Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

(a half of a ) Semester in Dublin! Past Review

By (Psychology, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/21/2020 to 05/01/2020 with

Trinity College - Dublin: Dublin - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Definitely worthwhile! For the few months I was there I made some good friends, and got to explore the city pretty thoroughly.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The intensity of the courses was much less than I had expected! for most of my classes (you take 5-6, depending on which department you're in) I had one term paper to complete by finals week.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Stayed at Binary Hub. It was relatively quiet and clean, the administration was generally very helpful, and the suite set-up was nice.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Dublin is a pretty international city but bus rides across the country/to different towns are very easy and pretty cheap!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Didn't experience anything directly with this. But in response to the COVID crisis, the school was very responsible in going online quickly.

* Safety:

Always felt very safe, even at night walking back from bars or classes! Was never pick pocketed or heard anyone else who had experienced that. Heard that south of the Liffey (where the school and housing is) is safer than the north, but didn't have any experiences that corroborated that.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Though COVID ended my experience early, I really enjoyed studying in Dublin. The cost of living wasn't as high as expected so there was room to go out a night or two to local pubs and to cafes pretty frequently. Flights to other countries were accessible and (from an American point of view) very cheap, It was easy to bus to different towns and cities (highly recommend Galway and anywhere in County Wicklow!). The people and students there were friendly, and the city itself has so much character and felt very safe.

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)

Easier than I expected! Groceries are reasonable (I recommend Lidl's), bus rides to Galway never cost me more than 10-15 euro. Getting kitchenware/bedding/etc. was the most expensive, and even then you can find cheap options in some of the department stores

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? ~50-75 euro
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Highly recommend a coffee maker of some sort if you need it, coffee tended to be pretty expensive. Also found a lot of cheap home ware (towels, bathmats, etc.) at Penney's

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

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International 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?
  • The city
  • The people
* What could be improved?
  • Registration for classes was pretty confusing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how little time I would end up having, and where to buy the sort of house ware/kitchenware to have a kitchen/room set-up a little more quickly

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.