One of the major cultural differences I’ve experienced here in Belfast is the drinking culture. One of the major reasons, of course, being that the drinking age here is 18, not 21, as it is in the States. This means that alcohol is much more a part of life in university in a casual way, a way it cannot be at American universities. For example, clubs and societies are able…
Food is a somewhat different experience in Belfast than it was at the College of Charleston. First of all, all of the student accommodations at Queen’s University are self-catered, which means that students have to cook all of their own food. The freedom of being able to choose what you want to make for dinner is very nice to have, but having to make your own food does mean that…
The education structure is a bit different at Queen’s to what I experienced at the College of Charleston. Courses at Queen’s would meet once to twice a week for lectures where a professor would stand in the front of a lecture hall and speak for several hours and meet once for tutorials which were run by TAs with smaller groups and were discussion based. This resulted in less face-to-face time…
To any future study abroad students I would say the very cliche phrase: don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You are going abroad to learn new things and have experiences you can’t have here in the States. That being said, having ties to home helped me a lot. I would set aside time each weekend to call home and I brought a couple of mementos from…
Michelle Taylor Major/Minor: Supply Chain Management, Global Logistics and Transportation Sophomore Host University: Queen’s University Belfast I have wanted to study abroad for years. I actually searched for colleges on the basis of how strong their study abroad programs are. I chose to study at Queen’s because it checked several important boxes for me. First, I wanted to study in an English-speaking country. I don’t have strong foreign language skills.…
As I approach my last week in Belfast, I want to take the time to express just how grateful I am to have the opportunity to study abroad and that I have learned so much about the world and how other people interact with the world since I have been here. I’m hoping to take everything that I have learned from the class setting to the hands-on experience of walking…
My name is Brady DeHaven and I am a sophomore studying Political Science and Irish Studies at the College of Charleston, but in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Queen’s University Belfast. I chose this program because my mother was born in Northern Ireland and still has the majority of her family right outside Belfast. I wanted to be able to reconnect with a family that I don’t really know and understand…
When people think about Ireland, one of the first things that come to mind is the natural beauty across the entire island. While Northern Ireland is politically in the United Kingdom, there are no borders that cross the green fields separating the two nations. Giant’s Causeway, one of the most beautiful places that I have had the privilege to visit and experience is located on the northern coast of Northern…
*Written previously* Being in Belfast has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and studying at Queen’s University has definitely been an adjustment. Each term I take 3 modules, each consists of between one to two lectures a week with one “tutorial” a week where we reconvene in small groups to discuss the material for the week, focus on our assignments, and learn from each other. Queen’s…
Belfast has had a rich history of violence and paramilitary conflict that just recently ended in the late 1990s. Since then, Belfast has become a booming city known for the distinct Irish and British culture. Different neighborhoods of Belfast are unique in what they have to offer. The Cathedral Quarter, with Saint Anne’s Cathedral, has a unique Irish scene that brings together people from not only the Republic of Ireland…
