international house: I'm an American college student majoring in biology and very interested in studying abroad for a year at Queen's University Belfast. I'd like to know a little more about the school (what's the international housing like, other students, professors, etc) and about Belfast (are the people nice, is it friendly to foreign students, what are the guys like ;P, etc). Got anything for me?|||Although I don't go there myself, Queens has an excellent reputation. It is a very prestigious university with a beautiful historic main building and good grade reputations. The student halls (housing) are well known for being the cheapest in the UK, at around 拢65 per week and are very close to the university. You will get a wide variety of students from all over Northern Ireland, as well as from Ireland and from across the water, and there is a vibrant, but extremely relaxed atmosphere on campus. Now for the area. It is in an area of South Belfast, which is very stylish and closely intertwined with the more rural Belfast. It's around a half-hour walk from the city centre, but is drastically quieter and more laid back. It is a VERY student-like area and has loads of cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs which often have student discounts and "student nights". It's my personal favourite area of Belfast. As I said, Belfast is around half an hour away by foot (5-10 mins by train, but getting a train such a short distance seems pointless and expensive). Despite its turbulent past (*see source 1*), it is now considered to be one of the safest cities in Europe. It has hundreds upon hundreds of big name stores for shopping, as well as a massive new shopping centre with many designer brands and a relatively new Hollister store, which is very popular currently. I can't really say that much about the guys - because I AM a guy. But many women who come to NI from abroad often say they like the guys because of the Northern Ireland accent - which interestingly, most Northern Irish people actually dislike and are embarrassed about. :P The transport links are some of the most uncomplicated in the UK and can get you mostly anywhere - on the eastern side of the country at least. If you want a bit of a look at the area, use Street-View on Google Maps/Earth to take you to right outside the university by typing: 54掳35'4.45"N, 5掳56'10.83"W People from Northern Ireland are generally very friendly to foreigners. A lot of people from elsewhere consider the Northern Irish to be the friendliest peoples in the UK. Especially black-taxi drivers - they're a right laugh. Also, you need to keep it in mind that Belfast is in **Northern** Ireland, which is in the UK (Britain) (*see source 2*). You will look like the ignorant American if you call it "Ireland" - not to mention that you will get mixed up in the whole Northern Ireland argument (see next paragraph). Just a heads up. Another tip, if you decide to go here - don't get caught up in any of the Unionist/Nationalist, Catholic/Protestant stuff (*see source 1 again*). Leave that to the locals. Try to refer to the people as "Northern Irish", not British or Irish. As a foreigner, you are much much safer than a local from getting caught up in an argument of this sort, and you could probably travel completely safely to some places in Belfast that some locals would be too afraid to go to - so that's good lol. And I don't know what idiot gave "Rask Balavoine"s answer a thumb-down. That's just the fact.|||Actually Belfast isn't in Ireland, it's in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and is so because the people decided that's what they wanted in a democratic vote