Best 4 months of my life!

I studied abroad in Galway through IFSA-Butler. It was incredible; I've never been happier in my life than I was in Ireland. Everyone at IFSA is so helpful and kind and supportive. They walk you through every step of the application process, help you prepare to leave, meet you when you arrive, and help you get settled. There's always someone ready to answer any questions and troubleshoot issues. When I first arrived in Galway, we had several days of orientations where we moved in to our apartments, met the other students on the program, and IFSA staff literally walked around the whole city with us, took us on tours, and bought us meals so that we could get to know Galway and feel comfortable there. IFSA also organized two weekend excursions that are included in the program, to Kilkenny and to Belfast. They were both incredible, with a mix of planned activities and free time, so we didn't miss out on anything. The whole time I was living in Ireland, I personally knew the IFSA staff who were my contact points- they came to campus regularly to check in and chat with everyone, and would even just hang out with us in town if they had free time. If I ever needed anything, all I had to do was send a text, easy enough since IFSA provided us with Irish sim cards for our phones! IFSA is just a fantastic program, they took such good care of us and really went above and beyond to make this trip the highlight of my life.

Galway is also an amazing city. It's very safe, whether you're walking home at 3pm or 3am. I was NEVER harassed the entire time I was there. It's beautiful and historic and small enough that you can walk pretty much everywhere, but big enough to include several ruined castles and open fields full of horses. And if you're interested in learning the Irish language, Galway is a great place to be. It's near the Gaeltacht, and NUIG offers Irish language courses for international students that include a weekend homestay in Connemara, which was an incredible experience. I met some of my best friends at NUIG. I loved everything about my semester abroad, and that was made possible by IFSA. If you're serious about going abroad, CHOOSE IFSA and CHOOSE GALWAY!