Dublin - more than a place to find beer and shamrocks! TASSEP Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

At TCD, the students are given significantly less choice on which courses they take. Mostly, their schedule is set and determined by their major. While they are very willing to let foreign students take classes from multiple majors and disciplines, they do not guarantee that the scheduling will be easy. Since these schedules are never posted online and usually not determined much in advance, it makes picking a schedule that accommodates home university requirements a bit tougher. However, everyone was very helpful and let me work things out so that I was able to take a full, interesting course load while I was there.

On-site administration of your program

As I said, TASSEP provides no real support in the foreign country. It is very similar to direct enrollment, and the international office and other professors at Trinity were the ones that I turned to with questions once arriving. The School of Histories and Humanities provides the option for a semester start-up program to all international students, which was the most helpful part for me. This week introduces Irish culture, literature, and architecture, as well as providing field trips around the city and surrounding areas to help students get to know Dublin and each other better before the semester begins.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I arrived in Dublin without any pre-arranged housing and spent the first week living in a hostel near campus. This allowed me time to figure out where other students were living and to do some apartment searching to determine where I would be best suited for the semester. In the end, I went with on campus housing in Goldsmith. While the housing itself was nothing special, the proximity to campus and other students studying was unbeatable. Because of the location, it was safe and did not require public transportation to get home at night (this was a big plus, as buses and the DART stop running by midnight and cabs can be pricey). It was close to the campus and touristy areas (like Temple Bar and Grafton Street), as well as the more student-oriented areas. I know people who stayed in apartments farther from campus, and I feel like the benefits of the location more than made up for the cost difference.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

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

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• Hostel
• Dorm

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• Local Students
• International Students
• Americans

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• Local Students