Dublin and the big European Cities Past Review

By Jackie K (Neurobiology and Neurosciences., Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/17/2014 to 12/13/2014 with

Trinity College - Dublin: Dublin - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

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

I learned a lot about being independent and I think I grew personally. Dublin is an incredible city and I am grateful that I went. It was an incredible opportunity to see a whole new part of the world.

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 found the approach very different from Middlebury, the evaluation was far less continuous. There were very few grades, but the content was still rigorous.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	It sometimes took a long time to get in touch with administration
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	They were great, very central in Dublin 2 living on campus.
* Food:	The Dublin food was great, but a little expensive.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I felt like it was difficult to meet non-abroad students because of how large the school was.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	The campus always felt incredibly safe, and Dublin felt relatively safe.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university?	Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

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

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Freedom Travel in Ireland
* What could be improved?	communication with Trinity
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish I knew how hard it would be at first doing direct enrollment, it makes me wish I considered using a program. However, there were also many positives to direct enrollment.

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 Avid Adventurer The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Ireland and the Union
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	David Fitzpatrick
Instruction Language:
Comments:	yes this course was challenging and the assignments were very engaged, requiring a large amount of involved research.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Christianity and Society
Course Department:	Religions and Theology
Instructor:	Jill McArdle
Instruction Language:
Comments:	I found this course challenging. However I thought it wasn't accurately described in the catalogue, it ended up being far more philosophical than religions oriented.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Behavioural Analysis
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	There was very little participation overall, but the class was engaging and my professors were practicing psychologists.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Making Sense of Action
Course Department:	Neuroscience/Psychology
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	I found this course challenging and my professor was clearly very knowledgable, however he sometimes seems a little bit unprepared. Overall, the content was very interesting.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Forensic Psychology
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Patricia Gill
Instruction Language:
Comments:	The content had a lot of potential to be extremely interesting and there was one field trip to the court house, but the professor was extremely disorganized.
Credit Transfer Issues: