Studying in Dublin: A great Experience!

When I found out there was the possibility to go on exchange for one semester, I immediately knew this was something I had to do. For me, the main reasons to go on exchange were to improve my English and to have a great time in a foreign city. My first choice was Helsinki and my second was Dublin. I am glad that I did not get the place in Helsinki, because thus far I have had a great time in Dublin and really enjoy studying and living here.

Currently a lot of students want to study in Dublin, this makes housing very expensive and hard to find. I’ve spent many hours looking for a room. I was even very close to renting a shared room which is quite common in Dublin, but of course I preferred my own. Luckily, I found a perfect place. I live in an apartment building with 400 other international students, who are all here to have a great time.  As I said housing is expensive over here and I pay 240 per week, so if you’re considering going to Dublin you should keep that in mind.

“The campus is in the city center so when you finish your classes you can immediately go to a pub and spend the rest of the day drinking Guinness.”

The first two weeks were just an introduction period, in other words, the perfect time to meet new people and explore Dublin. The introduction organized by the university was nothing compared to the TOP-week. There were just a lot of parties but no real group who you spend your introduction week with. All the other international students in my apartment building were also looking forward to having a great time in Dublin. That resulted in going out every night for the first weeks and meeting new people. Quickly you start forming a group of friends. The biggest advantage of living with so many international students is that my friends come from all over the world, from Australia to the United States to Germany and France.

Ireland and Dublin are known for their strange accent, the friendly people, a lot of pubs and of course Guinness. Every Irishman is very happy to help you if you don’t know the directions, although you might have difficulty understanding them because of their accent. In the city center there are many pubs where every night a live band is playing.

“Ireland offers stunning landscapes, from beautiful mountains to the wild Atlantic coast line.”

I study at Trinity College Dublin, which is the biggest and oldest university in Ireland. Studying in Ireland isn’t a big difference. I have lectures and tutorials just as in Tilburg. The only difference is that the buildings aren’t that modern. There is barely space on the desk during lectures and some professors still only use chalk and talk as a teaching method. Studying at Trinity also has many benefits, all over the world it is considered a prominent university. Everyday a lot of tourists walk on campus because of its beauty. This can also be annoying when you are in a hurry, but you learn to deal with it. The campus is in the city center so when you finish your classes you can immediately go to a pub and spend the rest of the day drinking Guinness.

Ireland has more to offer than just the busy city life in Dublin. I live just a 10-minute walk to a beautiful park where you can relax and hang out on a free Sunday. If you’re lucky you can see deer or other wildlife. Another way to escape the city life is to take the train to Howth, it is a small village on the coast. You can go there just to relax on the pier or have some of the best fish and chips in Ireland. Ireland offers stunning landscapes, from beautiful mountains to the wild Atlantic coast line. Finally, the weather in Dublin is much better than I expected and even better than in the Netherlands. It rains a lot less than in The Netherlands and it isn’t that cold either.

All in all, studying in Dublin is a great experience to develop yourself, improve your English and have a great time.