PREPARATION STUDY ABROAD PERIOD. Ireland National University of Ireland, Galway Report 1. level bachelor s master s PhD

Transcription

1 Report 1 faculty/college Humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme History exchange application process PREPARATION The application was a bit strange, as I was supposed to create a studyplan with courses that I didn't know I could take, or didn't know they would be available that year. The rest was pretty straighforward. counselling & support at Utrecht University There was definitely enough support. Even though the application process was a bit confusing to me (where to send what etc.) there was always someone at the international office to get in contact with. They provided the extra guidance I personally needed. academic preparation I didn't need any extra preparation for the courses I wanted to take. language preparation Apart from the Erasmus language test, all I did to prepare for the language in Ireland was looking up Youtube videos of people with an Irish accent. It wasn't all too hard to understand as long as it wasn't an Ulster accent. finances I had some money saved up for my stay abroad, which was incredibly necessary. Apart from the higher rent in Ireland compared to what I pay in the Netherlands, I of course wanted to travel, do some sightseeing, and go out more while I was there. The Erasmus grant was a small help, but help nonetheless. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD My programme eventually greatly differed from my studyplan. Not only because certain courses were unavailable, but also because others overlapped. This was the case because the course guide I had to use was the one of Luckily I was able to find other very interesting courses, which offered a great preparation for my upcoming bachelor thesis. academic quality of education activities As for the quality of the courses, I feel like things were about the same as they were in the Netherlands. Attending classes was mandatory, and there were quite some assignments (midterm, finals) to submit. Overall the courses were very educative, with interesting guest speakers involving the subject at hand. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The availability of counselling and support at NUI Galway was phenomenal. The international officer (Mary Lyons) couldn't be more helpful in answering all the questions, and sorting out things that were not necessarily hers to sort out. The lecturers were also very helpful. transfer of credits

2 Luckily the Irish point system didn't differ much from the one at my home university, so I could easily transfer my credits. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE There were a couple of welcome "ceremonies" for all international students, providing all the initial information that was needed. Each department held a presentation on how different things worked in their respective departments. There was also an option to initially take extra courses to see which ones would suit me best, so I could register for them later. accommodation I was a bit disappointed that NUI Galway didn't provide a lot of help in finding accomodation, apart from suggestions. The search for accomodation wasn't particularly easy, but there is a facebook page for househunting in Galway. I posted an ad saying I needed a temporary place to live, and I was very lucky a guy living on The Long Walk (!) was travelling during the time I needed a place in Galway, so he offered me the room. I was very happy to live at the most scenic road of Galway, right in the centre of town. The only downside were the expenses, but for a semester I was more than willing to accept that for such an amazing place. leisure & culture As I shared the house with an Irish lad, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of his friends. We went out, had poker nights, and I could ask everything about what Irish culture meant to them. I frankly did not expect the Irish to be such incredibly friendly people. Everyone wanted to help me, and everyone wanted to make sure I was having a good time, and most importantly they included me. Although I've heard that Galway holds the friendliest people of Ireland, I did not experience any less friendliness throughout my travels in Ireland. suggestions/tips As for Ireland, the best tip I could give to anyone going there is to talk to everyone. Ireland is small in population, so everyone seems to know each other. You can easily find anyone who shares your interests, and before you know it you're traveling through Connemara national park on a racebike, or playing poker nights as the only foreigner at the table. I noticed a lot of Erasmus students from bigger countries (e.g. France and Spain) stayed among their own nationalities, and I think they missed out on a lot of local culture. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Definitely. I would go again if I could. The people are amazing, not only in the town itself, but the university employees are extremely helpful and willing to think from your perspective rather than the university's. Galway feels like a large village, and the surrounding nature is breathtaking. do you have any additional advice or comments? I could only say that going on Erasmus exchange was one of the best decisions I ever took, and I hope anyone in doubt will reconsider. Ireland forever holds a place in my heart. Report 2 faculty/college Humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Communication and Information Studies

3 exchange application process PREPARATION My application process went smoothly: both my home and my guest university kept me up to date on the information and forms I had to complete. counselling & support at Utrecht University No complaints: I could always call/mail/go to the and ask questions, which they have always answered. academic preparation I registrered for a course in Intercultural Learning, which was provided by Utrecht University for students about to go on an exchange. language preparation I did not prepare myself linguistically: I found that my skills in English were sufficient. finances I made a balance sheet in which I estimated my costs and income. This provided me with a clearer prospect of how much money I was able to spent. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD I'm very content about my study programme: NUIG provided me with a big variety of courses to choose from. However, I found the organisational structures rather confusing. Just like at Utrecht University, I had to choose my own courses and make sure these would fit in to a timetable (usually two courses). At NUIG, I had to choose six different courses to reach the required amount of ECTS, which led to a lot of confusion regarding overlap in my timetable. I've learned a lot from the courses I have taken, they were very interesting. I do feel however, that some courses require a lot more work compared to others (for example a course in psychology compared to a course in digital storytelling), eventhough they were all rewarded with 5 ECTS. academic quality of education activities At NUIG, there are a lot of societies and clubs which offer students the opportunity to learn new skills and make new friends. These societies and clubs vary from educational to leisure activities. I found the opportunity to participate in these groups very valuable, especially as an international student. counselling & support at receiving university abroad I have always been able to contacct my guest university. They have always answered my questions, and guided me through the application process. transfer of credits No problems whatsoever (both NUIG and Utrecht University work with ECTS). welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE Very well organised: all incoming students were invited to two orientation days, where we were welcomed and received further explaination regarding the courses and registration. They even organised a tour around the

4 campus, so new students won't get lost. accommodation Finding an accomodation was harder than I expected. There was a variety of student dorms, but these were all pretty much fully booked when I started looking for accommodation. It would have helped if I would have known earlier whether I was accepted to NUIG or not. Eventually, I was able to find an accommodation via a friend. leisure & culture Galway is a wonderful city with a great culture. Because I was staying in the Western part of Ireland, the culture was more preserved and authentic than in Dublin, for example.the locals were so nice and welcoming to us, and I couldn't have picked a more friendlier town to live in during my exchange. If I would've wanted to, I could've enjoyed leisure activities every day. I also took a course on modern Irish culture, which taught me more about the people in the West of Ireland. suggestions/tips Visit as many pubs as possible, and enjoy the atmosphere. Also try to find some local pubs, and talk to the visitors. The Irish are very welcoming and talkative people: they always seem to be interested in you and your story. For example, I found it very enjoying to talk to the taxi drivers when they were taking me to town. They always try to make conversation, and in this you way you can come to a better understanding of what it's like to be Irish. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain I would definitely recommend NUIG as a destination abroad. It's a well organised university, with all the facilities a student could possibly need. The clubs and societies provide so many fun activities to take part in, that sometimes I had to make choices. Furthermore, these activities are often provided for free, or you have to pay just a small amount of money. Apart from that, the town itself (Galway) is a very nice place to live. The Irish culture is not necessarily a popular one, but definitely one to be recommended. do you have any additional advice or comments? Try to engage with as many different types of people as you can. During my stay, I only had contact with one other Dutch person. I found it interesting to compare myself to other cultures, and ask questions to people about there culture. Try to do as many activities as possible and to stay busy: then you're sure to have a great time. Report 3 faculty/college Humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Communication and Information Sciences exchange application process PREPARATION Before the exchange application I looked at different countries and made a selection of the ones I liked the most

5 and their universities. Eventually I made the decision to do an exchange in Europe and I chose an English speaking country. Because my studies has some requirements considering the classes I had to take, I chose the University of Ireland, Galway. This university offered a range of different subjects about Irish culture, language and history, and this was exactly what I was looking for. I also found some other universities that offered classes about language, culture and history, so I made those my second and third choice. During the exchange application proces I was in contact with the international office quite often, and they helped me a lot with my decision. After the application I heard that I was selected for Galway. After a couple of weeks I got an from the National University of Ireland, Galway with the application information. They were very helpful and kind and immediately responded to s with questions. counselling & support at Utrecht University The at Utrecht was helpful as regards to the forms we had to fill in and the selection process. I was however very dissapointed that they didn't help me or give me any information towards the search of accomodation. Galway is a small city and it was very hard to find accommodation. The international office never told me this, and I eventually had to find that out through previous students. I wished they would have warned me before hand, because it might have even influenced my decision. academic preparation No academic preparation necessary. language preparation No language preparation necessary. finances I saved some money before the exchange, but eventually I could manage my exchange without my savings, because I received the student grant from the Netherlands, the Erasmus grant and the public transport allowance, which was already quite a lot. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD The classes I took at NUIG were all about the Irish culture, language and history. I took these classes first of all because they replaced a minor in a foreign language (requirements of my studies) and second because they were very interesting and gave me a better insight in the Irish culture. NUIG had a book of modules for visiting students available and because I am from humanities, I could chose all the classes from the College of Arts. There was a wide range of classes offered under the College of Arts, so there were a lot of different options. I really liked the variety of classes they offered at NUIG and it wasn't difficult to find classes I liked. Before my exchange I already made a list of classes I wanted to take, but when I was there and we had to chose our classes it turned out that some of them were removed from the list. It didn't take long however to find new classes so eventually my new classes were quite similar to the ones I was planning on taking. The first week, the introductionweek, was the time in which you could chose your classes (so not beforehand online), and you could still switch classes after the first three weeks, so this way you had time to check the class out and see if you like it or switch classes. academic quality of education activities The academic quality of the education was quite similar to the Netherlands. The way the system is arranged however, is totally different. Most of my classes only consisted of lectures and I only had tests at the end of the

6 semester. I really liked this system, but this was different for most of the classes you took. The quality of the classes were good, it was not to difficult. For most of the courses I only had literature to read and do an exam or write an essay at the end. Only for my Irish class I did continues work during the entire semester. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The counselling and support at the receiving university was very good. The was quick with their responds and was right next to the university, so you could always drop by. I heard that the International Office at NUIG even tried to help students with the search for accommodation, and they also offered free English classes to all international students. transfer of credits Not yet. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE I arrived in Galway a week before the orientation programme which was quite nice so I had time to settle down. During the orientation programme we got a lot of information, which was all related to our study. There were some activities for new students, but this was more orientated towards freshmen students. It wasn't hard however to get to know other international students, since there was a facebook page and people kept posting in it to meet up. Also there were a lot of societies and clubs you could join at NUIG in which you get to meet new people. They offered so many things (Harry Potter society, Baking society, GOT society, kayaking, badminton, soccer, swimming, and so many more). I got to meet a lot of new people. accommodation Finding accommodation in Galway was extremely difficult. When we received our acceptance letter it turned out that by then already all the student accommodation on campus were fully booked. I contacted one of the other students of University Utrecht and together we looked for accommodation. We ed a lot of people, but most of them only wanted people for the full term or didn't want internationl people. Eventually we decided to plan a weekendtrip to Galway to look from there for accommodation. Eventually we found a house which we were going to share with 4 other American girls. We were very lucky, and I was really glad with our accommodation, but I know other people who had to live in a hostel for the entire semester. I wish Utrecht would have told me to apply for student accommodation sooner, because then it hadn't been so difficult. leisure & culture NUIG offered a lot of leisure activities, which you could find in clubs and in societies. Some societies offered trips to places, like the mountaineering club, which took you hiking across the Connemara or Burren! There was also an internationl society which organized some trips and some parties. There was also a big gym, which you could join, but I thought it was too expensive. The city of Galway itself is absolutely amazing! There are so many great pubs and the atmosphere is really great! Every Sunday there was also an Open Mic at the Roisin Dubh, I would really recommend this. I actually got to meet most of the international students just through classes and seeing them in the city center somewhere. Galway is a really cosy and small town, which makes it really easy to meet with other people. Also Galway is very close to most of the famous Irish tourist attraction like the Cliffs of Moher, the Connemara, and the Burren. It is really to go there by bus, so you can plan your own trips. suggestions/tips Take classes abou the Irish culture, language and history, join a lot of sports or societies and meet as many people from other countries as you can! And travel a lot through Ireland. It is such a beautiful country, especially the West. I have seen so many great places: I went kayaking through the Burren and saw some seals

7 from up close, I went to Belfast and learned about the conflict of Northern Ireland, and I did many more things! Enjoy your stay in Galway and Ireland, because it is just an amazing country! CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes I would definitely recommend it. Even though it was hard to find accommodation, in the end it was all worth it! Galway is such a lovely city and seen as the heart of Ireland. You really immerse in the Irish culture with all the pubs, the shops and the street musicians. Also NUIG is a great university, and I really enjoyed my time there (and the weather was a lot of times not that bad, sometimes it was even better than in the Neterlands!) do you have any additional advice or comments? Start early with preparing for your exchange! Report 4 faculty/college Humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Media en Cultuur exchange application process PREPARATION First I decided what kind of studies I wanted to abroad and I preferred to study in an English speaking country, so when I found out that NUI Galway had a Film Studies contract with the UU, it became my first choice. I wrote the motivation lettre, translated my CV to English, filled in the other required forms like the financial plan etc., and uploaded everything in Osiris. It was all quite easy and clear what to do, so I did not have any problems at all. counselling & support at Utrecht University Contact with the of the UU was easy and they answered my questions clearly and within short notice, same for the at NUI Galway. academic preparation N/A language preparation N/A; my English was good enough already to survive, study, and sometimes being mistaken for a native speaker. finances The making of the financial plan made me aware of how much I could spend and if I needed to save anything. I have had a job since I was 15 years old and saved a lot of that money throughout the years, so I had a nice buffer and did not need to worry about being broke, certainly not with the Erasmus Grant and the uitwonendenbeurs & ov-vergoeding I received. STUDY ABROAD PERIOD

8 study programme (content and organisational issues) I studied at NUIG because there was a Film Studies contract with this university, but as long as I followed at least two or three film courses (I did three, together 15 ECTS), I was free to fill the other 15 ECTS with any course(s) as long as they were given within the College of Arts. At NUIG you have to make your own timetable and courses may not clash, which means that you have to find out by yourself at what times classes take place and if you are able to attend them. I was lucky that I did not have any clashes, but some people I met had to change their learning agreement etc. so be prepared for that (or if you are able find out what the timetables are of the courses you want to do, but in my case they did not have that information at least until the end of August). Furthermore, not all departments are very clear on their timetables, while others put them online, quickest way to find out is to contact persons of the specific departments - I had to do that for my film courses for example. My courses consisted mostly out of lectures, except for Irish for beginners, because you had to do speaking, listening and writing assignments. Furthermore, the film courses I did, were more interactive than lectures in English Literature and the course I did on Ireland and the Ancient World. academic quality of education activities Lectures were nice and clear, with significant information. Also the lecturers I had were very professional, but also very open and always willing to clearify things I you did not understand something. Also the lectures prepared you well for any assignments, end of term essays and exams. counselling & support at receiving university abroad If I had any problems or questions I could turn to almost all of my lecturers, the or the contact person of the Film School (Ciara Barrett), the latter was very nice and especially helpful when it came to issues regardig film studies and deadlines. transfer of credits NUIG works with ECTS, same as UU welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE There were two days of orientation. The first day was all about the university, the city, student life etc., and the second day was filled with presentations of all the courses that were available. There was a lot of information, nice people to show you around and free food of course. accommodation One thing you need to know is that Galway has serious housing problems, especially when you are a student that only visits for one semester. On the website of the university's international office, it is said that you should come at least one week in advance so you have time to find a place to live and that the housing office will help you out. My experience was that I drove the woman at the counter of the housing office completely mad because she had nothing for 1 semester students. After spending six days in a hostel, I found accomodation with an Irish family in Salthill, on a beautiful location next to the sea and within 10 minutes cycling distance from university campus and the city centre. They had a room with an ensuite to spare and I could use their kitchen if I needed to cook. For me it was the ideal place. I paid about 120,- per week for the room, including electricity, water, internet etc. My landlady was very nice, even did my washing (!) and from time to time I had dinner with the family, which made me feel quite at home. Accomodation is quite expensive especially when you do not know where to look. Be aware of the appartments offered by Oliver Niland: he is a kind of maffia boss who hires appartments for 2000,- a month (without electricity and water costs), and he just offers you one possibility without mentioning costs, but there is a

9 significant chance that you end up in a small shared bedroom, with all facilities like kitchen, living room and bathroom shared with at least two or three others as well, for a month without electricity, and some of the appartments are quite small and might be a bit outdated. His appartments are right next to the city centre, but for that money there might be better accomodation to find. When you want to be really sure to have accomodation, check the student accomodations via the site of the housing office, but to live there you have to book very early, so check directly after you know for sure that you are going to Galway. In the end everyone of the visiting students I knew found a home, so do not panic and just keep looking, it may be hard but not impossible (even if the housing office woman tells you so). leisure & culture There is a lot to do in Galway, on every night of the week. The city centre has a nice city centre with one long shop street (named Shop Street), a shopping centre and Quay Street where you find some very nice pubs and restaurants. Galway (and Ireland in general) has a lot of live music in the pubs, so it does not matter where you go, you'll find 'craig' anywhere. The university has a lot of socities (115 or so) which offer you all kinds of trips, activities, etc. I joined the choral soc for example, we had rehearsels every week and competed at festivals (Sligo) and even Ireland's Show Choir Finals in Dublin. The societies are nice for some fun and relaxing throughout the weeks and you meet a lot of new people and friends! Furthermore, the city has at least two cinemas, a theatre and different concert locations and places to go out. Also you can take bus tours to explore the beautiful nature surrounding the city, visit Conemara and The Cliffs of Moher, so there is enough culture and places to see. suggestions/tips - Make as many trips as you can - Check if you can get accomodation before you leave - Go to the Silent Disco at the Roisin Dubh - Enjoy the live music at the pubs - Join as many societies as you can or like, it is fantastic - Go to Galway, I met the nicest people in the world here :) CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes, the courses I did were of good quality, informative and professional, the university campus has a lot of facilities, nice library, great cantine(s), bars, space, and the societies make it impossible not to make any new friends. The city is small and has a friendly atmosphere and there is live music everywhere. From Galway it is easy to make trips to almost everywhere in Ireland. do you have any additional advice or comments? Be aware of the accomodation problems/prepared for it. Arrange it from home or come to Galway at least one week before the university starts. Report 5 faculty/college Humanities level bachelor s master s PhD name study programme Taal- en Cultuurstudies

10 exchange application process PREPARATION In picking your exchange university I have two tips. 1. Pick a country/city that has something to do with your favorite study topics. I have always been interested in the role of religion in civil wars, so for me Ireland was a logical choice. Studying this topic from within a society which experienced such a conflict was extremely interesting and absolutely gave a unique twist to my studies. 2. In picking a city/univeristy, don't be blinded by capital cities. You probably don't know that much about the smaller cities/towns, but that doesn't mean that they are boring! Because of the tourist industry it is way harder to find out how/where you can experience the real local culture (real Irish pubs!) in a capital city, while a small city like Galway is really Irish in itself. counselling & support at Utrecht University If you have a question the at Utrecht University is very helpfull. They respond to your s very fast and are always prepared to help you with your questions. However, you are still responsible for the whole process! Especially during the summer holidays it is easy to forget, but I really recommend to check Osiris every couple of days during the whole application process, especially when you are waiting for the approval of your Learning Agreement and Grant Agreement! will not tell you if there is something wrong with one of those documents, so keep an eye on it. academic preparation Again, I really recommend to pick a country/city/university which will help you to explore your favorite study topics. For the rest, don't worry too much about your academic skills. The average bachelor level at Utrecht University is quite high, so compared to other international students you don't have anything to worry about. language preparation According to language preparation I did not do anything before my exchange, which was no problem. As a Dutch student your English is above average compared to other international students. If you are going to an English speaking country, the English of the native students will be better if course, but my experience is that this is not a problem and that teachers will take this into account while grading your tests and papers. finances According to finances, living in Ireland is comparable to living in the Netherlands. Ryanair is Irish, so flights are really cheap. However, I really recommend to save some money for trips! The city of Galway is located between two beautiful nature areas, which you will probably visit a lot. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD NUI Galway offers a wide range of courses. I participated in classes of the departments of history and politicial sciences, of which I am really satisfied! The organisational structure at NUIG is different than in Utrecht. For humanities there are 3 types of classes: lecture classes ( minute lectures a week, not that much homework, combarable to level 1 at the UU), tutorial classes ( minute lectures a week and 1 60 minute tutorial every two weeks, a little bit of homework, comparable to level 2) and seminars (1 120 minutes intensive tutorial a week, a lot of homework, comparable to level 3). Furthermore, most of those seminars are 10 ECTS classes you have to apply for, since they only allow around 2

11 international students participate. If you are really interested in the class this is really worth trying, since the level of teaching is really high and the teachers have a lot to offer. academic quality of education activities Overall the level of education is quite good. However, since you can combine the above types of classes yourself, it is up to you how challenging it will be. During the first weeks they allow you to switch classes, so don't be too afraid to pick a class that doesn't fit you. counselling & support at receiving university abroad During the introduction teachers of the main faculties will give a short explanation upon their way of working and the main classes you can pick as an international student. After their talk you can ask questions. Furthermore you can always teachers and the international office if you have questions about your schedule or specific classes. transfer of credits As explained above the types of classes at NUIG are comparable to level 1, 2 and 3 in Utrecht. However, if you want to be 100% sure that you can transfer a certain class to a certain level I advise you to discuss this with the UU before you leave. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE accommodation Finding an accomodation in Galway is really hard! Don't underestimate this. Start your search as early as possible. There are students who have to stay at a hostel for the whole semester! Together with another UU student I went to Galway for a weekend in May already. In the end we found a really nice house through Air BNB. leisure & culture Galway is a really nice and really Irish city. The pub culture is awesome! During the weekends you can visit several beautiful nature areas and, if you have a couple of days, other (Northern) Irish cities like Dublin, Cork and Belfast (I can really recommend the latter!) suggestions/tips Rent a bike. The public transport in Galway is a bit messy and the distances are not really worth the effort. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Absolutely! Galway is a really nice and cosy students city that gives you the real Irish feeling. The Irish people are extremely nice. The level of education is good, so you will probably learn a lot as well. All in all, your time in Galway will be a great and life changing experience!

12 do you have any additional advice or comments? Enjoy your Guinness! Report 1 exchange application process PREPARATION The exchange application was not so hard. After I got the confirmation form Utrecht University that I was selected for NUIG, NUIG mailed me with the details for application. I had to send an application letter with some attached documents like a photocopy of my ID and a photo for my ID. Everything had to be send be tradiotional mail, the application was not online. counselling & support at Utrecht University The support from the in Utrecht was great. Whenever I had a question or did not know what to do, I could them or just walk into the office and they always knew what I should do. academic preparation Before Utrecht told me I was able to go to Galway, I had to look up the courses I could do in Galway. It was not so hard to find the academic handbook and it was not hard to see which courses were available for international students. I picked several courses and had them signed by my coordinator at the University in Utrecht. language preparation Language preparation was not neccesary for my time in Ireland. Whenever you study in the Netherlands, your English language should be proficient to take courses in Ireland. finances The financial aspect was the part I worries the most about. It's is hard to guess how much you will spend abroad beforehand. I just figured out how much money I had, and for me it turned out to be more then enough. In the end I did everything I wanted to do, Ireland is not so much more expensive then the Netherlands are, so living in the Netherlands is a nice guideline. But it is a study abroad though, and if you want to do more than just survive it might be a good idea to save more than just the amount needed for your basic needs. study programme (content and organisational issues) STUDY ABROAD PERIOD When college started in Galway, I had 2 weeks to find out which courses I wanted to take. That meant that you could try out every course at least once to see if you like it. This was important because I found out that when I wanted to follow the courses I had in mind before, I would have a lot of timetable clashes. Therefore I had to repick a lot of courses. This was not too bad, but this way I could not follow the courses I wanted to. Besides the different faculties do not interact with each other, so some courses are completely different than others. For some all International students had to write an essay instead of taking an exam, for other you had to do both, for others it was quite unclear. academic quality of education activities The lectures and seminares were good. The lectures were experts on their topics and most of them were good storytellers. The main difference was the interaction with the students. Irish students do not engage as much as Dutch students do. Even in the smaller seminars, the students remain silent and there was not as much

13 discussion. This meant that most of the time, education was a one-way activity, in which the lecturer was the storyteller and the students were its listeners. counselling & support at receiving university abroad The International affairs office in Galway did a great job. Just as the UU international office were they always available for questions and issues. In the end they knew you by name and that gives you the feeling that they really cared about you during your stay. transfer of credits At the moment I'm writing this, this has not happened yet. But I do not foresee any troubles with this, because NUIG works with ECTS as well. welcome & orientation programme STUDENT LIFE The first day of college, was an international orientation day. In the mourning all International students were gathered in the 'Bailey Allen Hall' and here they explained some things about the upcomming semester; where you could sign up for courses and how the university works. The afternoon was for Erasmus students only. Here they gave some extra information specifically for Erasmus students. Besided from that there was the ISN (International Students Network) who organised a welcome activity after two weeks. They made sure that you knew what to do on both academic and social level. accommodation This was the only stressful point during my stay abroad. Before I arrived, the International Affairs Office in Galway advised me in order to get accomodation I had to come to Galway before the semester starts. (This is because you need to know what you sign up for) That was basically what I did, I booked a hostel and made my way to Ireland. There is a official campus and there are some students accomodation-complexes, but these are expensive and most of the time only for full-year students in stead of one-semester only students. Once I was in Ireland, I found out that finding accomodation in Galway is very hard. By the time college started, I did not have a room yet. Two weeks after that, still no accomodation. In the meantime there were 60 other students - both Irish and International - in the hostel who were having the same issues. There were not enough rooms in galway for all the students. The Accomodation Office at the University tried to help everybody but without much luck. Loads of students were still in need of accomodation. I myself made my college friends in the hostel, we looked for housing without much luck, and after one and a half month, we decided to stay in the hostel. Housing became so expensive because of the big demand. The hostel had a perfect location, in the city centre on a walking distance from the University. Thay had a special student offer which made living there affordable and cheaper than having an accomodation for yourself. The hostel was neat, the staff was friendly, and as I mentioned there were lots of students. Studying was possible here during the daytime, in the weekends lots of tourists came, so then the library offered a better studying accomodation. leisure & culture Galway is a nice but small town. The Irish are friendly, polite and at the same time proudly excel in their drinking culture, which is strange, but besides from pubs they have loads of other things to offer as well. The surroundings of Galway are considered the most beautiful in the world. The wonderful Cliffs of Moher are very close by, just as the beautiful Gealic speaking region Connemara. I took a course in Irish language and it gives you a nice insight in the real Irish culture. Besides the surroundings, the town and the university offer a lot of great pasttimes. Galway is very popular with the Irish people compared to Dublin, where you could go out and don't meet any Irish. In Galway there is always an Irishman in the same pub as you are. In town there are always buskers playing in the streets, and in the weekends there is a lovely market with the best dough nuts

14 you will ever try. The University has a lot of societies and sports teams, which you could freely join. Myself, I played hockey for the Galway Hockey Club, which is not a University team but a city team. During the week I trained with them and in the weekends we played matches against teams from different cities. Joining a sports team or a society is a great way to get to know more people and it gave my time abroad something extras. suggestions/tips Make sure to find housing very soon, go there as early as you can. Try to get a spot in the official student accomodations (Corrib Village), it is more expensive than a regular room, but it's a peaceful thought. You have to be early for this! If you want to see for yourself and book a hostel first, Kinlay Hostel at Eyre Squareis the best place to stay for a few days, its neat, the breakfast is good, the rates are good, the location is good and the staff is great. CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes, this destination is one of the most wonderful places in the world, if you don't mind a little bit of rain. The location is great, the only thing that takes some getting used to is the University itself. The classes are fine, but they are very short and Irish students do not really participate in classes. This makes the lectures and classes quite one-dimensional. I did not expect this to happen, that's why I did too way much for some classes and not enough for others. Organisational issues happened quite some time, but no more than on any other university. Galway is a great place to live in. The people are friendly, the surroundings are great and so is the city of Galway itself. It s a real Irish city, so you'll meet a lot of real Irish people besides from all the international students. do you have any additional advice or comments? Get an accomodation as quick as possible, because Galway is so wonderful, you do not want to lose time looking for a place to stay.