Dubliners Dream Past Review

By A student (Biological Engineering, Cornell University) - abroad from 01/05/2015 to 05/23/2015 with

IFSA: Dublin - Trinity College

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

I learned how to be independent! I learned how to travel alone, explore cities alone, and be happy being alone. I spent plenty of time with friends and socializing, but being away from my good friends back home meant I had to both make new friends and be contented being by myself. This, I believe, is a valuable life lesson.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I was directly enrolled at Trinity College and found that the courses was considerably easier than my courses at my home institution. Additionally, I was taking them pass/fail. However, I would still say that I learned a great deal and very much enjoyed taking classes from the Irish professors as it helped me understand how material is taught in other countries.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	IFSA-Butler Ireland did an amazing job of making our experience great. They were very involved in our enrollment of courses, offered lots and lots of help if we were sick or needed any emergency help, and their office doors were always open for us to stop by and say hi. Every thing on the administrative side went extremely well.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The Adelaide Apartments were great. It was especially nice that the apartment complex was located in a secluded part of town and was gated. I felt safe and the apartments themselves were very, very nice.
* Food:	Our apartments had their own kitchen so I cooked for myself. The super markets in Dublin were affordable and several were located right by my house.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I immediately joined the Trinity College Netball team and made some amazing friends. There were several international students on the team so we became friends with each other and integrated into the team. I spent as much or more time socializing with them as I did with the other Americans I lived with. I do not think that most of the Americans made as good of Irish friends as I did, and I attribute my joining a sports team with that. The Americans that did not join a club or team on campus did not have the chance to make Irish friends (it's hard to make friends in classes). Because of my Irish friends, I felt very integrated into the local culture!
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I only got sick once and went to the free on-campus clinic. It was a walk in so I had to spend the whole day waiting to be seen. Other Americans made appointments with private doctors through the IFSA-Butler office, and their service was better.
* Safety:	I felt very safe in Dublin, even more safe than in the US city I am from. I would walk home late at night and still feel safe. That being said, Dublin is a city and if I were to be less street smart I might have run into trouble.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I had an amazing time and wouldn't change a thing.

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?	Cook at home as much as possible! It is easy to want to eat out in a new city or when guests come to visit, but cooking your own food is by far the easiest way to save money. Also, go light on the alcohol because that can add up too.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Dublin! The trip to Northern Ireland Taking classes directly at TCD
* What could be improved?	Could be longer! Could live with other international students Could be forced to join one club on campus (for those students who need a push to be involved)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Being homesick is ok! Instead of being sad and watching Netflix all day, it's ok to be homesick but still make yourself get out there and do stuff.

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 Urbanite A 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Tissue Engineering ME5BIO3
Course Department:	Engineering, graduate
Instructor:	Conor Buckley
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	We had a few research papers and then one final test. I found the lectures (three times a week) interesting. They were mainly powerpoints of different aspects of tissue engineering and included several guests lecturers. We had one laboratory and lab report, both very straight forward, and then a comprehensive written test, which also was straight forward.
Credit Transfer Issues:	This counted as 2.5 credits (5 ECTS is 2.5 credits).