Studying Abroad at UCD as a Civil Engineering Major

I spent a semester at UCD studying in the School of Civil Engineering. Classes were decent, although the course setup was very different from how things are run in the United States! Professors generally were less available, exams had much greater weight in overall course grades, and often lecture halls were only half full. It was tough to make friends with Irish students at UCD, and even when I did, I only ever saw them in class because they commuted in to school and I lived in an on-campus residence hall. Even getting involved with societies wasn't everything I had hoped for. I would say the academic experience on UCD campus was fine, but not great.

My experience outside of academics, however, was awesome! I appreciated being out of the hustle and bustle of city center and enjoyed taking long runs and walks through the surrounding neighborhoods. The area was very safe and beautiful. Plus, there was easy access to city center via a 30 minute bus ride. There were so many incredible things to do, places to eat, and (of course) great pubs and clubs to check out. This was really where I met the most people and formed some good friendships!

My biggest piece of advice to someone studying at UCD: be more outgoing than you think you should, don't let the location of UCD prevent you from exploring Dublin city center, and travel to other Irish and European cities if you can!