Dublin - CIEE

I studied abroad during the Spring of 2017. The academic system at first was a bit challenging due to the difference in scheduling, grading, and evaluations. As the semester went on, it became easier to understand and adapt to. I personally enjoyed most of the classes I took, as I tried to make them pertain towards my minors. Half of my classes were located on the St. Patrick’s Campus, so it was about a fifteen-minute bus ride there and back. The bus stops are located on each campus, so it was not an inconvenience. I do highly recommend studying throughout the semester, even if the final seems far away. You will not regret it when the time comes. I promise.
Traveling was super convenient and accessible while in Ireland. That said, I would highly recommend for the first month or so to explore all that Ireland has to offer before venturing around Europe. I can safely say Ireland was my favorite place I explored out of all of my travels. Odds are many of the things you see and do will come up in your classes, especially CIEE led ones, and having witnessed them will make it easier to visualize and comprehend what you are learning about. When you do travel and return, it makes Dublin seem like you’re returning home to a familiar place. The CIEE coordinators are great resources for ideas and suggestions of where to go and what to do while there. It’s a good idea to become familiar with them, so if a situation where you may need advice or assistance comes up they can readily help you. Plus, they’re pretty cool people to know in general.
Many of the best memories stem from the little moments and places you will stumble upon. My advice would be to stay flexible. It’s great if you have an idea of where you want to go and what you want to see, but if you try to jam fifteen monuments into one day it can become exhausting and take away from the experience.
Another tip I have is if you are traveling to a non-English speaking country, or even a country where English may not be the first language but they’re known to speak it, find a list of common phrases and words in that country’s language and keep it handy. Even if you aren’t confident about what you are saying, most people appreciate the effort you are making to be a part of their culture. It’s okay if you butcher it, just make an effort.
Other than that, I suppose my only other advise would be that Dublin is beautiful, take time to explore what it has to offer. You don’t want to come to the end of the trip and realize you know far less about the place you’ve been living in for the last few months or don’t know how to navigate. Even if you mainly travel around with a friend or group of people, try to be the navigator every once in a while. In case anything were to happen, you would know how to safely get back and it will make you more confident in your future travels.