Dear Dublin: Quick Glance into Studying Abroad

Dear Dublin, I miss you dearly, thanks for letting me have the opportunity to study abroad in your city. I have never ever ever had a better experience in my life. I talk about my time in Dublin like I just came home yesterday, but I came back in December of 2009! Yes! I still miss having fish and chips paired with a Bulmers over ice at the local pub and Barry’s Tea with my roommates. I would do anything to have just one more morning with the girls, drinking tea with sugar and milk, and reminicising over Saturday night in Temple Bar. If you could be so kind and allow me to have another great opportunity in your city, (preferably maybe a job offer writing for an Irish magazine or curating the National Museum of Dublin) I’d really appreciate it if you could come knocking on my door soon! Yours Truly, Shannon May Callarman (My roommate Jenny and I with our home stay family in a local pub in Wexford, Ireland) Studying abroad at University College Dublin was the best experience I ever had. I remember my first semester at UIC and doing some research on it and at the time it seemed like a dream that was too far to reach. I convinced my mom every day how much studying abroad would change me, how much it would do for my future career, and how taking out a loan in order to pay for the cost would be all so worth it! I, luckily, convinced her and even though I’m literally paying for it now, I met great people, got to travel all over Europe, and the experience stands out on my resume like I highlighted it with glitter. If you’re still in college, I highly recommend that you look into studying abroad. I know that the fear of being able to afford it stands in a lot of student’s way, but if you want to go bad enough, you’ll find a way to get there (believe me!) If you just graduated and have a desire to travel, I recommend looking into graduate schools that offer great study abroad programs (a great incentive to go back to school!) Take it from me, there is nothing to lose from studying abroad. You gain so much knowledge, meet new friends, and have stories to tell and pictures to show for the rest of your life. Arcadia University: This is the program I went through while attending UIC. The staff is amazing and they take great care of you!