My Exchange at University College Dublin – Law
I absolutely LOVED my exchange to University College Dublin. It was my first time in Ireland, and I have fallen in love iwth the country. I was lucky and managed to get on-campus accommodation – not all of the exchange students I met did, so I know finding accommodation in Dublin was a little bit of a stressful process for some of them. I lived in the Belgrove units on campus, I had 3 lovely flatmates who were all also exchange students. Personally I really enjoyed living on campus, it was so easy and the campus was huge with so many facilities – e.g. gym membership included in your student fees with two huge gyms, a cinema with cheap prices on campus, lots of food options etc. The apartment itself was pretty bare bones, but definitely enough to get by!
Something I really loved about UCD particularly was there was a real sense of community from the student body. SO many incredible (free!) organised activities for exchange students every week, I feel like they really looked after us. These included quiz nights with really great prizes, day trips to different parts of Ireland, movie nights, book clubs, pizza parties, cooking classes, sports tournaments etc.
Also there were SO MANY BALLS. Every student society had a ball, and they often included transport from campus in the ticket price which was ideal. Really enjoyable social life on campus.
I highly recommend just throwing yourself into all of the incredible opportunities that the university offers, because there was such an incredible community feeling, and a really amazing supportive network of people all ready to engage and make friends.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
One incredible highlight came from the Environmental Moot Court Law course I did, (which was part of the UCD Law Masters programme). The course involved us working on a real world environmental moot, which we then presented to an actual Judge from the European Union court. Following this, two of us from the class were selected to present the outcome of our Moot to members of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium – where we were involved in think-tank discussions with members of the European Commission for the Environment, and given a tour of the European Parliament. It was such an incredible learning experience, I met the most inspirational people and feel that I am returning to NZ with an enhanced understanding of environmental law as it operates within the international sphere.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I joined a number of societies and really threw myself into the student community at UCD and I highly recommend doing the same. The film club meant you could watch free movies at an actual cinema on campus which was pretty cool. I loved going to the Irish dancing and Irish language classes that the university offered too – highly recommend those as a unique part of the UCD experience.
I also joined the Sea Swim Society – which was SO much fun.
My favourite activity I got involved with at UCD was through the Drama Society – I auditioned for and performed in a play, which was so much fun. The theatre had a full professional rig for lighting and sound equipment, and getting to perform in the campus dramsoc theatre was a really wonderful experience. What was even cooler was this lead to the opportunity to then perform this same play with the same cast and crew later on in the year at a professional theatre in the heart of Dublin.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
- Ireland is SUCH a beautiful country – and SO easy to travel around, especially on the trains. See as much as you can!
- UCD has an incredible student community, get involved with any of the societies that take your interest – there are SO MANY incredible ones.
- Go to the lectures, and engage with your lecturers and other students! I met so many incredible, inspirational people in my classes and a lot of my courses offered additional engaging opportunities (e.g. trip to Belgium to the European Commission and European Parliament).
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
I definitely think I could have budgeted a little better for my exchange as I didn’t have a specific money budget in mind when I left, but i did work extra hours in the lead up to my exchange as I knew I would want some money to be able to travel around Europe, both within and outside of Ireland while on exchange.
I found living on a student budget in Ireland similar to in NZ, and tried to really manage my finances around cooking/eating at home most of the time so that I could afford to go out with friends in the weekends and explore Ireland.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I think a lot of what I learned on the previously mentioned trip to Brussels to present to the European Commission is what I will absolutely take with me in terms of environmental law takeaways, and hopefully I will be able to apply this to a career moving forward in New Zealand.
I also think I learned a lot about myself and the world, from all the travel and experiences. I feel more confident in myself and my abilities after successfully navigating life in a new country.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
I went to Iceland and it absolutely blew my mind! There was a cheap deal on flights to Iceland from Ireland over a long weekend, so a couple of other exchange students and I went – hoping to see the Northern Lights and they absolutely did not disappoint. The whole country was like being on another planet, with all the ‘land of fire and ice’ landscapes. The Northern Lights were incredible, and all of the Waterfalls, hikes, glaciers and coastline around the South of Iceland felt magical. My favourite country I visited outside of Ireland.