University College Dublin - Study Abroad

LOVED the city. Wish the city center wasn't so far away. The buses can become expensive and a hassle and very time consuming. Also, the school community is lacking. There are opportunities to get involved, but it doesn't really feel like a community. It feels more like a bunch of co-existing students. I appreciate the food options on campus especially because some places are more cost friendly than other places, but it would be nice to have some sort of a semi-meal plan option. also, our sink broke. ugh. took awhile to get fixed. but overall, so great!

I'll try to not be too negative in this review, but I genuinely hated my time studying abroad at University College Dublin. If you are thinking about studying abroad here, make sure you know what you're getting into. I spent my whole academic year here, and I seriously regret it. UCD is in the middle of nowhere; it honestly did not feel like I was in Dublin. Students generally are not super friendly, and it was quite lonely. The Irish students are a bit cliquely and overall are not interested in making friends with American/other international students. The school is huge, which was something I wasn't used to, coming from a medium-sized liberal arts school in the US. The campus has nice facilities, but it's quite ugly (unless you're into Brutalist architecture) and has a strange layout. Housing was fine, although a bit overpriced. It's a commuter school, so campus is dead on the weekends when all the Irish kids go home. I was living in a 7 bedroom apartment, and while it was nice to have my own bedroom and ensuite, I was living with international students who were all slobs.

Ireland is also not a very fun country. The weather is absolutely abysmal. You're on an island, so you're kind of stuck here. Many of the American students take trips around Europe during weekends or breaks, but if you don't have the money to do that, Dublin gets really boring really quickly. There are some beautiful places in Ireland, but they all kind of look the same. Irish people are generally pretty cool and laid back, but most of them just want to drink and party all the time. I cannot emphasize enough how much I wish I didn't study abroad here, and I can only recommend UCD if you intend to explore the rest of Europe while you're here and use it as a crash pad, or if you have an interest in learning about Irish history (but Trinity would be better for that anyway.) Don't study abroad at UCD if you can help it.

UCD was an amazing school to study abroad in for a semester! They provide free trips to go to different places in Ireland such as Galway, Kinsale, Glendalough, and more events where I was able to meet tons of friends. Also, UCD has a great community that makes it easy to join clubs/societies even if it is just for a semester which allowed me to make local Irish friends. It was easy to go into the city whenever I wanted and was a very safe location to walk around even at night so would highly recommend!

I'll start with the two (slightly) negative points:
-Academics can be a bit stressful sometimes, since much of the time, assignments are due all in one month + you have less assignments worth more percentage of your grade unlike the American system. However, I will offset this statement a little by saying that professors will make sure you don't fail!
-My residence wasn't the best— you pay for what you get, but even then, it is a little overpriced and when I came in, the previous owners left it in very dirty condition (however, this is not UCD's fault). But as someone in Glenomena, the single rooms and (in my case) the ensuite bathroom are hard to complain about, and there's nothing a little cleaning up yourself can't do.

But otherwise, I loved being at UCD! Being a UCD student for the semester has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. At first, it was hard to adjust due to the size of the campus, but there have been so many opportunities to find friends and traveling experiences through UCD-organized events (they run trips around Ireland for study abroad students!) and school societies. The campus is also very big, but that means there are many student life and academic resources— it almost seems like a small town sometimes. I have come out with increased independence, many lifelong friends, and new memories that I will always cherish because of my time at UCD. I highly recommend that if anyone goes to Ireland for study abroad that UCD should be considered!

I have loved my time at UCD. I feel safe on campus, enjoy the learning material, and have loved exploring Dublin. The facilities for students like my residence and the gym were excellent, and the bus into Dublin was easy and convenient. One thing I would change is that there could be more academic support for international students adjusting to a new style of teaching. I was able to utilize the maths tutoring centre, but I felt that overall there were not many resources made available to students who may have been struggling.

What an amazing University College Dublin has brought me. Along with an amazing academic structure, this experience brought me life long friends and memories. Everyday is something new and exciting. The city of Dublin is bursting with culture, history and uniqueness all around. My academic experience was one like any other coming with vigorous classes and professors who really know how to teach. Getting outside of your comfort zone was the best decision to make. I would 100% look into studying abroad at University College Dublin!

Though housing can be expensive, I have loved my time here at UCD. I have made so many friends from around the world. Outside of the university, the city is amazing and the whole country is full of fun experiences. It's easy to travel around in the city or in the country. There are many amazing coffee spots on campus as well as plenty of other amenities. No matter the time of year, it is beautiful outside, even in the rain. I would definitely recommend this program for anyone who is looking to study abroad in Europe.

I registered for 3 courses at UCD, all of which were related to architecture/ design. Supplementary courses were enjoyable and worthwhile, however, I was not a huge fan of the architecture studio setting. Studios are not cleaned between semesters, causing clutter and general confusion over which spaces are being used. Projects are highly focused on the production of physical models, but the school lacked resources that would make this process more enticing (3d printers, photo lab, CNC machines etc...). Tutors failed to create a competitive environment for students and the program itself felt very archaic.

The low rigor of classes did make it easier to enjoy my time in Ireland, however, so I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to have ample time to explore Ireland/ Europe. My only complaint outside of academics is the extremely high cost of living in Dublin. Overall, Dublin is a fun city with plenty of amenities close by.