University College Dublin

I initially chose to study abroad at UCD because I knew the business school was very good. I also did not know any other students studying at UCD. The first week, the study abroad program did a very good job putting together events to welcome the international students, and they were a great way to meet new people. During class time, professors did a very good job facilitating discussions, and outside of class they were extremely willing to help when I needed it. Overall, I loved UCD because of the people, the city, and the academics.

I enjoyed my time at UCD studying mechanical engineering. I think the classes were not that much harder than my American engineering classes. The academic freedom from accountability was the hardest thing to get used to vs. the US. There is not ongoing academic assessment like homework every week. Class grades are largely determined by a large midterm test or assessment and a final I tried to sign up for a dance class with the dance society every week and was mostly successful. The classes were very laid back and fun. I also engaged with a 5v5 pickup soccer event that was biweekly organized by the student residences which was also a lot of fun.

One reason why I wanted to study abroad at UCD is because international travel within Europe is so cheap compared to traveling from the US. I went on weekend trips to Spain, England, Scotland, France, and Germany. I also went on trips to other cities in Ireland including Cork, Belfast, Galway, and some coastal towns. Getting to spend 20 euro to fly to a different country was absolutely insane to me that it was that cheap.

I studied abroad at UCD via a program called Arcadia Abroad. I personally would recommend doing it through the program if possible because they took care of some of the annoying logistical stuff for me like applying for housing that some of my roommates that didn't study through Arcadia had problems with. From Arcadia, I was also introduced to a cohort of American students via some group bonding events before classes started that was really nice so I could meet people that were in a similar boat and added some familiarity from home to such a foreign experience.

I was assigned what I believe is one of the worst housing options on campus, but I was still really surprised by what was offered. We had our own suite style rooms fully furnished and a full kitchen and common area (no oven unfortunately). The really nice perk was that we had our own private bathrooms which was a really nice bonus I wasn't expecting until I got to my room.

Dublin is an amazing city for many reasons, including its charm, pubs, and views, but it's also not without its flaw when looking to study. There is a very real chance you will not get accommodation from UCD, as me and some of my friends did not. You will instead have to constantly search sites like daft.ie and the student accommodation pad for some of the most insulting accommodation listings. I ended up paying more than most campus accommodation prices, with a 20 minute bike commute (in Ireland's rainy weather too) that takes over an hour in Dublin's absolute joke of a public transit system. If you're like me, this may even lead to a lengthy tour of the Irish healthcare system after getting hit by a van on your way to class. It's very slow (you're looking at around 9 hours in the ED for just a concussion), but at least the price is much better than the US (hospital visits are free with a GP referral!).

Despite dropping the ball on accommodation, however, there are many things to praise about UCD. Academically, I never once felt as relaxed studying in the US as I did on even the busiest weeks here; the lack of gamified busy work gives you much more time to focus on actually learning the content. Even in my more difficult classes like thermodynamics and heat transfer, I felt I learned just as well as in my home university with only a fraction of the difficulty. There are, however, some culture shocks on final exams since they are such a large part of your grade. UCD also has an amazing system for clubs and societies which I wish my home university would adopt itself (go to freshers week and sign up for as many societies as you can!). The campus resources are plentiful, and the library is amazing, even if its usually too packed to find a good spot to study with friends.

I specifically studied chemical engineering, which had an even smaller program here than at my home university. One of the reasons I chose UCD was because of the lack of similar programs at other institutions. The faculty in all my engineering classes were amazing, however, and I felt welcomed and encouraged in all my classes. Overall, I would recommend UCD to anyone looking for study in Ireland, looking for easy access to cheap Ryanair flights, or anyone that just needs to enjoy some much lighter schoolwork for a semester.

UCD has an amazing engineering study abroad program. Compared to my home university (GW), their engineering program is much bigger and they offer a huge variety of classes. Although it may seem hard to study abroad as an engineering major, UCD makes it very easy to get classes that will transfer over to your home university. They also have a very extensive study abroad program that plans free trips for you to travel around Ireland and meet other study abroad/erasmus students. It was also relatively easy to travel to other places. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Paris, London, Amsterdam, Prague, and Rome during my time at UCD. The only negative is that most of the local students do not live on campus, so it can be a little hard to meet Irish students.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my semester abroad at UCD. While I am studying business and environmental science at my home university (Northeastern), the classes I ended up taking at UCD placed me in the engineering program. The academic staff was incredibly helpful in the planning process with my home university, and it has been enlightening to gain an Irish and European perspective on the topics I'm studying. Ireland's close proximity to Europe is also great for weekend trips, and I was thankful to have traveled to Switzerland and Scotland for relatively cheap. Highly recommend at semester abroad at UCD for anyone interested!