Victor (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at University College Dublin

I had a fantastic time in Ireland and am already looking at returning ASAP. When I first arrived in Dublin, I was constantly amazed by the landscape and city. The country is very immersed in its own history, which is often breathtaking and disturbing at the same time. One thing I found interesting was when I went from Dublin to Belfast. I felt the difference in the atmosphere of the two cities despite there only being a two-hour bus ride away from each other. The Ulster Museum in Belfast was also awesome as it explained a lot of the history of violence, which is still felt throughout the city.

There were a few hiccups along the way, e.g., being a neurodiverse person, it was a lot to jump into immediately. If I could redo this experience, I would have been more involved in understanding how the courses were run and the expectations that UCD put on students. Eventually, I found it easier to study alone and not go to classes, which is entirely different from how I am at UOA, where going to classes is the best thing I can do for my grades and mental health while studying. It is also not something I would advocate for at all, but as most stage three classes were two hours long, I worked best alone. I would just say be prepared for having to rework your assumptions about yourself and how you work best. Make sure you have a support system back home, as sometimes uncontrollable events happen, meaning having people you can lean on can be very helpful.

On the positive side of things, most lecturers at UCD are willing to help you adjust to the courses, and there are a lot of events for international students that make the experience easier and more wholesome as you meet people from different parts of the world. There are trips led by UCD to introduce you to Ireland, which are always amazing (and mostly free). I went on a trip to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren, which was extremely informative.

If you are a part of the LGBTQ community, there are also tons of events that happen all time led by Queer people in Ireland. During the daytime at Street 66 (a queer bar) in Dublin, there are queer markets with a ton of awesome art and creativity. You are also very close to London, which constantly has something going on for the community.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

It is very self led which was both frustrating and amazing. Lecturers expected you to know a lot but also didn’t judge you at all for being a bit behind in certain areas. Small classes in stage three papers. You will learn a lot from your classes at UCD especially if you are taking higher stage papers.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

Absolutely make sure to participate in many of the activities the UCD International Student Association offers. There is a trip to the cliffs of Moher and the Burren, both of which are fascinating and beautiful.

Travel as much as possible. I would say definitely go to Galway and Cork. You are bound to meet some awesome people in hostels from Europe. I met a few people from France and Germany who gave me some good spots to go to on my next trip to Europe.

If you end up going to Belfast, go to Tim Hortons (its a Canadian food place but so so good)

The gym at UCD is free for students. It is quite busy all the time but if you go in the morning you won’t have to use the performance gym (which is were all the athletes work out).

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

If you plan on staying on campus and have the extra money, don’t stay in Belgrove House. Ashfield looked to be a nicer accommodation building. Belgrove House has a shoddy alarm system which goes off (without warning) at all times of the night. Also, talk to your flatmates about splitting tasks (even if it makes you the bad guy).

As Ireland is currently going through a housing crisis and a (bad) recession make sure to get your accommodation sorted out quickly if you plan on staying outside of campus. Also make sure to check if the people you are renting from are legit.

Travel around Ireland as much as you can and invest in a camera if that’s your thing.

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 budgeted most of my money towards accommodation. It was enough as someone who just wanted to see the sights and travel around Ireland (without caring about how nice the hostels were) All in all I relied mostly on student allowance (which came to about 180 euros per week) which definitely wasn’t enough if I wanted to go shopping etc. but Ireland is beautiful and there is more to do than just shopping.

Also shop around for groceries – Lidl and Aldi are the cheap supermarkets in Dublin and I definitely felt the difference between a shop at those two and a shop at Tesco.

I ended up going to Lidl or Aldi for the stuff you could get anywhere (cans of tuna or beans, bread etc) and Tesco for stuff I couldn’t find in Aldi or Lidl.

Cook as much as possible for yourself rather than eating out, but a roll from Centra is also filling and quite cheap.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

I learnt more about my own independence. I learnt to rely on myself a lot more and how to navigate often frustrating border crossing experiences. One paper I did was amazing. It was a history paper on 18th-century Venice, and the lecturer wanted to give us freedom on what individual students wanted to research. I also did a course on the Literature of Migration, which was also extremely eye-opening as it exposed me to political, philosophical and literary theories which have impacted how I approach my own studies.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

I ended up going to Italy and London. If you have the time and money, both are worth it (but especially London).