University College Dublin

UCD was an amazing place to study abroad. Tons of campus-wide events that are fun to get involved in along with other programs and student orgs. On-campus housing is nice and clean, but can be expensive depending on the accomodation. Dublin city is a 20-30 minute bus ride away which is very easy. Traveling elsewhere is also easy because of Ryanair being based in Dublin, direct flights everywhere.

Academics were great and so were professors, assignments and projects are all due towards end of semester so plan around that.

Studying abroad at UCD has been an incredible experience. I’m taking most of my courses through the Engineering & Architecture college and the program has been inspirational and exhibited a new approach to architecture education. The program has an emphasis on artistic design, testing how my drawing skills can match the concepts I’m attempting to portray. It’s different from my experiences in the US in the way that most of the learning and instruction is individually paced. Because of this, professors and advisors don’t check in on you. Therefore, if you need assistance or have questions you must ask them. It is your responsibility to reach out to the resources you are given for assistance and people will usually be happy to help. Due to most of the academics being self paced I’ve had to make my own time and effort to focus on academics. This structure has worked well with all the opportunities and events I’m taking advantage of. I’ve been on many trips through Ireland with the architecture program, exploring places I wouldn’t have been able to on my own. I’ve also taken trips through the UCD global program and of my own planning. The train or bus can help me access most places. It has been a valuable skill learning to navigate different forms of transportation, one that I can apply anywhere I travel.
Dublin is a fascinating city! And I personally enjoy that UCD isn’t directly in the center. I appreciate a separation from the bustle of the city and the academic world. UCD itself is such a large campus it acts as its own city, but didn’t take me long to adjust and find the places I regularly visit and enjoy. Most places in Dublin are accessible by the bus system so I’ve had no real issues exploring the city.
Everyday here is unique and exciting. I’m thoroughly enjoying this adventure and how much it has pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Overall, I've found Dublin and Ireland to be beautiful, and I’ve felt safe exploring. I’m excited and invigorated to continue travelling around here and further into Europe.

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.