API: Experience Dublin, Ireland (Scholarships Available)

Studying abroad was one of the scariest and most fulfilling things I could have done during my undergraduate experience. I was a commuter student in my undergraduate program, and was not used to the independence offered to me during this program. I had the time of my life. As a Trinity student, we were given a co-living apartment about a 20 minutes walk from Trinity, right in the center of the Dublin. My apartment also offered a beautiful view of the Wicklow mountains. Trinity was an amazing school to attend, and the academics were challenging, and the classmates were interesting. I took a couple of courses that would not be offered at my home university, and I had a lot of fun. It was so cool being able to attend such a historical school, and attend its events, such as Trinity Ball. In addition to attending a school with a beautiful campus, our resident directors planned spectacular trips around Ireland as well! I felt that I saw most of the country in my four months there. We did a variety of activities and it was fun to experience with other Americans. I learned a lot about the Irish culture and history. Dublin is also a central location in Europe, and my roommates and I were able to take a couple of trips around the continent. Flights within in Europe are so cheap and you are not necessarily restricted to the country you are studying in. I saw so many sights and met a lot of different people through my travels. I will forever be thankful that I decided to study abroad. I still talk to my study abroad roommates and have visited them around the United States after our program has ended. I've also ended up back in Ireland in a graduate program at UCD because I loved it here so much. My program with API was definitely part of my journey to end up here, and I would recommend studying abroad to anyone who is thinking about it (I definitely recommend Ireland, but I'm not biased).

Going abroad was a spontaneous, circumstantial decision for me rather than a well-thought out plan. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I stumbled upon this program after consulting with an advisor at the International Programs Office at my school in late October. I knew I wanted to go to Ireland or Italy, and this was the only program left available due to the timing of my decision to go abroad. Little did I know that Maynooth, Ireland would hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life! Maynooth is a gorgeous college town situated on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland. Dublin Center is easily accessible by bus or train. It is Ireland's only college town, with an active student body and a wide array of things to do. Many of the students I met and became close with were other students studying abroad (Erasmus students), from various states in the U.S. and even from countries across Europe! The Erasmus student population is what made the experience for me personally, although there were many friendly locals I met as well. Grab a pint of Guinness at the Roost, go for a hike with alpacas in the Irish countryside, or explore all that Dublin Center has to offer. Ireland has no shortage of beautiful landscapes and interesting people, and I highly recommend spending your semester abroad in this truly wonderful country. API offers excursions to all of the must-see places in Ireland, including the Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, the Blarney Stone, and more. They were extremely accommodating and highly proactive in ensuring that all of my needs were met before I studied abroad. I highly recommend spending your semester abroad with API.

Travel has always been a passion of mine. In my 21 years I've traveled to 17 different countries, having experienced a multitude of different cultures, food, and people, but my experiences in Ireland stand of as my favorites. While abroad I saw 13 countries, and 30 different cities. My program with API was perfect from start to end.They helped me with planning, finding my flight, and picked me up at the airport. My site has a site director, Sophie, who helped us settle in then gave us a 2 day orientation of Maynooth and Dublin. Which was followed by another 2 day orientation presented my Maynooth faculty. After that my adventure truly began. Maynooth University sits about 40 min away from Dublin via train/bus, and encompasses around 12,000 students in a town of 12,000 citizens. It is a small town by a historical one with a large Church and small Castle on it's grounds. It has a beautiful garden behind it's historical buildings on the old campus, and modern architecture on the new. You can walk anywhere you need to go in town, the downtown shops will have whatever you are looking for. I was able to complete my minor in Psychology at Maynooth while also completing a certificate in Irish Cultural Heritage. Classes in Ireland were very different than classes in the US. Most of my classes had no homework, and no essays. They either had a Midterm and Final or just a midterm which determined your whole grade. This is something I loved because it allowed for more freedom on the weekends, but it did make the end of the semester a bit more stressful as I am used to creating a final project instead of test. I still really enjoyed this way of learning and felt it allowed me to truly make the most of my experience. Maynooth offers a variety of clubs and organisations. I was apart of the Volleyball Club (which place 2nd in the country), Disney Club (which took a trip to Disney Paris), and the Surf Club (which took a trip to Lahinch on Irelands West Coast near the Cliffs of Moher). These were incredible opportunities to be apart of. Very few people can say they went surfing in Ireland, or place 2nd in the country for collegiate club volleyball. This also allowed me to meet so many people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Now I have friends from Romania, France, England, Belgium, Spain, Canada, and Ireland. Not to mention friends I made from the US all across the country in NC, WI, MO, CO, MD... My program itself was one of a kind. I was apart of API Dublin although my school was in Maynooth. API Dublin included groups from University College Dublin, Trinity College, and Maynooth University. This was a great experience because it allowed me to meet other students at other schools and broaden my horizons even further. Through API we went on cultural excursions through our host country as well as internationally. I went on a trip to the Ring of Kerry, went sighting at Queen Maeve's grave, Galway, the Wild Atlantic Way, and Surfing in Bundoran. We also did smaller excursions closer to home like the Leprechaun museum, Paddle Boarding, and Community Service. And we went on an international excursion to Edinburgh, Scotland. There we saw Edinburgh Castle, part of the catacombs of the original city, and Greyfriars Kirkyard (Statue of Greyfriars Bobby). I could talk about my Abroad experiences for hours on end and really haven't stopped talking about it since I returned to my home institution. Ireland was home to some of the nicest people I have ever met. Helpful locals happy to show you around to be honest about the best spots in town and hidden gems many tourist miss out on. If you are looking for a school where you can be involved, if you are looking for a friendly helpful community, if you are looking for the best abroad experience around, look no further. API Maynooth is the trip for you.

I am just going to preface this review by stating that before college, I NEVER thought I could or would be the person that studied abroad. I did not have the confidence or moxie to jump out of my shell and do something completely on my own accord. After my first semester freshman year, my classes had left me unchallenged and craving an experience that would make me feel confronted. This is when I decided to study abroad. I stumbled upon API's program at UCD through my study abroad office's portal and was immediately sold. I then went to API's website and saw the excursions they offered, the accommodations at the university, and the location of the university which produced butterflies in my stomach because at that point it all felt so possible. I emailed API with a ridiculous amount of questions and they got back to me quickly and with a ridiculous amount of answers to match my questions. Every staff member I spoke to at API made me so excited to start my study abroad journey, even through email which was a comforting feeling to have for such a monumental & life-changing decision. The application process was painless and so was leaving home, surprisingly enough. Leaving Dublin and my API family at the end of my fall semester on the other hand, was the most painful part of my study abroad experience, and I believe that speaks volumes to how much studying abroad shapes you and benefits you holisitically. Studying abroad is not black or white, it can't be described in one word, or even one story. I just know that I can now confidently say that my eyes are bright and wide open after spending a semester abroad. Dublin has truly stolen a piece of my heart for keeps, but given me moxie forever and to that I can thank this amazing program and their highly personable staff.

I loved everything about Ireland, from the sites to the people to the food! Our program directors did everything they could to help us adjust and feel comfortable during our whole stay, and especially in the first weeks in Ireland. The entire transition from a small school in New York to a large university was challenging, but the experiences and memories I gained will stay with me forever! API made sure I had all the information I needed at all times and made the entire experience special with traditional Irish cultural aspects and lots of fun!

My grades at Trinity were completely based on one paper that required material from both semesters, although I only studied there for one semester. Eimer and Gillian were incredible program assistants. I definitely enjoyed the trips we took together.

API is an incredible program. I wanted to specifically name Gillian Clarke who is the Dublin Program Resident Director. Gillian is an incredible person who truly cares about all the students and their assimilation into Irish culture. She made the experience fun for all, and she was always there to talk to as a throughout the entire semester. She is a true friend to myself and all of my API student colleagues.

I studied abroad at UCD with API in Spring 2015. I loved it. I am also very pleased that I decided to go with API versus directly enrolling or going with a different program. Right from landing, I was greeted with smiles and an awesome Irish accent from my resident director. They care so much for you and your welfare. The excursions they brought us on were also awesome! It was a great mix of people in the program as well. I have 3 new best friends from all over the states that I met because of API. We did everything together and it is amazing. You won't be sorry for choosing API. Studying abroad is an experience of a lifetime so take advantage of that! Don't make things so stressful for yourself. On the UCD side of things-- I loved it. It was definitely something to get used to because of the several ways their academics are done differently, but I got several opportunities to make friends. I loved the location of UCD. It is in Dublin, but it is a good 20 minute bus ride to city center. So we weren't in the hustle and bustle of everything, yet we were near the area! Dublin is truly an amazing place, as James Joyce said "When I die, Dublin will be written in my heart". Never heard a more true statement.

I absolutely loved my experience with API Maynooth. I made great friends from all over the world with whom I am still in contact. My resident director was amazing and worked very hard to make sure we were all happy and taken care of. I don't believe that this school gets as much credit as it should, I wouldn't have gone anywhere else!

This was a great program. I loved my program manager and I met some amazing people. I did not like the classes because it was only a paper and a final that made up your grades. The teachers were bad at putting up grades and responding to you and there was no way to get extra credit or raise your grades.