AIFS Abroad in Limerick, Republic of Ireland: Semester

My semester in Limerick, Ireland was better than I could have ever imagined. I felt comfortable with no language barrier, but also was able to experience a culture completely different from my own. Throughout the semester, I learned so much about myself and how I handle situations different than ones that I have been in before. I learned a lot about my awareness (of my surroundings, culture, and myself) that I hope will make me a more valuable employee after my approaching graduation. Being a business major, I am setting myself apart when I say that I took economics and IT classes in Ireland. I wouldn't change my experience for anything and I wouldn't want to go through any other provider either. AIFS really seemed to value the idea of support when abroad. Whether that support be for me as a student, or for my family at home, who were so far away from me for the entire semester. I never felt alone and everyone question I had was answered with the help of the on-site director who was like our mom away from home. They also planned amazing excursions that helped us see more of the culture and helped us bond as a group. Living on campus with students was another huge plus for me on this program, since I do not know how comfortable I would be in a host family situation. I really did have an adventure of a lifetime!

My semester in Limerick, Ireland was better than I could have ever imagined. I felt comfortable with no language barrier, but also was able to experience a culture completely different from my own. Throughout the semester, I learned so much about myself and how I handle situations different than ones that I have been in before. I learned a lot about my awareness (of my surroundings, culture, and myself) that I hope will make me a more valuable employee after my approaching graduation. Being a business major, I am setting myself apart when I say that I took economics and IT classes in Ireland. I wouldn't change my experience for anything and I wouldn't want to go through any other provider either. AIFS really seemed to value the idea of support when abroad. Whether that support be for me as a student, or for my family at home, who were so far away from me for the entire semester. I never felt alone and everyone question I had was answered with the help of the on-site director who was like our mom away from home. They also planned amazing excursions that helped us see more of the culture and helped us bond as a group. Living on campus with students was another huge plus for me on this program, since I do not know how comfortable I would be in a host family situation. I really did have an adventure of a lifetime!

Spending a year at the University of Limerick through AIFS was the best year in college that I have experienced. Within the program I had my housing and flights arranged for me as well as transportation arranged to take me to and from the airports. That alone allowed for less stress upon arrive to Ireland. AIFS offered weekend excursions and activities all throughout the semester. They ranged from going to Belfast to learning how to make Irish Coffee. The classes offered at the University of Limerick range anywhere from Irish studies to Chemistry. With AIFS we lived in Plassey Village a University housing village. We lived eight to a house and with each house having two bathrooms and a shared kitchen. In Limerick City there are lots of shops and museums to go to. As well as Kings John Castle and the Milk Market there are always plenty to do. The university is a 15 minute bus ride from the city with deals on students tickets on public transportation.

I went to the University of Limerick in the spring of 2016. I chose this program because it was in an English speaking country and was a in a quieter part of the country. I loved living in Limerick. The college is actually in Castletroy and you have to take a bus to get into the actual city but it's not that bad. There is a convenience store located within 5 minutes of all of the dorms including one on campus so if you need something and don't have time to go into the city you can just pop over there. The professors were all really understanding of the fact that I was an international student and not used to their school system and worked with me on getting the coursework right. There are several places to live on campus. I lived in Plessey which is about a 10 minute walk to the actual campus. I ended up living with 7 other American girls. Just because I lived with Americans didn't mean I didn't meet international students. I would recommend joining international society. That is where I met a lot of my friends from other places in the world. They also sponsor trips every weekend which I loved going on. They are about 10 euro each but you are gone for the entire day in a different part of the country. Totally worth it. From where I lived it was about an hour to the Shannon airport. This airport is nice because it's small and there's not much going on. They fly pretty much anywhere you would want to go. Flights are so cheap over there that it's so easy to just fly to London or Barcelona for the weekend. The on site staff were amazing. It was 2 Irish women. They gave us their phone numbers and told us to contact them if we were ever having any problems. I took advantage of that many times. They were so nice and helpful. They would come with us on the AIFS sponsored trips. One of them even brought along her family for one of the trips, which was really fun. I loved my time in Ireland. The people there are nice and helpful. It's a really fun place to be.

The best experience I had while in Ireland was joining the University of Limerick's Skydiving Club. It was there that I met some of my best friends. I still am in contact with many of them and could not imagine my experience without them. Not only was joining a club great for socializing, but I also made three solo jumps. I never would have thought I would jump out of a plane in Ireland, but it was three of the best moments of my life. Studying abroad is all about trying something new and finding things you love. My new loves are Ireland, travelling, and skydiving.

The AIFS program at the University of Limerick was the best study abroad experience I could have asked for. The AIFS staff and the staff at the University were extremely welcoming and helpful in my adjustment to the country. The campus is beautiful and right on the banks of the River Shannon and it's about a fifteen minute bus ride from the city center, with two bus stops right on campus. It's also really easy to get around Ireland from Limerick and most bus routes stop right on campus. Limerick isn't as tourist-heavy of a city as say, Dublin, which made it much easier to really feel at home. It's a very student friendly location, and a lot of the restaurants and stores were very affordable for students on a budget. My favorite thing about Limerick was the Milk Market, an open-air farmers' market/craft fair that's open on the weekends. It was a great place to go to walk around and chat with the different vendors while stocking up on some of the best cheese I've ever eaten!
Without a doubt, I would study abroad on this program again if I could. The location was great for traveling around Ireland and the rest of Europe, and the staff at the University of Limerick were truly exceptional. I learned a lot both in my classes and by living in the culture. It was a very friendly atmosphere and I felt completely comfortable at the University and in the city. I'm so grateful to AIFS for taking care of the details like housing, meals, and flights, letting me really focus on enjoying my experience and making the most of my time abroad.

Overall I would rate this program as wonderful and outstanding. When I first applied and came over to Ireland I did not have any expectations and my mind was wide open. Although there were some negatives and things I did not like, the positives outweigh the negatives.

First some negatives. I was put in a house with 7 other girls that was kind of small. Small kitchen, small rooms.Further I have not lived with more than 1 other roommate my whole college career, so this was an opportunity. My house was about a 10-15 minute walk from campus, I wish it was closer. The classes I took were nice, but not what I was expecting. I took the majority of my classes from the list AIFS provided with classes students took and like in the past. The descriptions for most of my classes from that list did not match what the class actually was. Lastly I wish AIFS planned more activities or cultural things for us to do, to get to know other people in our program. I wish they worked to integrate us more with Irish students and society like through volunteering or something. Most of my classes were with international students or American students, so I didn't get to interact with Irish students that often.

On the positive side this experience was fulfilling, life changing and I can not see myself going somewhere else or picking another program. The classes here are not bogged down with assignments due every week. You might have 1 or 2 papers and then a final or project and that is it. I was happy to have a house with a kitchen so I was able to save money and cook some meals for myself as well as go experience Irish food. The money allowance that AIFS provides as part of the program is worth it. Even if you don't use it for food, use it for other expenses, as it will all work out in the end. The places I was able to see while here especially in Ireland and even some in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe were wonderful. The people I met both internationally and through my program are all great and some I can see we will be friends even as we go our separate ways. Lastly AIFS and the University of Limerick did a great job of showing us Ireland, it's culture and history. As my travels took me around Ireland and to Europe I kept being in a state of wonder and awe by what I was seeing and experiencing. The history, culture, diversity, food and people. It was all so grand!!!

I loved Ireland and the culture. I made many friends that I have kept even now that I'm home. My only qualm was the weather. I went in the Fall semester and it mostly rained...all the time. Obviously Ireland is synonymous with that kind of weather but coming from a place that is rarely that miserable out I had a tough time adjusting. If I could do it again, I might have gone in the Spring or even for a Summer semester.

Accommodation was okay. I shared an apartment with 7 other students--male and female which was different for me. And all 8 of us shared 2 bathrooms and one small kitchen/living area. I had good accommodation at my home university so this was tough for me to get used to. With that being said, it's very easy to make quick friends in a house with 7 other people. I had Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, German and American roommates. I had friends who lived in other apartments with only 2-3 other students so I guess it was just luck of the draw. It was nice to be able to have locals to make friends with and we all quickly became friends with their friends as well. They brought us to the local bars and showed us where to go. They also showed us other parts of the country where they came from as well.

Support was great. We were given a monthly sum to cover the cost of food and had meetings frequently to be sure everyone was well. When we went away we gave travel information to be sure that we were there safely and would have help if anything were to happen.

Ireland is a great hub if you want to travel to other places in Europe. I was able to make it to 5 other countries in the few months that I was there. Shannon airport is a short drive and there are budget airlines who with take you to many other countries for as cheap at $40 round trip! Sign up for their alert emails and you'll be first to know when they're having a fare sale!!!

As I said before the culture is what made it such a great trip. Irish people were some of the friendliest and most warm and welcoming group of people I had ever met. Limerick is absolutely beautiful and there are pubs and restaurants/cafes on campus so you never have to go too far for a drink or some food. My classes were challenging and all of the professors that I had were great. If you like going to the gym, they have one of the biggest and most awesome gyms I had ever seen on a college campus.