Over T-giving Break (and w/ the help of his advisor as well), my S has begun to narrow down his choices for study abroad. As far as he wants/needs for curriculum, we’re still doing some research on that but he’s planning on declaring English Creative Writing next semester as his major. I’m more interested in safety (especially for a gay, male, American) and vibe/culture of the town and Uni. Any feedback is welcome however.
He’s currently a first year, who is interested in going abroad for the entire junior year.
Wales:
Cardiff (this would probably be the front runner if not for one thing. He needs to take a full yr of a language and he wants to take either Welsh or Gaelic. They only have a 1 semester Welsh course.)
England:
Uni York, Exeter (this is only marginally still an option. He doesn’t like how restricted the program available to him is)
Have you considered the other Welsh Universities? Bangor, Aberystwyth and Swansea all teach Welsh and Celtic studies and creative writing if he wanted to include that. Swansea is a large city, Bangor and Aber small with easy access to the surrounding countryside. They are all coastal. In Bangor and Aber the students form a large proportion of the term time population. The universities are multicultural and I’ve not heard any bad reports in terms of the way gay or foreign students are treated. The student room site will give some idea of life in those places, and it will probably be unvarnished.
The only other Welsh school open to him is Bangor and maybe we need to look at it more, but it didn’t seem as academically strong. He thought the school itself was gorgeous though!
I cannot comment on the relative strengths academically. League tables need to be used for each subject in the UK and the headings need to be looked at closely.As you probably know the number of citations etc are irrelevant for undergraduates usually. Bangor probably scores points by being in a substantially Welsh speaking community with over half being Welsh speakers. Language learners are welcomed. There is a hall of residence for those Welsh speakers and learners who request it. Cardiff is a predominantly English speaking town although all the unis have good societies/clubs for everyone. Good luck with your searches.
Any place in Ireland would be very safe for anyone. NUI Galway has lots of courses where you can learn the Irish language (which is a hard language to learn- so well done to him!). It is known for its great student vibes and there is a huge student population in the city. In Ireland, accommodation is relatively difficult to get, but anywhere outside Dublin is cheaper.
Galway county itself has areas where people speak Irish as their native language (Gaeltacht). In 2020 it will be the culture capital of Europe- so there will be great events lined up.
Best of luck to him!