University College Dublin - Study Abroad

My time at UCD is definitely one of the most rewarding times of my life. Apart from the engineering courses, I also took German electives from ALC and Irish culture course. During the first semester, I work closely with associate professor P. F. Curran on my graduate project. I’m so happy to apply my knowledge of control theory into practice and have the privilege to learn the cutting edge control algorithm developed here in UCD to control the fuel tanks of ESA’s Ariana rockets. My invaluable experience here also helped me to receive an admission from Duke University’s graduate school. I’d say my experience at UCD absolutely adds to that.

My favorite music band is Westlife and that’s the reason why I choose to study in Ireland. After I arrived here, I’m so impressed by the history and culture of this emerald isle. The national museum of archeology is my favorite place to visit. I also love the breathtaking scenery at the cliffs of Moher. I’m also learning how to play the Irish tin whistle. Hopefully I can play a complete song before I leave here. In one word, a semester/ year at UCD is worth it without doubt.

My semester in Ireland as a chemical engineering student has been filled with new faces, new classes, and new experiences. As I look back at the semester, I remember all the times spent studying, laughing, and enjoying myself with friends. UCD does a great job of integrating academics with fun extracurricular activities for its students, like having Yoga and Pilates classes, but also having events like Mario Kart Tournaments. Not only does UCD provide fun activities, but the staff are also so helpful to the international students in helping them to choose the right classes, hosting events to bring international students together, and even sometimes having extra pots and pans for the apartments! UCD is located about a fifteen minute bus ride from the Dublin City Centre, which has a rich culture and history. It was so fun to explore the city, visit some pubs, watch some Gaelic Football Games at Croke Park, visit the Guiness storehouse, and see all the beautiful Christmas lights in the city. Not only did I enjoy myself at UCD and in Dublin, but I was also incredibly fortunate to be able to travel all around Ireland and Europe throughout the semester. I got to explore Spain, France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, Scotland, and not to mention traveling all over Ireland, seeing the Cliffs of Moher, Killarney National Park, the Aran Islands, and Giant's Causeway! My semester at UCD has been filled with so many memories that I will treasure for a lifetime!

I was very disappointed with my semester at UCD. Only come here if you're coming with friends and you're dying to see Ireland. I was looking for a different college experience abroad, and to be engrossed in the culture. However, just being on the campus felt like living in an isolated ghost town. I wish I had known this was a commuter school. The 'societies' are just small cliques of students, they don't do much outreach and seemed to have very few events. The International Society aimed at study abroad students had no trips after early October and tickets for their other trips were hard to come by. Though it would depend on program, in my opinion the professors were subpar and definitely don't cater to Americans. There's n assignments besides midterms and finals, so it's easy to lose focus. You'll be way behind the curve when you get back to the US, especially if you go to a rigorous school. I put some recommendations below to improve the program. Basically, they need to cater to all study abroad students-not just people who are using UCD as a base to travel the rest of Europe. The big thing going for UCD is that it's close to Dublin (though the campus is in the suburbs and feels like you could be anywhere). Dublin is a great city, and I enjoyed being in it, but that alone can't carry the school or the 4 month semester. If you don't have a group of friends and the money to travel Europe with, stay home or find a different program.

I would highly recommend the study abroad programme at UCD, in particular, that within the Quinn School of Business, which is what I completed. Going to UCD is a great way to be immersed in the lively city of Dublin while also enjoying the benefits of a campus, such as study spaces, the gym, and student centers and a great way to meet friends. I would highly recommend living on campus rather than trying to find outside accommodation, as this will help you to meet people and to adjust to Ireland. UCD is very welcoming and organizes many on-campus activities, as well as hosting a long list of clubs and other ways to connect with other students. The education is good and all UCD staff are extremely helpful. My favorite memories have been joining the film society, hanging with friends at the on-campus bar, the Clubhouse, and exploring Ireland as well as the rest of Europe with the great friends I've made.

Overall, UCD has been an amazing experience. They welcomed me with open arms and helped me all along the process of everything. UCD has been accommodating and really welcoming. With the international rate of the students being 25%, it has really helped with the transition of going to a different university. The Quinn Business School has been amazing. The professors are all so nice and willing to help you with anything. My advice would be to just go for it. It might be the only chance you get to do something spontaneous before having a real job. It is also a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in a different country, while also being able to travel and really get to find yourself as a person. One of my favorite memories was a weekend trip with the International Student Society. We went to County Cork and I got to meet so many different people from all around the world, while learning more about Ireland. It was the best weekend trip I have taken thus far.

As a junior, I was limited to only four classes that I could take abroad, and UCD was the ONLY school that my home university let me transfer all four classes from. In all honesty, that was the reason I chose to study at UCD, as culturally it's not a great fit for me. I love the convenience and liveliness of a big city, and Dublin feels quite small and UCD is far from city center. Despite this, I spent most of my weekends traveling (I was able to have a 5 day weekend with my schedule), which was amazing. I think I've visited 9 different countries in the 12 weeks I've been here. The school also provides ample opportunities to travel around Ireland for free, going to Galway, Belfast, and other attractions.

In terms of academics, for such a large school, I have felt very supported by advisors and administration. It took a little while to get used to the class sizes, which can be five times bigger than classes at my home university, but they're pretty easy to adjust to. And it can be easy to skip lectures, but most of my lecturers were fairly interesting and engaging!

Finally, I think my favorite memory, and proudest accomplishment, since coming over here was driving on the left side of the road along the western coast. As an American, I was so nervous about driving, but it was pretty easy. We did see a double rainbow over the Cliffs of Moher, so maybe that gave me some luck while driving!

I cannot recommend highly enough a semester abroad at University College Dublin. It was hands down the best time of my life. Ryanair offers unbelievably reasonable flights all around Europe and I was able to travel to England, France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy all for very reasonable costs. These international trips were a blast and I got to see so many incredible people and places that are difficult to get to from the US all in a weekend trip (which was quick but I really got to do a lot)! However, that much is available from any study abroad program pretty much. What made UCD an especially amazing experience was the beautiful campus, the people I met and the trips that I was able to go on thanks to UCD Reslife. I would highly recommend living on campus to anyone traveling to UCD - accommodations were comfortable and extremely safe. My abroad experience started off with a full week before classes started going to Reslife events. I met the hilarious RAs who told us all about the aspects of living in Ireland that you don't get from a tourist website or book. I met tons of international students while doing stuff like learning some Irish dance, trying out Irish food and drink, and they even planned really useful practical events like trips to Ikea. Through the semester I loved the nights spent busing into the city to go out and enjoy the clubs in Dublin, many of which had great live music and such fun crowds.

Despite getting the unforgettable chance to see so many countries I'd never seen before, my favorite part of being abroad were the trips I got to take around Ireland. One weekend, the International Student Society hosted a three day trip to Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara National Park (for less than 150 euro - housing, transportation, admission everywhere included - it was an incredible deal). I spent the weekend with a group of students from Italy, France, Germany, and the US and had an absolute blast seeing some of the most beautiful places I've ever been with fun people. Another weekend I got to go on a windsurfing trip with the windsurfing club out to Castlegregory, near Dingle. That one had more Irish students (but still a good dozen international students or so out of like 30). I had never windsurfed before. The first day the conditions were too rough so all the beginners took a road trip over to Dingle. It was stunning, and so cool to get to drive around those narrow Irish roads among the hills and cliffs and greenery. Then the next day I got to go windsurfing for the first time, which was so fun. The Irish students I met were some of the nicest and funniest people I've ever known, and they made the trip an absolute blast.

If you are thinking about going abroad, do not let yourself convince yourself that it's not the right move. For me, it was the best experience I've ever had. Every single weekend I would look around me and say to my friends "I can't believe this is our life right now" and when I look back at pictures I still can't. I came back to campus with a much greater appreciation for my own happiness. When I get stressed, I catch myself and ask myself if I'm happy doing what I'm doing and if not what I need to change, because I was able to see how insanely happy I can be. No, I can't just be a student traveling every weekend forever - but I can look for a path that brings me the same kind of joy and fulfillment. I also have so much more confidence in myself. At home, I would regularly defer to someone with more experience and avoid confusing situations like navigating the unreliable bus system. Well after a semester of managing to find my way around Paris and Rome where I do not speak the language, that's no longer the case. Whenever I'm uncertain I remember that I took a trip to Spain completely on my own and had a blast. If I can do that, I can figure out how to navigate most of the challenges I face at home. But that's not something you can learn by being told, you have to feel the uncertainty first hand and feel the relief and pride that comes when you make it out alive and better than ever. Obviously, not everyone has quite so incredible experience - I was very lucky. However, even the friends I know who didn't have the time of their life consistently say that they are glad they gave it a shot, and they too come back with a greater sense of perspective and a greater confidence in themselves. UCD was amazing and if I was choosing again I would make the same decision without a moment's hesitation, but even if it's not specifically UCD that appeals I can't recommend highly enough going abroad somewhere and getting to see another part of the world.

Going away to my semester abroad in UCD, I experienced something I hadn't since my Freshman year of college: the anxiety of going somewhere new, by myself, leaving everything and everyone I knew behind. Luckily, this only lasted until literally just after landing in Dublin. I quickly met other UCD students right at the airport and from that point on I was never alone. Rather than talk about things you can find on a website (like courses or student organizations), I want to focus on the things that nobody told me and I was most pleasantly surprised by.

I really underestimated how big the role of the Study Abroad staff at UCD would be in my time abroad, and they were incredible. I made what would soon become some of my best friends at one of the events they put together, went to them for numerous questions about either academics or logistics regarding transfer of credits and finances, and most importantly always knew that there was someone I could go to if I ever had any issues or concerns.

Additionally, Dublin is an amazing city to spend a semester in. It's incredibly safe and the people are the friendliest in all of Europe (and I traveled a lot, so I can say that confidently). There are great cafes where you can do work or read a book, great pubs to make new friends or have fun with existing ones, plenty of open spaces to take strolls in, and a major airport with low-cost, direct flights to almost every destination in Europe. Plus, it gives you access to the beautiful country that is Ireland–which is conveniently small and therefore easily accessible.

I cannot recommend this program enough. It was a life-changing experience and one of the best decisions I have ever made. I made life-long friends from around the world, learned about new subjects and cultures, and always, truly, felt at home. I hope to be back soon.