Ireland: Cork - Undergraduate Courses

I had a great time in Cork studying at the UCC. My program was short term, I studied there in five weeks in the summer. The program was amazing and the classes they offered during the short period were immersive and interesting. Each class had a mandatory field trip you must attend, the two I attended were interesting. The people I met in the program from other schools I still talk to today. Even with the program being short term and semi-intensive I still had opportunities to enjoy Ireland and travel while also receiving good grades. I highly recommend the summer program for anyone who is interested in a short term program in Ireland.You will experience so many things in the country that you never thought about, you will learn so much more about the country and yourself. I had a great time with great people while I was there.

If you don't mind the chill of an Irish spring, then Cork is a wonderful experience. It is a small city, easily navigable on foot and very safe. The university is world renowned and offers a multitude of course options open to the international students almost without restrictions. These courses are some of the most exciting of my college career. Additionally, the Irish people are very kind and easy to get to know. Cork is small enough that you will run into old friends and new throughout your semester there. It's not the most exciting place, but the people make up for it in large part.

The only caveat to my wonderful experience was my housing. The apartment complex was large, unwelcoming, and without consistent heating, hot water, or wifi. Additionally there was not an option to live with Irish students which I would have preferred. If this is your first time abroad though, living with Americans can be lovely!

One of my favourite memories is taking a trip to Kinsale with a friend I made in my Celtic Lore class. She was an Irish Masters student who rescued me from failing a course that required a pretty good command of Irish Language (which we often call Gaelic in the USA). My inability to understand led to us working together, and becoming friends. We travelled to Kinsale on one of my last days in Cork, braving the wind and the rain to see the forts and soak our shoes overlooking the sheep and the sea. It was a lovely trip and epitomizes my experience. The weather was always terrible and cold, but the people provided the warmth.

Cork is an incredible city in Ireland. I would highly recommend it over Dublin. The university is a beautiful castle. The on-site advisor for USAC was one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, she had me over for tea and scones and I'm still in contact with her a year later. Housing was great, I lived in The Spires which were so close to campus and to downtown. There's a large international community at the university and in the city which is amazing.

I easily fell in love with UCC, Cork, and the local people. Everybody was very welcoming, caring and interested, and I felt like a local in no time. I met people who will be forever friends, and Cork will forever have a special place in my heart. There's not a single thing I would change about my experience abroad, and USAC is a big reason for that. It was so hard for me to leave Cork and the people I came to love, and I'm now counting down the days until I get to go back.

My study abroad experience in Cork, Ireland was amazing! I made some of the best friends there and we all the loved the Irish culture. We traveled all around Ireland and Europe during our time abroad. I only went to school twice a week and the course work was not challenging at all. This gave us more time to explore cork and the rest of Europe! The night life in Cork is great! Go to Havanas, Voodoo, and An Brog for a great time!

Ireland is an incredible place and USAC made it even better. I always knew I wanted to travel to Ireland. With the field trips USAC offered, I was able to see the beauty of the Irish countryside and people.

Having our resident director, Mary, there was a great resource for us. She was always there to help and on trips she would tell us stories about her life living in Ireland which gave us a great perspective and made it very special.

The classes I took were incredibly interesting and gave me the opportunity to interact and make friends with the locals.
Overall, Cork, Ireland was the best experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

It's a fantastic program for students who just want to go abroad and do their own thing. It helps fill all basic necessities to get abroad and get credit without any of the unnecessary add-ons like cell phones, an outing every weekend, etc. The USAC staff in Ireland were very attentive in meeting our needs and making sure they were there to support us. This is perhaps most important to have while abroad and I am very grateful for that. This program was the best for me because it was the cheapest, they met all of my basic needs that are complicated to sort our alone, and gave me a great deal of independence in my study abroad experience.