Jessica Colson – An Experience in Galway, Ireland

For many college students, the dream of studying abroad remains just that – a dream. However, for some, the dream becomes a reality. Such was the case for Elms College junior Jessica Colson, a pitcher for the Blazers softball team, who spent four months during the fall semester in Galway, Ireland as part of Academic Programs International (API).

API is an educational organization dedicated to providing challenging and enriching study abroad programs for students. The experience of living, interacting and learning in an international environment presents invaluable opportunities for each student's academic and personal development. All of the academic and extracurricular offerings are selected with the goal of helping students to grow more self-aware and culturally sensitive. The goal is for each student to evolve from tourist, to resident, to global citizen. API is dedicated to supporting this lifelong process and providing the best comprehensive study abroad experience possible. 

API offers students study abroad programs in 18 countries and within different cities in each of those countries. For Colson, the choice was easy – Ireland.

Students who choose to study abroad in Galway attend the National University of Ireland, Galway, located on the River Corrib. The institution was founded in 1845 as Queen's College, Galway, and became part of the National University of Ireland system in 1908. Approximately 11,000 students attend the university, 1,000 of whom are international students. Visiting students can choose from a wide variety of classes in liberal arts, sciences, engineering, Celtic studies, law and business. Semester students are fully integrated with Irish students in their classes, housing arrangements and any extracurricular activities. The university sponsors over 80 academic, social and athletic clubs that provide wonderful opportunities to get to know local students.

Galway is Ireland's largest Gaelic-speaking area in the country, and even today the mother tongue of much of the population is the native Irish language. Students find plenty of entertainment in the city labeled the "Cultural Capital of Ireland."

Here are some questions we asked Colson about her experience:

Talk about the process you went through to make the decision to study abroad. What has been the driving force behind your interest in going overseas?

I had known since my senior year of high school that studying abroad was something I definitely wanted to make a part of my future.  The concept of expanding my borders and jumping into something completely brand new has always appealed to me. Studying abroad is very different than vacationing in the aspect that one is not just there to be a tourist, but to actually participate and integrate into a new culture and environment. With that in mind, I began to weigh my options. I finally decided that fall of my junior year of college would be the most opportune time for me to go abroad (as not to miss the spring softball season!). Ireland had always been in the cards for me, as far as location goes. My Irish roots run very deep and I thought, "Hey! What better way to learn about my heritage than to go live in the country where my ancestors lived!"

With your interest in the Irish culture and a few different Ireland options available, what made you decide on Galway?

Galway, as opposed to the other cities accepting American students into universities, just seemed to have a completely different vibe. After doing some research on the various cities in Ireland, I learned Galway was the "cultural capital" of Ireland. Different from the true capital of Ireland, Dublin, Galway brings in all the aspects of "Old Ireland" from the west coast, where Gaelic is still the primary language.  In order to experience full immersion, I felt it was vital to study in a place where old traditions were recognized and taught, and where the arts flourished. I really wanted to feel in touch with Ireland, and I came to the conclusion that Galway was the best atmosphere for me to do just that.

Talk a little bit about how the educational structure was setup compared to the United States and what you were able to take away from that experience. Where you able to apply any of this to your sports management major?

The Irish education system is weird. I'll just get that out of the way right off the bat.  I'm not sure if that is the case for all European educational institutions, but I had the hardest time adjusting to the Irish educational structure. First of all, continuous assessment is non-existent. All knowledge for a course module is assessed at the very end of the semester in the final exam. I am not particularly fond of this system. For one, what if I had a bad day on test day? The majority of the workload was to be done independently outside of the lecture halls. Although I took primarily electives while I was abroad, I was fortunate enough to find a class I could apply to my sport management major. I decided to take microeconomics which turned out to be an interesting class. The class was taught with a European twist, obviously, so it was neat to see how business is applied to foreign markets. Currently, I am enrolled in a Global Business class here at Elms. I feel like I have a better grasp on the subject matter than perhaps many of my classmates, all because I took a business class abroad.

Were you able to get a sense of the athletics culture in Ireland? If so, anything relatable to softball?

Athletics are absolutely a huge part of culture in Ireland. Although the sports worshipped there are different than those Americans are interested in, it was comforting in a way to see people come together around their team, just like here in the U.S. In Ireland, the three main sports are rugby, hurling, and soccer. Hurling is definitely the major sport in Ireland that could be roughly comparable to softball.  The object of hurling is to use a wooden stick called a "hurley" to hit a ball known as a "sliotar" between an opponent's goal posts – over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar past the keeper for three points. Although it's more of a combination of baseball, soccer, and football, there are some similarities to softball. The speed the ball travels at is proportional to the ball speed in a collegiate softball game.  Also, the use of the hurlies is similar to bats.  Although I appreciated these new sports, it definitely made me appreciate softball more and the American culture for athletics.

You were the only student from Elms to travel to Ireland, but you did have a friend from St. Michael's College on the trip with you. Talk a little bit about your experience meeting new people and sharing this experience with them.

Although I travelled abroad alone, which scared my mother half to death, I did meet some incredible people along the way. The friends I made in Ireland, both American and Irish, I consider lifelong friends.  After all, we shared an extraordinary experience together. Living and integrating into a society one is not familiar with can be a struggle, but knowing there are others going through the same process leads to the formation of a very strong bond. Although the real goal in going abroad is putting oneself out there and testing new waters, it's always comforting to know you aren't going through it alone.

What else about your trip has stuck out in your mind that we may not have covered?

Ireland has a particular sense of community about it. While in Europe, I had the opportunity to visit other countries such as Italy, France, and England. To me, none of these places felt like Ireland did.  Ireland represented home to me in many ways, particularly in safety. Everyone looked out for everyone in Galway. It didn't matter if you were a citizen or not, even I felt like strangers had my best interest at heart. The kind and welcoming spirit of Ireland could not be matched by the other countries I visited.  Even back home in the U.S., I miss the vibe Ireland gave off. Maybe that is why I am so eager to go back.  Life is genuinely appreciated in Ireland.

Do you have any plans to return to Ireland? Is there something different you want to do or see?

I will most definitely go back to Ireland at some point in my life. The country itself has so much character, and I truly consider it a second home. Next time, I'd like to take a trip up to Northern Ireland. Now that the majority of the conflict between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has settled down, I think a trip up to Belfast is in the future for me. I'd like to see the sights in Northern Ireland, as well as the differences, if any, in day-to-day life. I am also not ruling out the possibility of working abroad, perhaps in Ireland. I would love to find a job that would require me to travel.