Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was surprisingly low for the history class that I took. Unfortunately I was not warned for my science courses that they only lasted for six weeks. So for six weeks I was swamped with work, but the second six weeks I only had my history course to take. The workload overall was unbalanced compared to American courses because all exams were at the end of the year (even the ones from the fall) and then there were only few large assignments due throughout the school term. All of my assignments were due in the same week. The grading system is based off of how you do compared to the rest of your class. The marks are generally lower than what you would expect to receive at home. The system is also based more on knowing part of the material very well. All my exams allowed me to pick 2 of 3 or up to 2 out of 10 questions. So it was unnecessary to know everything in the course. But you needed to know those two subjects very well. The lecturers had the same level of interest and amount of availability as in America. The courses were also structured similarly. The attitude towards learning the material was the same, although I felt that my knowledge wasn't well tested through their grading system. Students had the attitude that you started learning the material in the two weeks before exams (called revision weeks).

On-site administration of your program

The largest problem that I encountered with the international office at Trinity College was that it closed from 12:30pm to 2pm. This was for all of the offices and that could pose a problem if I had classes before and after. All the buildings were fairly easy to find and the program size was small enough to get plenty of personal attention when you needed it. Everyone was extremely helpful, but it was always best to show up to the office in person to get something done. My expectations were exceeded in terms of the college's helpfulness, but it always took a bit longer than it would at home to get something done.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived at Trinity Halls, which was university housing that was not on campus. It was located on Dartry, which was at the end of Rathmines Road, south of the city centre. <br /><br /> It was located south of the city centre (where the college stood). It was a 45 minute walk or a 20-30 minute tram ride. The bus took about 40 minutes, but it picked you up and dropped you off the closest. The facilities were very nice and they had computers and common rooms. The atmosphere was also very friendly, since most students were first or second years and still developing friendships. The Halls offered care packages for bedding and cookware, which were there upon my arrival. I had 4 flatmates, but I had my own room and bathroom (which was very nice). My flatmates were all local girls and first-year university students. They were nice, but the flat could get a bit rowdy at night (any day of the week).

Eating out was very expensive. There were a few dining places on campus that were ok. I ate there a few times but was not impressed. The pub on campus had good chips that were cheap. The quality of food that you would get at the store was higher than the states, but the variety of food was less.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The international organization (DUISS) had a field trip every Saturday around Dublin and also took people out to Galway and Cork for a weekend. Of course, it was all very tourist-like, but with so many people (the Cork trip had about 90 international students going) it was great fun. Other than that, since I was on an exchange program, there was nothing else that my program did in particular.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The Northern part of Dublin is generally not considered to be safe. However the campus and housing is all located either in the city centre or south of the city so it was generally considered to be safe. The only incidents I heard of took place north of the city centre, but those were rare to hear of. I luckily did not need to use the healthcare system, so I have no knowledge of that. There were no prevalent health issues, although the swine flu scare was just dying down when I arrived. I needed no specific vaccines.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Local Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students