plenty of nights spent listening to live music on Shop Street. All are memories I will never forget and I have no doubt in my mind it wont be long till I return to experience it all again.

I loved the whole time I was in Leeds. The professors were incredible, my director for API was AMAZING, the campus and city are wonderful and the experience was the best I could have had.

I took the modules on the Olympics and the British Pop Music. The best part was that the Olympics were going on as I was there. It made the class even more enjoyable.

For the school side, they had a trip for every weekend which made it very easy to travel over the country. We went to many different cities, including Oxford, Liverpool, Manchester, Whitby and York. Whitby was one of the best beach cities I have been to and I live on the West Coast of the United States.

The variety of people that the program allows for you to meet is incredible. There were people from all different continents and made it even more fun to be there.

API was great at having easily the best director I could have asked for to be in charge of their Leeds program. She made herself easily available and was always ready to answer questions, concerns or just hang out with you. She made the outings we went on relevant to me (I was the only person that went through API for this past summer at LISS and she made sure that what we did was something I was interested in).

I could not have asked for a better month of my life!

I studied at the University of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland through API in the Spring of 2012 and I couldn't have had a better experience. Limerick often has a reputation for being a dangerous city but this couldn't be further from the truth. The campus was lovely, the living accommodations were amazing, and the people were always incredibly friendly and helpful.

The apartment we lived in gave everyone their own bedroom and bathroom with a shared living room and kitchen. They were clean, spacious, and way better than any living accommodations I would find in the dorm rooms back home.

Our program director, Maria Cooney, was probably the best thing about my experience with API. We met with her once a week but, other than that, she was always just a phone call away whenever we needed her and did absolutely anything to make sure that we were happy and comfortable. From the moment our plane landed, she was right there to make us feel welcome and I could never thank her enough. She spent time showing us around the city, how to schedule our classes, and answered whatever million questions we may have had with patience and kindness.

The excursions that API took us on were also a highlight of the trip. They were well planned, fun, and a great way to spend the day/weekend. The trip to Paris and the trip to the Aran Islands were definitely two of my favorite. When originally looking at programs, I noticed that not all of them included trips and I was glad to have chosen API.

In the end, most programs always look too good to be true on their websites but I have to say that API was everything I imagined and more. Especially because of all of the one-on-one help from our program director. Some kids from other programs would tell us that their program didn't have anyone on-site and we would always laugh and say we couldn't imagine life without a Maria. Our group had a wonderful time on our trip and I attribute that, in large part, to choosing API.

I strongly recommend the API Study Abroad Program at the University of Limerick, Ireland. This program provided my group with housing that exceeded expectations. I had ample space and privacy, with my own room and bathroom and shared a nice living room and kitchen with five Irish students. My group was integrated with Irish students, but also kept close with each other.
My group's advisor, Maria Cooney, is easily the nicest person I've ever met. I'll never forget the day she picked us up at the airport and knew each one of us by name right away. She took us right to the mall to get lunch and everything we would need for our rooms. Maria was there for us for anything we needed. We had weekly meetings where she checked in with us, held activities, and planned trips for us.
API arranged a variety of trips for us included in the price. We went to Paris, the Aran Islands, Dublin, Bunratty Castle,and the west of Ireland. We made some of these trips with other API groups, which was a great way to meet other students studying in other parts of Ireland.
The University of Limerick is a beautiful campus, close to a great city, with academically stimulating courses. I had absolutely no regrets on my choice for Limerick and API.

At UCD I had a lot of down time and only had classes 3 days a week. There was only a final exam and a paper due at the end of the semester, which for me was not fun because you never had homework so as a visual/hands on learner I had to work harder to get a good grade. We lived on campus in dorms with other abroad or local students. All of my roommates were from Ireland and I just loved them. I felt pretty safe walking around campus by myself but going into town alone would never happen because even in groups we ran into some bad situations.

Every day I tried to explore the city and do something different. I never really had a similar day to day experience except for going to class. I think the best thing you can do while abroad is explore and go check out things that you might not normally do. Living in London was the best time of my life! I made some of the best friends I have ever had there. I still stay in contact with my friends from England as well as my friends from the sates. My only bit of advice is to be open to new situations and be adaptable.

API Florence is a fantastic program in so many ways. Everyone lives in apartments in the center of town with other students in the program. I lived right next to Piazza del Duomo (amazing views, let me tell you!). All of the class buildings were centrally located too. All of my non-language classes took us out into the city at least once. In one class, we went out everyday to look at what we had been talking about.

Some of my favorite perks of this program over other were the four day/weekend trips with the program (we did Rome, Venice during Carnevale, Siena, Perugia and Lucca) and the city museum pass. It saved me a lot of money and I could go to the Uffizi or the Boboli Gardens whenever I wanted, no wait, no money, just grab a ticket and head in. The program staff even helped me contact the landlord when a roof tile came loose and we got a small leak during a rainstorm.