Fred Glavin - Summer in Minnesota

Minnesota  Summer 2025

" Quite literally the trip of a lifetime."

Memorable Moments

The main highlight from my experience was most certainly the day trip to Madeline Island in Wisconsin where we got to take in the beautiful scenery. A close second would be having our short films shown at the local theatre in Duluth.

Cultural Connections

There were plenty of similarities in culture between the Irish and American students, even down to fairly niche things such as our taste in music or favourite online trends. The Korean students we met were definitely more reserved culturally however we still enjoyed their company and made some great memories with them while learning about their fascinating country.

Coping with Homesickness

There were times where I was homesick, however I always got over this feeling very quickly thanks to the amazing people I was away with, as-well as the exciting activities we often got up to. Engaging classes provided by UMD also helped take my mind of any homesickness.

Making  New Friends

As quite an outgoing person, I was quite lucky to make many friends from Ulster, America and Korea alike. Some of my best friends now are people who I went on this trip with and we still see each other regularly.

Advice to Others

My advice would just be to go for it and really buy into the experience. Ulster provides a brilliant platform to be able to engage in overseas opportunities which can be few and far between in the post university world. I would advise anyone reading this to take part in at least one GoGlobal programme during their time at Ulster, no matter how short or long it may be.