During the 2002-2003 academic year I, Brian Holt, studied abroad in Cork, Ireland, through a program with Illinois' Study Abroad Office. I attended classes at University College Cork, one of the constituent schools of the National University of Ireland. I lived and played in Cork, but my experiences were not limited to the southwest of Ireland. Indeed, I saw a great deal of that country, in addition to London, England, Brussels, Belguim, Frankfurt, Germany, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Rome, Italy.
Study abroad is the most exciting and amazing experience. Regardless of where one chooses to go, or the length of time spent there, I firmly believe that everyone can and should study outside of the United States. The experiences to be had are phenomenal, and not to be missed.
UCC set me up with an apartment near campus and provided an excellent orientation program to get all of us acquainted with the Irish school system and the peculiarities of UCC. The apartments were brand new and quite nice, and fully furnished.
To view pictures from my time abroad, click here. To view a program budget, click here.