IES Abroad Dublin Direct Enrollment

My semester abroad in Dublin, Ireland at Trinity College Dublin was an invaluable experience, filled with wonderful people, extraordinary places, and vital life lessons. With the help of the staff at IES Abroad Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and the friends that I made, Dublin became like home to me. The staff was always willing to help with any issues I had and share a conversation over a cup of tea.

As a student directly enrolled in Trinity College Dublin, I was able to join clubs and societies on campus, which helped me get involved and make new friends. I joined the Club Swim Team, and we went to Galway for a weekend for a gala (swim meet)! Additionally, I was able to take classes related to my major, Speech and Hearing Science, which gave me the ability to see my field of study in a different perspective. I was able to build relationships with professors and students from all over the world who are teaching and studying similar subjects. It was very beneficial and has given me the courage and confidence to explore postgraduate and professional opportunities abroad.

When I decided I wanted to study abroad, I knew that I wanted to do more than study. IES's direct enrollment program was great because I was guaranteed to fulfill both my academic requirements and my wish to travel. My main concerns while planning my semester were not where I was going to live or when to book my flights, but rather what I wanted to see and what I wanted to do.
Living and studying in Dublin was wonderful. The college, while it may be a bit behind the times administratively, has world class professors who love their subjects. Class attendance and homework are more optional than in the States, but the library has every book you could possibly find useful for the final papers. The Trinity campus is picture perfect (just ask the line of tourists) and the adjacent Grafton Street provides street entertainers who are a great study break.
But living in Dublin doesn't mean that you're confined to city life. Within a thirty minute commuter train ride are two coastal walking paths, several charming seaside towns, and a castle. On weekends or days when I didn't have homework, I tried to take the train to a different city every time.
Traveling outside of the Dublin to the rest of Ireland is a must. The island is stunning, with plunging cliffs, otherworldly woods, and peaceful mountains. IES offers trips to the north and west of Ireland that are well worth the price. With nice hotel rooms, local meals, and a bus that goes beyond where tourist buses normally go, the trips are a great way to see Ireland. Beyond Ireland, the discount airline Ryanair offers cheap flights (costing 5-15 pints of Guinness if you want a practical measure) to much of Europe. While traveling, I loved seeing as many different cultures as possible while I had the chance and was surprised at how much braver I became after navigating around a country in which I did not speak the language.
Now that I am back, I have no regrets about studying in Dublin. I am much more willing to try new things now and to find out what is going on in my community. Studying abroad forced me to seek out and try new experiences and I am not going to let that habit die. I am also more confident advocating for myself now. I have moved to a foreign country where I didn’t know anybody and know now that I am strong enough to make new friends and a new life, wherever I end up.

Now that I am home and in my predominant comfort zone, I realize how thrilling it was to expand my levels of comfort to new maxima. I have never been one to lengthen my socio-cultural boundaries but after four months of creating a new path, this was an essential move for me.
After a semester in Dublin, Ireland, I am proud to call this bustling city my home. I made a connection to this city, my university, and the inhabitants of this beautiful locale. I had the privilege of being enrolled in the engineering school at Dublin City University (DCU), which is in a suburban area in northern Dublin. Trying to keep myself busy, I took part in the execution of DCU’s first ever Relay For Life, participated in Irish Dance lessons in the city, and played for the women’s rugby team at school. One of the best parts of my time abroad was getting to know my family from Ireland much better. I was able to take weekend trips to see them in their respective counties and enjoy some “grand” bonding time with my cousins. My roommates and I even indulged on trips outside of the country where we challenged ourselves with different languages, currencies, and food. Keeping myself busy was key as well as taking care of myself and making sure I had things from home to keep me company as well as a journal to keep my memories stored in. It finally became natural to think nothing of winging a day trip or a bus ride to the city to find our favorite foods, shops, and sights.
Coming home is when you realize how much study abroad affected you. My independence has skyrocketed and my ability to voice my thoughts has amplified to a healthy extent that I never thought I possessed. It was all in me the whole time – sometimes you need a little world exploration to uncover the true you.

When I decided to study abroad, I thought I knew what I was going to get out of being in a new culture. I wanted to learn more and learn from a different perspective. I gained far more than what I expected. I increased my confidence in my ability to adapt to new places as well as my confidence to navigate a new place by myself. I gained a greater appreciation of cultural differences and furthered my understanding of other cultures. Overall, studying abroad helped me grow in ways I didn't know I needed to.

My time in Dublin, Ireland was an experience of a lifetime. I was never much for travel before but in the EU travel is so cheap. You could choose to buy a brand new outfit from a store or fly to another country. The culture in Ireland was also in some ways very similar, but then there were many of its differences. Food there is definitely a difference in quantity. You will learn to appreciate the grocery shopping centers that we have in America (Walmart). There are not many 1 stop shops, you must go to 2-3 different stores to get everything you may need from time to time. The culture in Ireland was also something that was very surprising. Everything from the morning life to the night life will take you by surprise. I will say the jet lag is something that will keep you groggy for the first 10-15 days. College was also a big change. School in America is a very strict attendance based classes and very reliant on weekly homework assignments. Classes are not attendance based, (pending on major) and the university is very big on large projects/papers to be written for weeks ahead. Plenty of time is given for the projects and everything else university wise is the students just constantly studying for finals at the end of the year.

Day to day life in Dublin involved catching up with friends at classes at Trinity, a university that is actually older than the United States, heading out for pints at night, and then waking up the next day to study or explore. Dublin has all of the perks of being a big city, with a small city vibe. There were nights when I actually ran into people I had met on other nights out, that's how small the city is. I usually walked everywhere, although there were buses, which I very rarely used. The night life had a super chill vibe, very casual unless you went to the clubs on Harcourt St., which are fun in their own right, but definitely not an every night experience. The academics at Trinity, while confusing to get registered for, were well worth the registration chaos. They were interesting and engaging (for the most part) and had Professors that were experts in their fields. The academic life was not as challenging as my school in the U.S., but wasn't easy. It left time to travel, which I did amply, as Ryanair, the budget airline, is based in Dublin, so travelling places was extremely cheap. All in all I had an absolutely incredible semester, and a lot of it was the program I was on. I had great experiences with all of the IES staff from the moment I applied to even the summer after I left.

IES was very helpful in preparing me before my departure and answered every question I had. Upon arrival, the staff was supportive and really got to know each individual in our program and really personalized the experience. I stayed in an apartment complex that was a five minute walk from campus and I had my own room and bathroom which was very nice. One of my favorite parts of the IES program was going on the fieldtrips that were offered throughout the semester. We were able to visit all across Ireland with other IES students and even some of the IES staff. All in all, studying abroad at DCU was such a positive experience and I'm so happy I chose to go through IES.

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Studying for a semester at Trinity College Dublin was an amazing, life changing experience. IES did a great job at preparing me before I arrived in Dublin. Adjusting to the city was an easy process, and through the help of IES I was able to navigate Trinity's confusing academic system. I am so happy I had the opportunity to spend a semester in Dublin and explore Ireland!