IES Trinity College Dublin Past Review
By A student (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 08/22/2014 to 12/12/2014 with
IES Abroad: Dublin Direct Enrollment - Trinity College Dublin
I experienced life truly away from home for the first time, and was able to completely immerse myself in another culture. I appreciate everything about Ireland that I learned there, from the rules of Gaelic football to James Joyce's biography. Trinity wasn't the best experience academically (and the administration was a nightmare), but I wouldn't trade my time living in Dublin for the world.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Trinity is run very differently from American schools - they don't really assign readings or (in the History or Classics departments) have any kind of class participation or grades whatsoever besides the final paper. I didn't get much out of my history classes in particular - I would recommend avoiding it in general. English department was great, though. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We didn't have a ton of contact with the IES staff because we were at Trinity, but whenever we did they were great. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Probably the best area/apartments in Dublin. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I didn't take advantage of all the opportunities that I should have, but being directly enrolled in Trinity made it very easy to join organizations and meet students. It was also very easy to befriend Irish people in general. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any health issues, but it seemed to go fine for my friends who did. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in Dublin. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Too much |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I wish I'd been more careful about buying souvenirs - it was nice to have some, but in the end they just take up space in your suitcase, and your money is better spent on experiences, whether it's a weekend trip to another country or a night out in Dublin. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I'd known more about what would be available academically at Trinity. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
