TCD Full Year

As a full year, direct enrollment student at TCD I was put into college housing with other international students. I lived in Rathmines, about fifteen minutes walking distance away from the IES centre, so it was always nearby if I need it, although I only went there a couple of times toward the end of the year. Most of my experience abroad was independent of IES' programming; since I was the only full year, I wasn't as involved with the center as the people who had orientation there. When I did need help, the staff there were great.

Classes at Trinity are very different to classes in America, most of all in terms of grading. It was uncomfortable to adjust to the concept of one assignment determining your entire grade for a course, but it did change the way I approached coursework. The professors at Trinity were amazing and I enjoyed all the courses I took there.

Living in Dublin was incredible; it has all the charms of a historic town and all the perks of a big city. The major difficulty with living there was in the general cost of everything. The exchange rate from the dollar to the euro is bad for the dollar, and Dublin is expensive on top of that. Budgeting is important for living there, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.