University College Dublin - Study Abroad

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.

Studying abroad for a semester at UCD was the best decision I made in college. I never thought it would possible to study abroad my junior year of college, as it requires many upper level courses, but UCD had so many interesting classes for me to take that would transfer back to my home university, it was perfect! Also, I decided to study abroad just barely before the application deadline, but it was still such an easy and smooth process.

At UCD, the campus dorms are great- so clean and a lot of things are provided to you which is nice for an international student. The staff is so extremely helpful and will go out of their way to assist you. The classes are challenging, but super interesting and require the analyzation and evaluating of concepts learned as opposed to just memorization, which was new to me, but I appreciated.

There are a lot of international students that attend UCD, but to me that made the experience so much better, as I got to meet a lot of people from all over the world! Overall, Dublin is a great location and a lively city with so many things to do and explore- I didn't even get to do it all and I spent four months here. Definitely don't want to leave!

I am a civil/environmental engineering major whose home university is UMass Amherst. I decided to study at UCD for the spring semester of my sophomore year, and I'm so glad that I did. All of my professors are extremely friendly, and they are all willing to provide extra help or direct you to other resources if needed. With grades being mostly based on exams, my classes don't have too much busy work so I have plenty of time to travel and explore. The best part is that all of the courses I'm taking here are counting towards my major! Every advisor, faculty member, or any staff that I have encountered at UCD has been friendly, helpful, and if I could go back to my study abroad application process I would make the same decision all over again to come here.

I was very excited to go to Ireland for my exchange since almost no Norwegian students think about going there. UCD was a clear choice for me, since I had heard so many good things about their engineering programs. I had also heard about the beautiful campus and the good accommodation they supply for international students. It was super easy to make friends as there were so many other international students arriving the same semester as I did. I was also able to make som Irish friends though group projects in my various courses.

I am over halfway done with the semester and I can't belive how the time has flown by. During my time here I have tried to travel as much as I can in Ireland and Northern Ireland. So far I have been to Cork, Galway, Derry, Limerick and Belfast. I have also done a lot of hiking in the beautiful Wicklow mountains! Due to all the traveling and school work I have not had time to be very active in any society. Thus my greatest regret is only staying here for one semester!

Wonderful city and amazing university! I have had an amazing time studying at UCD this semester studying chemical engineering. The professors and faculty have been extremely encouraging and helpful. The best part is getting to know other international students from all around the world. The first two months here I took day trips all around Ireland. UCD has multiple programs for international students that offer either free or very well priced day trips. Ryanair has extremely cheap flights to other countries in europe and so far there have been great hostels in all of the cities I've been to. Studying abroad this semester was the best decision I could've ever made!

Hello my name is Cole Sooy I study mechanical engineering at UMASS Amherst. I have had an excellent experience at UCD starting from my wonderful adviser Joanne Riley to exploring the awesome social environment Ireland has to offer. Joanne was extremely helpful going as far as to provide incoming student with all sorts of cooking equipment we needed for the semester free of charge. She also helped me change my schedule several times so that I could have the best overall experience in Ireland. Academically I have enjoyed most of the instructors at UCD. That being said one of the instructors (I wont name them but they teach a second year engineering course) has driven my classmates and I insane with their teaching methods. Overall the class is not bad (I have an A so far) but its very hard to understand the material the way it is explained in class. Socially UCD has a billion clubs that are all excellent. I have been playing both frisbee and soccer and have had a ton of fun and made many friends while not feeling particularly tied down to the teams. Great experience going to miss this place.

I am a Chemical Engineering major from the University of Alabama attending University College Dublin for the Spring 2018 semester. I have found it such a wonderful and welcoming place to be. There are a substantial amount of study abroad/exchange students at UCD so all of the staff is accustomed to dealing with us, which is great. I ended up with a super helpful and supportive advisor and she made the preparation before I arrived and also the transition once I arrived easy. We were always given an abundance of information. I would definitely recommend UCD to anyone looking to study abroad!