Studying business at University College Dublin Past Review

By Chelsea C (Marketing., Providence College) for

Arcadia: Dublin - University College Dublin

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Choosing to study abroad was the best decision that I ever made. It opened my eyes to new experiences and ways of life. Invaluable experience! If you have the ability to study abroad you should definitely jump at the chance. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you learn so much about yourself in a short period of time. There is more to life than what you see at home and it is important that you put immerse yourself in order to soak it all in!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks
The term and year this program took place:	Spring 2010

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Not as much emphasis is placed upon academics. Much of Irish culture is based around the social scene and the time that is spent with family and friends. School work and classes are placed on the back burner. (Education is free with the exception of a few small fees so there is not much pressure. In fact, in my ethics class, many Irish students said they would not attend University if they had to pay what we pay in the States for education!) The bulk of your grade will be based upon your final, typically about 70%.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Great staff. Constant e-mail updates and they knew each student by name. Helped with any issues that we had and made sure we were all settled in. Hosted great group trips and a welcome and farewell dinner. Very personable and friendly. Highly recommend!
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Apartment with kitchen, shower/bathroom, and 3 individual bedrooms. Lived with one other U.S. student and an Irish student. Complex was filled with 1st year students. <br /><br /> Location was great but the housing was a little bit out dated. They did perform inspections while we were here and I believe they are planning on renovating sometime in the near future. New residences are popping up around campus and look very nice.
* Food:	A lot of comfort foods- cream based soups, potatoes and meat (especially ham!). Cooking for myself made it much easier. Grocery store and convenient store located close-by. A short bus ride/not a bad walk.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Amazing social scene. The pubs are great and the trad music is great to listen to. Dublin is filled with pubs and we tried not to go to a single pub more than once! The people here are great and you'll always hear great stories over a pint of Guinness. Clubs open at 11:00PM and fill up with college students and are a great time. The city is always busy during the week and it is great to head in and spend the day walking around. Dublin is a fantastic city!
* Safety:	Never had any safety concerns. You must keep your head about you, but that holds true no matter where you are.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Dublin is expensive. An average pint of Guinness costs about 4.50 (probably more towards the lower end). The further away from Temple Bar you get, the cheaper it is. Food can also be costly. Try to find smaller local restaurants and pubs, less expensive and there is often more authenticity! Most of my money went towards travel and weekends in the city. A decent amount of money was spent on food for my apartment. The euro exchange rate declined a bit while in Ireland so it helped. Either open and Irish bank account when you get to Ireland (AIB is located on campus) or open a Charles Schwaab account before you leave (refunded all of the transaction fees and accepted everywhere)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	International Students Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	International Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Great program and great location. Ireland is a great jumping off point to travel around Europe. UCD is located 15 minutes (by bus with frequent stops) outside of the city- 4 mi. walk- in an upscale suburban area. Nice escape from the city life. No complaints, overall the program is outstanding.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Business Ethics
Course Department:
Instructor:	Cavanaugh
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	My favorite class here. Class was filled with both Irish and Foreign students. Great to hear ethics perspectives from around the world. Was my only class that seemed engaging and the 2 hours passed by quickly. Only have to work on 2 power point presentations and submit 4 page reflections on them, but is done in groups of 4 and was very manageable. Highly Recommend this class.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Got credit for my second PC Philosophy requirement

Course Name/Rating:	International Marketing
Course Department:
Instructor:	Simon Bradley and Qun Tan
Instruction Language:	English, and some broken English
Comments:	I am a marketing major so I find the topic very interesting, but I must say that these teachers managed to make this class painfully boring. Students are required to prepare 1 power point presentation and serves as a discussion group for one presentation. One lecturer seemed constantly frazzled and missed numerous classes (we had a substitute teacher twice) and the other lecturer had a hard time speaking English and spoke very quietly. 6 quizzes were given at random throughout the semester- forced you to read, but were tricky enough that even if you did read, the quizzes were difficult. Final exam was not too difficult, but you had to study all of the material and know it 100% (no direction or guidance was given). DO NOT TAKE!
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Course Department:
Instructor:	Tom Murphy
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I was looking forward to taking this class because I thought it would be interesting and relatively easy, since it seemed to be all about solving problems. Wound up being insanely boring and the lecturer picked boring cases to cover. One paper during the semester. I had to teach myself much of the topic before I could even start it. One group power point, but was not presented to the class. Overall the class was not difficult but it was definitely not what I expected.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	EU and the Business Environment
Course Department:
Instructor:	Dr. PJ Paul
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I chose this course to learn more about the EU, but found out that the majority of the students had already taken a course that prefaced the issues that were covered. Felt very behind from the get-go. I really would have liked this class if I had a better understanding or previous knowledge of the EU Business Environment. One group project (5,000 word essay and presentation on an assigned topic), was not too difficult but I had to teach myself the majority of the concepts before I could being my portion. The professor was a really cool and friendly guy but moved at a very rapid pace. Had a whole class set aside to go over topics to cover in preparation for the final. If you already have some background on the EU I recommend it, but if not choose a different course.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Irish History
Course Department:
Instructor:	Marnie Hay
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	100% American Business study abroad students. The poor women had to teach a class once a week to a bunch of kids who she knew were not interested in her class. One paper during the semester (that she grades easily because she knows that you're not a history buff), 1 group presentation on a set topic, and she gives you a lot of guidance for what to study for the final. Very nice woman and tried very hard to get student involvement. Required, but overall not a bad class.
Credit Transfer Issues: