Ireland program has more to offer

April 21, 2005
By Maureen Shulte
Staff Writer

St. Ambrose’s Ireland study abroad program really gives students a chance to embrace themselves within the Irish culture. From living in international student housing to attending school with Irish students, the program truly allows students to gain knowledge of the Irish traditions.  On the other hand, students studying in London from Missouri colleges are not quite achieving the experiences of that of Ambrose’s Students in Ireland.

The Missouri Colleges study abroad program in London appears to lack complete culture immersion by constantly grouping all the students from the states together through classes and housing.

“There are about 105 Americans in London and we all live and hang out together,” a Southwest Missouri State University student studying in London, Katie Labrayere, said.

“The experience is good, but since we’re around Americans all the time, it not very culturing,” Labrayere said.

The living conditions differ greatly of that of Ambrose’s housing in Ireland. There are three buildings in which the London students reside, and all three are filled completely with Americans. Which explains why the Americans all stick together instead of branching out and meeting English locals.

While Ambrose’s program allows the students to take classes with Irish students and professors, in London the students even have American professors and keep all the Americans collectively in the same classes without any English students. This prevents the Americans from meeting other cultural students and experiencing different teaching methods of English professors.

“By keeping us together in and out of school makes it difficult to meet any English friends,” Southwest Missouri State University student, Tracy Floodman, said.

Different programs provide different advantages for students studying in any country. Missouri colleges study abroad program seeks to maintain the Americans as one group, while Ambrose’s program offers students a unique opportunity to embrace and discover life in Ireland.

“Of course I’m having the time of my life, but the program in a way defeats the purpose of study abroad,” Floodman said.

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