Support Staff & Teachers

The college set us up with some really amazing support staff while studying abroad.

Sister Mary is here to help us with personal affairs like dorm life and homesickness. She checks in with us on a regular basis to make sure all of our needs are able to be met and she helps us with her input as well.

When the airport lost my luggage they were giving me the runaround when I would call them. However, Sister Mary made it a point to call the airline on a regular basis until they tracked my luggage. She is a wonderful support and the main person that we go to for any of our questions about traveling or anything that we are unsure about. It’s comforting knowing that she will make sure that she gets the correct answer or points you in the right direction.

Eric is the contact person who supports us academically. He is not only the academic adviser for the international students, but also the ‘essay doctor’ for the entire college. Eric is the person who helps us pick classes for the semester and obtain our visas while abroad.

Both Sister Mary and Eric are very approachable and encourage us to email or text them with any questions we may have. They have made the transition process a lot easier than it would be without their support.

The teachers at Carlow College are very helpful as well. It is nice to know that if I have any question that they are welcome at any time.

My most interesting teacher is my Communication and Social Skills professor. Despite the title of the course, Damien teaches a counseling course. I love that he gives us approaches on how to counsel and makes us practice different techniques each class. What I like that most is how he tells us how not to approach a situation when counseling due to whatever end result. Damien has been working as a counselor for many years and is very personable with the class. He is able to relate to his students and our difficulties as college students.

Transportation

Since I am currently living in Lennon House (the dormitory on campus) my walk to class is literally two minutes long. However, I do have a class that is on the very top of a huge staircase so I tend to leave a few minutes earlier on those days. Unlike my home institution, classes at Carlow College start a little after the hour and end right at the hour. This makes getting to class a little more stressful for me because I have some classes right after each other. It is not like this for the Irish students because their class schedules are not put back to back like international students.

Mt Leinster in Wexford Ireland

Getting around Ireland is extremely simple, or at least I’ve heard it to be…

I will be the first one to admit that I have no idea how to read a bus schedule. However, when you’re with someone who knows how to read a schedule, getting around is extremely easy. Buses in Ireland are not like the buses in Pittsburgh where you hop on and off to get to a certain destination. Instead, there are buses that head to one point but have stops along the way. Just like a Greyhound bus. These buses are nicer and some actually have wifi. The buses run from very early in the morning until very late at night so if you miss one, you just have to wait a half hour in order to catch the next one. Its also cheaper to buy a round trip ticket with your student ID. Cost changes from company to company but its a pretty good price for how far they take you.

Getting the Hang of Things...

My least favorite part about starting a new semester is how costly college can be. Parking passes, school supplies, you name it, it all adds up. The biggest difference at Carlow College is what I paid for my textbooks. Every book that the professor tells you to read for the course is in the library. Amazing right?! There is literally no need to buy textbooks when you’re studying abroad.

Although this is true for the most part, my professor for Abnormal Psychology encouraged us to buy our textbook because there are so many social care (psychology/social work) students that is tough to get your hands on that particular textbook all of the time. Of course I purchased it because I’m a psychology major and I find Abnormal Psychology extremely fascinating. However, if you do not want to spend the money I did (about $50) then I encourage you to look for the textbook online or possibly buy an earlier edition.

When they tell you that most of your learning is going to be self taught, they aren’t kidding! I meet with each of my classes one time a week for two hours only. Within those two hours the professor goes over the materials that they promised to go over in the syllabus and that's it. Some courses are more discussion based, others the professor just stands in front of the class and lectures. Oh and did I mention that they’re not called professors here? Unless they have a doctorate, all professors go by their first names. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? It just takes some getting used to.

Coming from Carlow University, where we pride ourselves for how small our classes are, the class size was a total shock to me. I am used to courses where 20 students is a huge class size, now I’m in courses where 40 students is average. Regardless of class size, all of my professors are extremely nice and encourage us to ask questions, which I love.