56 reviews
3.96 / 5 based on 56 reviews
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kathleen v
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Personal savings
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Prices are almost 1/2 higher than on the continent, so I payed a lot more for my food than at home. We mostly went to the Lidl down Falls Road. It takes you half an hour on foot but you can take the black taxi (1 pound for a single journey, but even then it's cheaper than going to the Spar). Going for a drink is quite expensive.
When you buy a telephone card from "Back the Bid" you'll have the cheapest card to phone to Belgium (other cards and telephoning other countries seems to be more expensive).
The rent in Bostock House is less than what I paid for my dig in Gent, but it was a lot smaller as well.
As for the night life: if you like to go out a lot and drink, than you'll need quite some extra money. In most pubs you can ask for a glass of tapwater, which is free of charge. Taxis and buses are rather expensive as well.
But don't worry: if you don't have a lot to spend, you won't get into trouble if you spend your money thoughtfully and economically.
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Travel, Food, Overall, Telephone:
was more expensive than at home.
Nightlife:
was the same price as at home.
Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
Belfast city is full of cash dispensers, so once you're in town you'll have no trouble getting money. But it can be cheaper opening a bank account since taking money from your home bank can be very expensive. At the college they'll inform you on opening this account. The computer-lab (internet available) is open untill 9 in the evening and on Saturdays from 9am untill 1 pm. This is really a very good service. It's only closed on Sundays.
In Bostock House you'll find the appliances and furniture you need, though you sometimes have to organise a bit of a search or share with other floors.
There's a telephone on the ground floor of Bostock and one in St. Mary's, opposite the student restaurant.
Some Erasmus-students worked during their stay. Some went to a building to arrange a job for them ("Jobs &..." something else, I forgot the name, it's close to the new swimming pool up Falls Road.)
Others just went to the bars and asked for a job I think. But as I said, if your turn your penny twice before you spend it, you won't have expenses a lot higher than at home.
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kathleen v
Academic
Course recommendations
The history courses given by Peter Collins and Brian Feeney are great. I'm very interested in history and I could listen to them for hours. I heard the same positive comments on their teaching from my fellow Erasmus students. Other classes were sometimes rather boring, but if you ask so, I think you can arrange your own timetable and put in the subjects you find interesting. Somehow we managed to do so :) My mentor was Frank Quinn. The man never had much time, but he was always there for us when we needed him and he was extremely nice.
The library is very accessible and the computer-lab is well equipped. Being in Northern-Ireland you should also take a religion course, just to see how it's given there. The difference between their view on religion and ours in Belgium is striking.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
The only thing that was not convenient was the fact that we arrived in the middle of a term and left in the middle of another one. That way we weren't able to follow courses from start to end.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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kathleen v
Overall
I wish I had known...
Sometimes it was bloody hard, and smetimes it was so extremely nice. Those three months where crammed with almost every possible emotion. Actually I'm glad that there where things I didn't know before, because otherwise I might not have gone, and then I would've missed out on all the good stuff.
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In my opinion:
I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
St. Mary's is pretty much like life itself: some things are great , other things suck. But just go there: you'll be in the middle of Falls Road, a street loaded with a very heavy history. It has a very specific atmosphere. It's not a place where anyone would ever go on holiday, but maybe that's exactly why you should go there on Erasmus.
I did my teacher training in the Star of the Sea girls' primary school. The staff there was extremely friendly towards us and the kids are just wonderful.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
If you don't have any social skills: don't go. Take some courses first.
If you don't know any English: don't go. Take some courses first.
If you want to go on Erasmus just to have sex with as many people as possible: don't go. Grow up first.
If you want to experience a different culture, if you want to improve your knowlegde about Northern-Ireland, British history, about people, about yourself, and about life: do go. Erasmus offers you a unique view on human interaction and on yourself. (You'll even learn about the people you left in your home country.)
Anyway you'll come home with lots of stories, images, feelings and friends-forever.
I wish you all the best.
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kathleen v
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my English
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
I didn't really improve my English in Belfast, but I'm a lot better at Irish now :) I didn't really like the Belfast accent at first, but now that I've picked it up, I think it's really cool ;) Also I've become a lot quicker in responding, I'm better at understanding slang and most of all: I have learned several sentences to keep a class under control in English ("when you don't shut up, I'll hang you out of the window head first/ you'll end up in the dustbin" etc.)
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kathleen v
Housing
Type of housing: a student house
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: that same student house
Why?
Because in Bostock House all the Erasmus-student live closely together. It's good to have all these social contacts with people experiencing the same as you, especially when you're far away from home.
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Personal comments
The accomodation is very basic, but that's all right. That way you learn to appreciate the simple things (cliché, but true) and you learn to separate the things you really need from the luxury you have at home that you can do without. You'll feel a lot lighter once you've experienced how little you need to go by -but a couch is something everybody should have :) The housing not being too comfortable will also help to reduce your Bostock-homesickness afterwards. The only things that irritated me was people waking you up in the midst of night when they came home blind drunk. But maybe that's part of experiencing the culture.
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kathleen v
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
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Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Travel, Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
If you can, take a trip to the coast, it's really beautiful. A trip to Belfast Catsle is also recommendable, or a pick-nick in the park on Falls Road or in the Black Mountains. As for the nightlife: plenty of bars downtown, mostly in the area around Queen's. Ask the local students, they'll love to take you out.
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