Interstudy Dublin - UCD: The School Is Terrible, But the Experience Is Worth It Past Review
By April P (Religion, Hamline University) for
ISA Study Abroad in Dublin, Ireland
Essentially, my Hamline preparation and my experience at UCD were both pretty poor and unchallenging, but the traveling abroad made it completely worth it. I have come out of it with a global perspective, a new bravery and courage, and a new sense of relaxation and extroversion.
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. |
University College Dublin's experience was extremely underwhelming for a competitive academic achiever. There were six classes instead of four, but each class was shorter and utilized less class time. There was little to no homework. While the classes were primarily lecture-based, attendance and participation was not graded, so regular involvement and engagement with the course was not enforced. Work ethic among the relaxed Irish students was low in comparison to a more intense American emphasis. Time and punctuality are not prized values in Irish society, so most deadlines are flexible and peer-to-peer work was lax. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
International students were 100% segregated in housing. We were placed entirely with other international students, meaning that most of my friends were Australian, New Zealander, Malaysian, or American. Registration was a total farce, and I wound up sitting on the floor outside of the program coordinator's office for several hours, several days in a row, while they tabulated every international students' details by hand! There was virtually no interoffice communication whatsoever. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We lived in an absolute palace of a dorm. Roebuck Hall was built in 2006 and is practically a work of art. Glass, white, light wood, natural light, the works. We each had our own single with a bathroom and a shared kitchen space with a huge window. State of the art appliances. It was seriously amazing, easily the nicest place I've ever lived. |
| * Food: |
Food is expensive, particularly against the dollar. Avoid Dunne's, M&S, and other fancier shops. Stick with Tesco! The caveat, though, is that the food is excellent. Irish dairy is some of the best in the world, and local produce is everything when the island is so small. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Truly setting aside the issues with UCD - the student environment, the academic environment, the study abroad office, the location - I have to honestly say that my friendships, my trips to Dublin, my weekend trips to Ireland, and my backpacking trip in Europe are some of the most treasured experiences I've ever had. I will always remember spaghetti bolognese nights with my friends, drinks out at the pub, the time we all went to the Guinness Factory, the Irish house parties, the trips to Cork and Killarney and Galway and Howth and Malahide... some of those memories are the stuff of legends. And the trip to Europe! We went to Barcelona, we went to Rome, we went to Paris, we went all over the place. Gaudi and the Vatican and the Eiffel tower, breakfasts in hostels, mad dashes to catch trains and last-minute flights, carefully preserved maps, ticket stub after ticket stub... It was truly incredible. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Totally not an issue. I went to the dentist once. It was basically free. I had no other health issues whatsoever. |
| 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? | Dublin. Is. Expensive. We were spending between E100 - E120 a week on groceries, supplies, trips, and going out to the pub. If you go to bars or clubs, or pay for taxis, it gets way more expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget your money very tightly. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR EXCHANGE RATES AND THE FEES LEVIED BY YOUR BANK! I cannot stress this enough! The exchange rate done by your bank IS NOT NECESSARILY the same exchange rate that you might find online! Also, your bank WILL CHARGE YOU for ATM conversion fees! (In other words, plan for about $20 extra dollars a month on fees and transaction rates.) |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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