Arcadia Abroad in Ireland

Study Abroad was an amazing experience and this program allowed me to enjoy my experience to the fullest. The only downside is the price of the program which is a little expensive.

The housing provided by Arcadia was optimal. We lived apartment style and were conveniently located five minutes away from campus. Additionally, Arcadia did excursions throughout the semester which allowed us to explore parts of Ireland we could have never gotten to ourselves.

The only downside in my opinion is the price of the program. The students in Ireland pay very little tuition and their housing is cheaper than what we have to pay when you add up all the costs. All in all, it feels a bit overpriced considering all Arcadia has to do is host an orientation and then provide students with transcripts.

Overall, the experience with Arcadia was phenomenal. They are a great program and provide excellent service. I was much more prepared and had a good network to reach out to for help in case I needed it. In contrast, some of the other students I knew studying abroad with different programs had very little support.

Studying through Arcadia was amazing because they helped me be prepared for anything i could expect. Housing was set up, they even bought bedding. We were showed around town and orientation in Dublin beforehand was not only helpful but a great set up to meet everyone. I also loved the excursion opportunities. I wish there was one more option that left Ireland, but the excursions were very planned out and perfect.

Absolutely loved my semester at UCD and the Arcadia program as a whole. While I only made friends with a couple of other students on the program, I am still glad I chose Arcadia study abroad because of the wonderful support and extracurricular experiences offered by the program. The Arcadia staff was an amazing group of people who only added to how much I loved Dublin and UCD. The extracurricular activities also gave me the opportunity to meet students studying through Arcadia’s other Ireland programs.

Through UCC I met a bunch of Irish friends which was amazing! They were such genuinely nice and funny people. One of my Irish friends invited us over to her house in Killarney for the weekend. Her father drove us around the Ring for seven hours (generally how long it takes to drive there). It was incredibly nice of them to do and they showed us places that the tours don't usually stop by. It was just an incredibly fun day for me and my American friends to be taken around by the locals. Later that night we met her Irish friends out and it was such a fun and unique experience. It would have never happen if I hadn't met her through UCC or where I lived. It brought me closer with some many cool and interesting people I will never forget. Arcadia allowed me to met Americans to start out and feel comfortable, but it also brought me closer to the people of Ireland and their culture. I am forever grateful for this wonderful experience.

My favorite things about Galway were Shop Street and all of the buskers there, the Spanish Arch (Sparch), the farmer's market every weekend, Boojum, and the fact that my little apartment felt like home by about a month in. I traveled around Europe on the weekends and one of the best feelings, even though I love going new places, was when my plane touched down in Dublin and I rode the bus back home to Galway. It is such a beautiful city, the people are wonderful, and I would do anything to go back. Studying abroad was hands down the best decision I have made in college. Try new things, do what you love, enjoy yourself!

Grand is quite the common word over at UL and an enjoyable experience is also commonplace. The bus availability to Dublin Airport is great, and Cappavilla Village staff and dorms are wonderful. You can't go wrong at Paddock's and be sure to go to the weekly Farmer's market too. It is a large institution so they are hands off and one must search help if needed but all interactions with the staff were positive. The music program is terrific and the campus is beautiful. Be ready for plenty of fags (cigarettes) and wonderful people.

I absolutely adored my time abroad and with Arcadia. Galway is the cutest, most quaint little town you will ever see. It is very easy to get to know and navigate. Through Arcadia, you are directly enrolled in NUIG and you take classes with Irish students! I lived in an apartment (in a place called Gort na Coiribe) with 1 other student from my college and 3 Irish lads...it was definitely an interesting experience! They loved to party and weren't the cleanest but I still enjoyed living with them. Living with the guys really helped me to dive into the culture hands on and learn how they live, talk, etc. Getting to know the Irish people and how they live (especially people our age) is one of the best parts of my study abroad experience I think. They are all so friendly, kind, chill, and hilarious.

The social life is absolutely fantastic! There are tons a pubs to go to (if anyone asks you if you want to go to the Silent Disco at the Rosin Dubh, GO! Other great pubs include the Kings Head, the Front Door, and Taffees (but you'll find this all out when you go CAUSE YOU SHOULD TOTALLY GO TO GALWAY).

It was nice because our program was made up of about 60 students from colleges all over the U.S. We had orientation for 3 days in Dublin before we got bused over to Galway.

I'd never lived in a city before. The best part of the experience wasn't the classes, though those were interesting, since I've never taken a class with more that 25 people before, and in Cork I got the big-city experience. The best part was building myself a little life.

College students may live away from home and learn a lot, but I'm pretty sure I learned how to be an adult from living in Cork. It was little things, how to grocery shop in the variety of beautiful local markets and then be able to make an actual meal. I started going to the gym, because health was more important in Ireland than it seems to be here. I found a favorite coffee shop, and made friends with the regulars and would sit and do my reading and talk to them for hours. There's the joy of having favorite pubs, and stopping on every bridge walking home at night to enjoy the lights on the water. The city as very busy, and I learned to take advantage of the constant events and concerts and dances and lectures. I took day trips to neighboring little towns to go hiking.

Like I said, it was a little life.

And sometimes, it was annoying. It's really cold in Ireland. My roommates refused to clean- ever- and when the streets flood it gets hard to go to class. Strangers are mostly friendly, but other students didn't really talk after class, or volunteer answers. It was strange to be the only person to raise my hand. It was new to worry about money so often.

My experience is in no way exceptional or outstanding from anyone else's, I'm sure. I can tell you, though, that it mattered immensely to me. Sometimes I dream about Cork and I wander around, walking into buildings and wondering where everyone has gone. I think about it all the time, since I made some wonderful friends, some of whom I am fairly sure I will never see again. I made a little life there, but it was mine, and I loved it very much. Should you ever have the chance, go to Ireland. Sit on an ancient hillside in Kinsale overlooking the ocean and maybe you'll find something intangible there that makes you feel like this is where you were meant to be.