Go to college in Ireland...???

Americangirl1

Well yes, I'm an American chick and have thinking about going to college in another country. Reason being, I want to experience college in a different culture. I think it would be a good experience. I would love to do Photography, but since it's such a competative field, I have decided to learn on the side and go for journalism. That way, I can present a story and photo to go along with it. Which is what magazine editors love. Plus I love to write. I think Ireland would be a lovely place to start off with. No, I haven't been to Ireland, but I've had loads of friends who have.

They loved it and the pictures they took of Ireland are just picturesque. I'm just wondering what the college life is like there. Are the teachers more into actually teaching there students there, unlike alot of the lazy American teachers we here (may not be good money, but it's easy income). ;P
I have done some research and it seems Dublins pretty expensive to live in. Ireland in general is actually. I haven't actually even looked into colleges yet, I really don't want to get my hopes yet before I know the whole process of all this. I just want to know what the colleges are like there, the night life, the men and women, and of course the overall additude Irish people have over an American studying there. I know alot of countries don't particularly like Americans so... lol. I was also thinking England, but I've met a few Brits and lets just say they can be annoying? I have met a few Irish people when I was younger, and they have all seemed very nice and cheerie, but maybe that was because they were in America.

Thanks to anyone that can help me out. I appreciate it.

Fart

Bahahaha!

Americangirl1

Totally new I would probably get a bit hackeld for posting on here...
Oh well, dosen't bother me.

scientific1982

You'll be cool. Id try Cork or Galway universities rather than Dublin ones if money is an issue. Most people in this country have family in the US so I wouldnt worry about anti-Americanism. Dublin, Cork and Galway are all really good for student nightlife. Belfast is also a great student city

Pingu-D

University Limerick always seems to have quite a few american students and there international society are always great craic for a few pints! Depending on what course you want to do lecturers range from awesome to complete and utter rubbish there tbh! The night life is great in Limerick if not somewhat hindered by some bouncers with ****e attitude (you will get that everywhere thou)

Dave!

Do you like rain, OP?

oppenheimer1

Americangirl1 wrote: »

Well yes, I'm an American chick and have thinking about going to college in another country. Reason being, I want to experience college in a different culture. I think it would be a good experience. I would love to do Photography, but since it's such a competative field, I have decided to learn on the side and go for journalism. That way, I can present a story and photo to go along with it. Which is what magazine editors love. Plus I love to write. I think Ireland would be a lovely place to start off with. No, I haven't been to Ireland, but I've had loads of friends who have.

They loved it and the pictures they took of Ireland are just picturesque. I'm just wondering what the college life is like there. Are the teachers more into actually teaching there students there, unlike alot of the lazy American teachers we here (may not be good money, but it's easy income). ;P
I have done some research and it seems Dublins pretty expensive to live in. Ireland in general is actually. I haven't actually even looked into colleges yet, I really don't want to get my hopes yet before I know the whole process of all this. I just want to know what the colleges are like there, the night life, the men and women, and of course the overall additude Irish people have over an American studying there. I know alot of countries don't particularly like Americans so... lol. I was also thinking England, but I've met a few Brits and lets just say they can be annoying? I have met a few Irish people when I was younger, and they have all seemed very nice and cheerie, but maybe that was because they were in America.

Thanks to anyone that can help me out. I appreciate it.

We have an Education section that has loads of information on college life here.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=28

College life in Ireland is quite different from the USA. We only do one subject typically from the beginning, we don't have minors. Courses last typically from three to four years depending on the subject and university chosen. Irish students are typically 17 or 18 when they start. A list of courses for all colleges can be found http://www.rte.ie/cao/ . Ignore the bit about points, its only relevant if you're Irish. Overseas students like yourself apply to the Colleges directly. (The CAO is a clearing house for Irish students). Level 7 is diploma and level 8 is degree.

As for choosing an Irish University, think long and hard about your choice, especially if you're going to go back to the USA afterwards. Trinity College is the best known worldwide, followed by UCD. The others, while good, don't have much of an international profile and probably would be unfamiliar to recruiters outside of Ireland and the UK. As an overseas student it isn't worth the investment to go to an IT to be honest.

Fees for non-eu students are quite high, though nowhere near as large as the big American colleges. It might be worth your while to investigate if you're entitled to a European passport through your parents/grandparents. It would make doing a degree here far more affordable.

As for attitudes to Americans, that is not an issue with the vast vast majority of people. In fact you'd be hard pushed to find an Irish person with a problem with Americans in general.

Americangirl1

dave, rain dosen't bother me. Though my hair may not appreciate it. considering it makes my hair frizzy.
oppenheimer1, thanks for alot of the info.
money is definitely an issue for me. No way my mother could pay for my college, then again I'm 22. Lol. If this were to happen, I wouldn't want to go til next year anyways. I'm definitely going to visit first before making this decision. I also thought of just starting college here and then seeing something about a foreign exchange to Ireland for a small time. So Dublin is a no since I don't want to become homeless lol. I also heard that if you want a job there and your not a citizen, you have to have some kind of stamp of approvel and get a job that cost 30,000 or more over there. So... That means saving up a bit. I would definitely come home to america for the summer.
It's definitley good that people arn't anti american there. Is it true that alot of people there love to drink?? I like to drink sometimes, but I'm a cheap drunk... So. Lol

amacachi

Americangirl1 wrote: »

dave, rain dosen't bother me. Though my hair may not appreciate it. considering it makes my hair frizzy.
oppenheimer1, thanks for alot of the info.
money is definitely an issue for me. No way my mother could pay for my college, then again I'm 22. Lol. If this were to happen, I wouldn't want to go til next year anyways. I'm definitely going to visit first before making this decision. I also thought of just starting college here and then seeing something about a foreign exchange to Ireland for a small time. So Dublin is a no since I don't want to become homeless lol. I also heard that if you want a job there and your not a citizen, you have to have some kind of stamp of approvel and get a job that cost 30,000 or more over there. So... That means saving up a bit. I would definitely come home to america for the summer.
It's definitley good that people arn't anti american there. Is it true that alot of people there love to drink?? I like to drink sometimes, but I'm a cheap drunk... So. Lol

There's student visas which allow part-time work. The fees are anything from $10-20k per year for non-EU students so I would advice heading somewhere else in Europe if money is an issue.
And no, none of us drink, we're all super srs.

oppenheimer1

Americangirl1 wrote: »

dave, rain dosen't bother me. Though my hair may not appreciate it. considering it makes my hair frizzy.
oppenheimer1, thanks for alot of the info.
money is definitely an issue for me. No way my mother could pay for my college, then again I'm 22. Lol. If this were to happen, I wouldn't want to go til next year anyways. I'm definitely going to visit first before making this decision. I also thought of just starting college here and then seeing something about a foreign exchange to Ireland for a small time. So Dublin is a no since I don't want to become homeless lol. I also heard that if you want a job there and your not a citizen, you have to have some kind of stamp of approvel and get a job that cost 30,000 or more over there. So... That means saving up a bit. I would definitely come home to america for the summer.
It's definitley good that people arn't anti american there. Is it true that alot of people there love to drink?? I like to drink sometimes, but I'm a cheap drunk... So. Lol

While Dublin is expensive, there are affordable places to rent in the city. With the economic downturn there is a glut of empty rentals in the city and these are continuing to depress prices. I wouldn't rule Dublin out completely, for going to a Dublin university would probably improve your job prospects back home. Non EU fees are very expensive, almost all courses are over $10,000 per year. If you have any Irish heritage that would entitle you to a passport it would reduce this to €1500 per year which all Irish students are required to pay.

Overseas students do have to pay for their visa but as far as I'm aware its nowhere near €30,000. A few hunderd euro max would be my feeling. Overseas students are allowed to work a limited number of hours under the student visa scheme. The rules of the visa scheme are outlined here http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Student_Visa_Guidelines

Irish students do like the odd drink its true Feel free to PM!

Americangirl1

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

While Dublin is expensive, there are affordable places to rent in the city. With the economic downturn there is a glut of empty rentals in the city and these are continuing to depress prices. I wouldn't rule Dublin out completely, for going to a Dublin university would probably improve your job prospects back home. Non EU fees are very expensive, almost all courses are over $10,000 per year. If you have any Irish heritage that would entitle you to a passport it would reduce this to €1500 per year which all Irish students are required to pay.

Overseas students do have to pay for their visa but as far as I'm aware its nowhere near €30,000. A few hunderd euro max would be my feeling. Overseas students are allowed to work a limited number of hours under the student visa scheme. The rules of the visa scheme are outlined here http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/Student_Visa_Guidelines

Irish students do like the odd drink its true Feel free to PM!

If I have any Irish heritage? You mean living relatives? I do have alot of Irish ancestors, lol. Thats about it, and there all dead. My mothers last name is Hare from my Grandfathers side, and there's my great grandfather whose last name is Hall on my grandmothers side. He drank like a fish and was mean as fire when he got mad, lol. There is actually alot of Irish in my family now that I think about it, most of them came to America in the mid 1800's. Well, thats what my family tree said.
But if I have to have any living relatives, I'd say no. I don't know much about my fathers side since he left when I was four, but his last name (which I have) is DEFINATELY English. I heard there are scholorships called Fullbright, or something of the matter that is a international scholorship. Do you know anything about that?
Sorry, im not this lazy, but I do like to get to the source, lol.

May I also ask, what could I expect from Irish men in general? I am a girl, so I would be interested to know what Irish men think about American girls in general. I know just opinions from anyone that comments on this does not cover what the whole population of Irish men think of American women, but I would like to know what some of you think.

Thanks again for the info.

And I will definitely PM you some more questions when they pop in my head.

biko

After Hours -> Education forum.

Toto Wolfcastle

Probably would be more suited to the College forum.

biko

Thanks, couldn't find a general Study in Ireland forum so pushed it to Trinny

Krusader

Americangirl1 wrote: »

May I also ask, what could I expect from Irish men in general?

Bunch of Larry Murphys, we are

Americangirl1

Sorry don't know who or what a larry murphy is. lol

biko

Perhaps come over for a visit first to see if you like it?
You can fly to Shannon on the West coast and visit Cork/ Galway.

Many people equal Dublin with Ireland but to be honest smaller cities and towns would have more of an Irish feel to them, particularly Galway - the gem in Ireland's crown*


* yes, it's my home town. Look it up on youtube.

Gae

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

We only do one subject typically from the beginning, we don't have minors.

This is not entirely true. In general students pick a degree programme which may or may not be made up of several subject areas. For example, in Trinity if you do TSM (Two Subject Moderatorship) you do two subjects for the first three years, and one of them for the last year (permitted combinations here: http://www.tcd.ie/courses/undergraduate/tsm/). I guess the subject you do for the first three years could be regarded as a minor in a sense.

It is generally less flexible than in the US, though. Students will know what subjects they will be taking before they start their degree - whereas in the States (as I understand it), students will often start off with a mix of subjects that interest them and then decide on what to do for their major after a year or two.

In UCD they do have minors. Most Arts students there will do a joint major, but it's also possible to do a major/minor. UCD is probably the closest to the American system that we have in Ireland.

oppenheimer1

Americangirl1 wrote: »

If I have any Irish heritage? You mean living relatives? I do have alot of Irish ancestors, lol. Thats about it, and there all dead. My mothers last name is Hare from my Grandfathers side, and there's my great grandfather whose last name is Hall on my grandmothers side. He drank like a fish and was mean as fire when he got mad, lol. There is actually alot of Irish in my family now that I think about it, most of them came to America in the mid 1800's. Well, thats what my family tree said.
But if I have to have any living relatives, I'd say no. I don't know much about my fathers side since he left when I was four, but his last name (which I have) is DEFINATELY English. I heard there are scholorships called Fullbright, or something of the matter that is a international scholorship. Do you know anything about that?
Sorry, im not this lazy, but I do like to get to the source, lol.

May I also ask, what could I expect from Irish men in general? I am a girl, so I would be interested to know what Irish men think about American girls in general. I know just opinions from anyone that comments on this does not cover what the whole population of Irish men think of American women, but I would like to know what some of you think.

Thanks again for the info.

And I will definitely PM you some more questions when they pop in my head.

I don't know much about the Fullbright awards, but just at a quick look at the website they seem to be about UK-USA relationships so I doubt they offer scholarships to study in the Republic. That said Queens in Belfast is covered under the scheme. I do know the US-Ireland Alliance offer scholarships to study in the Republic. Deadlines for programmes like these are typically at the end of September for starting College the following September. As far as I know things like these are very competitive and even the best students cannot bank on getting them.

As for asking about your Irish heritage, gaining Irish citizenship can be quite easy as a lot of Irish emigrated. As far as I know, if you had a grandparent that was entitled to Irish citizenship (even if they are now dead) you can get citizenship through this route. It would be worth looking into at least, look at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs website for more info. I really don't know much about whether you would be entitled to UK citizenship though, but there is no harm in asking the consulate for more info.

As for what do Irish men think of American women... thats a very broad question! I think in general we are quite open minded and like foreigners, there are many discussions on this board about the wave of eastern european women that came to the country in the past 10-15 years mostly positive .

andrew

Unless you're some sort of genius you're not going to get a fullbright scholarship.

Also, as far as I know the only University in Ireland which does Journalism is DCU, and as a foreign student it's probably not worth your while to pay as a foreign student for such a course.

Americangirl1

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

I don't know much about the Fullbright awards, but just at a quick look at the website they seem to be about UK-USA relationships so I doubt they offer scholarships to study in the Republic. That said Queens in Belfast is covered under the scheme. I do know the US-Ireland Alliance offer scholarships to study in the Republic. Deadlines for programmes like these are typically at the end of September for starting College the following September. As far as I know things like these are very competitive and even the best students cannot bank on getting them.

As for asking about your Irish heritage, gaining Irish citizenship can be quite easy as a lot of Irish emigrated. As far as I know, if you had a grandparent that was entitled to Irish citizenship (even if they are now dead) you can get citizenship through this route. It would be worth looking into at least, look at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs website for more info. I really don't know much about whether you would be entitled to UK citizenship though, but there is no harm in asking the consulate for more info.

As for what do Irish men think of American women... thats a very broad question! I think in general we are quite open minded and like foreigners, there are many discussions on this board about the wave of eastern european women that came to the country in the past 10-15 years mostly positive .

Well about my Irish Ancestors, I think there my Great's 3 or 4 times over, so I don't know if that still qualifies. I will definately look into. I wish I new more about my dads side, because he wasnt even born where I live now. He was from Florida, and all I know is that his side of the family is HUGE.

Another Question, do any of the colleges in Ireland take undergraduate American students? I actually didn't finish high school because of certain events that happened when I had only one more year to graduate, but I got my GED and scored pretty well on it. Sorry, I really dont know much about alot of college stuff because I had never really looked into it before. I was always confused with what to study. As for the person that said that there was only one college for journalism, well I have also opted for Photography or Web Design. So anyone know anything about those.

Sir Ophiuchus

I'd like to point out that you also have to meet a residency requirement to qualify for reduced fees, not just a citizenship requirement. Probably not going to happen for you OP. Still might be cheaper than the US, though student loans are few and far between here.

oppenheimer1

Sir Ophiuchus wrote: »

I'd like to point out that you also have to meet a residency requirement to qualify for reduced fees, not just a citizenship requirement. Probably not going to happen for you OP. Still might be cheaper than the US, though student loans are few and far between here.

You're right, I forgot about the residency requirement. The applicant has to live in an EU state for 3 out of the previous 5 years in addition to being a citizen.

Undergraduates are allowed entry but they have to meet matriculation requirements. These differ with each university and seeing as you're not going to be a standard applicant, it would be a good idea to give the admissions office in the university you're interested in a call. They will tell you what you need to do as there are subtle but important differences between the different Irish university requirements.

Its not impossible to do. Plenty of Americans have done their studies in Ireland

As for photogaphy, only Dublin Institute of Technology offers it as a Degree course in Ireland. Would it be worth the money you would have to spend? perhaps other posters could give an opinion. Heres a link to the course information page http://www.dit.ie/study/undergraduate/az/title,27826,en.html

Americangirl1

I did say money was an issue, but trust me, I do not mind saving money to do what I have to do. If I have the drive for it I will definately do it. I was actually supposed to go to England once I graduated, even tho I had the drive, I was young and I already had 5,000 saved up and I got involved with the wrong people. Like I said I was young and I turned in a different direction, one that didn't end well for me and left me with crap. So I definately had the drive. I saved 5,000 dollars working part time and going to school and many activities, just like I do now, but I work full time now, only difference.

JonJoeDali

"photography" and "journalism". ffs. They sound like hobbies.

Would you not just do a decent arts degree in a proper university?

amacachi

Americangirl1 wrote: »

I did say money was an issue, but trust me, I do not mind saving money to do what I have to do. If I have the drive for it I will definately do it. I was actually supposed to go to England once I graduated, even tho I had the drive, I was young and I already had 5,000 saved up and I got involved with the wrong people. Like I said I was young and I turned in a different direction, one that didn't end well for me and left me with crap. So I definately had the drive. I saved 5,000 dollars working part time and going to school and many activities, just like I do now, but I work full time now, only difference.

As I said already though, you'll be looking at $10-20k a year just on the fees, before you take into account accomodation, food or anything else.

Americangirl1

JonJoeDali wrote: »

"photography" and "journalism". ffs. They sound like hobbies.

Would you not just do a decent arts degree in a proper university?

I could and have definately thought about it, but i'm not sure. That may be a good idea. Are Art colleges particulary expensive in Ireland? I was going to go to one in NYC and they told me that for my Bachelors degree in photography it would cost about 250,000...now tell me thats not ridiculous. I could have gotten finacial, but I don't know how much of it would have taken care of that large amount of money. So I kinda sweated abit and decided to ignore there calls. Ugh, such a disgusting price for photography. The cheapest school I could actually find that was any good was 50,000 for my degree in photography, but it was in Pennsylvania. PA is nice and all, but I don't want to study Photography in PA.

oppenheimer1

The fees for an arts degree in Trinity College are approx €16,000 per year, so in total, including a living allowance of the minimum €7,000 required for a student visa, one would need approx €100,000/$135,000 over 4 years as a non-eu student in Ireland.

Photography in DIT is a bit cheaper for non-eu than arts in TCD. It costs in fees €11,000 per year. The school in PA may offer better value if its a highly regarded college.

oppenheimer1

JonJoeDali wrote: »

"photography" and "journalism". ffs. They sound like hobbies.

Would you not just do a decent arts degree in a proper university?

You sound like the girl I met in halls back in my day, when she dismissed me for being "just an engineer".

Not everyone wants to do a traditional course.

Americangirl1

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The fees for an arts degree in Trinity College are approx €16,000 per year, so in total, including a living allowance of the minimum €7,000 required for a student visa, one would need approx €100,000/$135,000 over 4 years as a non-eu student in Ireland.

Photography in DIT is a bit cheaper for non-eu than arts in TCD. It costs in fees €11,000 per year. The school in PA may offer better value if its a highly regarded college.

So do they expect you to actually pay up front for this stuff??? And if you don't do they keep in Ireland until you do. lol, I mean considering I do go to college there. I am able to work there once given a degree right. I know the way college is over here, you can pay if off in certain time or over the years as work to pay it off...I mean how does all that go about.?

Americangirl1

And I heard this college in PA was not that good. Poor teachers and such. It's seems any school I look at for art has some bad teachers. Maybe I am being a bit strict on the colleges, but I do want the best for myself, and I'm sure thats not too much to ask for. And I REALLY don't want to experience college in America. I want to open my eyes to a different look.