Program Reviews

As a junior, I was limited to only four classes that I could take abroad, and UCD was the ONLY school that my home university let me transfer all four classes from. In all honesty, that was the reason I chose to study at UCD, as culturally it's not a great fit for me. I love the convenience and liveliness of a big city, and Dublin feels quite small and UCD is far from city center. Despite this, I spent most of my weekends traveling (I was able to have a 5 day weekend with my schedule), which was amazing. I think I've visited 9 different countries in the 12 weeks I've been here. The school also provides ample opportunities to travel around Ireland for free, going to Galway, Belfast, and other attractions.

In terms of academics, for such a large school, I have felt very supported by advisors and administration. It took a little while to get used to the class sizes, which can be five times bigger than classes at my home university, but they're pretty easy to adjust to. And it can be easy to skip lectures, but most of my lecturers were fairly interesting and engaging!

Finally, I think my favorite memory, and proudest accomplishment, since coming over here was driving on the left side of the road along the western coast. As an American, I was so nervous about driving, but it was pretty easy. We did see a double rainbow over the Cliffs of Moher, so maybe that gave me some luck while driving!

What first drew me to the UCD Summer Program was the internship component. I thought it would be a great experience to study and intern abroad. I wanted to gain new perspectives on the business world and have the chance to apply classroom concepts to the real world. The UCD Summer Internship Program gave me the opportunity to do those things and so much more. I have always wanted to travel to Ireland. The country has so much to offer, from the big city of Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, to smaller farming communities, and to the beautiful coastal scenery. I felt it would be the perfect place to spend my summer.

I was able to intern with Nomos Productions, a small video production firm. I was a digital media and communications intern. Through my role, I was able to see all parts of the video marketing production process, from idea concept to final video editing. I was also able to perform a digital audit on Nomos’s social media accounts and then create a 6-month plan to enhance their social media presence. Through this internship, I was able to learn so much about digital marketing and social media. This internship has added a great deal to my resume and will definitely set me apart from my fellow students. My favorite part of my internship was being able to learn the behind-the-scenes of video production. There was so much to the process that I did not know about!

I really enjoyed the academic portion of the summer program. I was able to take a core module about the Irish Business Environment, it was very interesting to learn about the growing rate of multinational corporations in Ireland. I also was able to take the Digital Marketing module, I really enjoyed this course. It applied directly to my internship and I was able to take things I learned from class and immediately apply them in the workplace. It was truly a great addition to the internship component and I feel I was more successful in my internship because of the academic component.

I enjoyed the cultural program that was organized by the Quinn School of Business. It had a variety of trips that appealed to many different students. I attended the Causey farm trip, the Cliffs of Moher trip, and the Wicklow hike. These excursions were so fun. It was great to see the other areas of Ireland, although Dublin is a great city. Ireland has such variety all across the country and I loved getting to see some of it. Ireland is a very beautiful country. Other than the trips organized by the Quinn School of Business, I also visited Belfast and Cork. Both were great cities and easily accessed by train. Overall, I was able to see much of Ireland and I would recommend a trip to any of these destinations!

I would recommend the Summer Internship Program because it has helped me become a more competitive and independent student. It also has helped me meet so many amazing individuals and expand my network across the globe.

It is difficult to properly sum up my 2 months spent at UCD because it was one of the most exciting, beneficial, challenging and incredible times that I have had.

I initially decided on doing the UCD Summer Internship Program because of the Internship component. The internship I had, working in a finance department for a private hospital, was an amazing learning experience for me both professionally and personally. I gained so much more from my internship than I could have ever expected or wanted. UCD did a fantastic job of taking my goals and skills and pairing me with an employer who was capable of helping me achieve them with a meaningful project assignment. I can honestly say that my internship through UCD was a turning point for me in my professional pursuits and will be an experience I reflect and talk about for the rest of my life.

What is amazing about the UCD program is that, on top of an incredible internship experience, it offers so much more. Getting to live on an Irish college campus with 80 other students was a blast. I got to meet students from all over America, and truly made lifelong friends. UCD did a great job making everyone feel welcome, and helped introduce us to each other.

Taking two classes was also a perk of this program, as they both transfer back to my home university. The 6 credit hours they offer will help me finish my degree back home. Beyond the credit hours, the classes were a learning experience on many levels. First, they taught you about Irish culture, the Irish business environment and overall improved my knowledge on Ireland. The elective classes offered were broad enough that every student had the ability to pursue an area that they are interested in.

Finally, the UCD program offered many opportunities to travel around Ireland and Europe. The program organized trips almost every weekend, including trips to a farm (which was my favorite!), a trip to the Cliffs of Moher, and a hiking trip in the nearby mountains. These trips were a great way to get to know Ireland and get to know other students in the program. I also was able to see parts of Europe, such as London, Amsterdam and Portugal, because Ireland is such an easy place to travel from.

Overall, the UCD program offered an endless list of beneficial opportunities, ranging from valuable international work experience, to educational classes, to incredible trips throughout Ireland. It took a lot of courage for me to decide to do this program, as I was so nervous to be away from home for 2 months in a program that I didn't know many people in. However, I would encourage people to embrace this opportunity to be outside of your comfort zone because I would not trade this summer for anything!

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.

Really cool way to gain internship experience and have a fun summer abroad. Would recommend to do before summer after junior year (college) as the internships will probably not lead to full employment after. Students work Monday-Thursday, so there is plenty of time to explore the city, country, and surrounding areas. A good number of other students, mostly American, enroll in the program, meaning that there is no shortage of people to go out with in the evenings. A highlight of my trip was spending a weekend at Castlepalooza, a music festival held at Charleville Castle.

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 spent 9 months in one of the most beautiful countries. The people are the nicest of anywhere I’ve ever been. I got a MA in cultural policy and arts management and was able to learn alongside those from several different countries. We took two class trips during this program and throughout the course of the program, my classmates became my family. UCD was a wonderful place to study and live. There were many food options and tons of places to study, a beautiful state of the art gym and amazing societies to join.

I joined the dance society and my time at UCD with some of the most enthusiastic dancers I’ve ever gotten to work with. I choreographed our jazz routine that year and was a soloist in the contemporary and mixed pieces. Jazz won 2nd and contemporary won 1st at the all Ireland Inters competition in Galway. It was an amazing experience.

Overall, living in Dublin was amazing. The people, the food, the experiences all exceeded my expectations. There is so much to do and see and I cannot wait to get back this summer to visit my friends.

While I was enrolled in this program, I was able to travel to several other countries. I spent time in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, and Sweden. Through these experiences I was able to learn and grow so much. These trips were as much a part of my education as my time at UCD. My love for travel and culture only increased while I was abroad and I cannot wait to experience more. It’s my goals to see and experience as many cultures as possible during my lifetime.

This program and it’s studies, as well as the travel I was able to do started a fire in me. I want to grow and understand. I truly believe the key to being a good human being is understanding the human race. The best way I’ve found to do that is to travel and immerse yourself into the culture of whatever amazing country you’re in. The world is an amazing place and diversity should be celebrated. I want to know and experience as much as I can to help bridge the gaps we so often find in our cultural differences.

Study abroad at UCD is was amazing and I am so thankful and grateful I had that opportunity. I truly believe study abroad in any capacity is important. The more you see and experience, the better off you and those around you will be.

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!