IES Abroad Dublin Direct Enrollment – Trinity College Dublin

When I decided to study abroad, I thought I knew what I was going to get out of being in a new culture. I wanted to learn more and learn from a different perspective. I gained far more than what I expected. I increased my confidence in my ability to adapt to new places as well as my confidence to navigate a new place by myself. I gained a greater appreciation of cultural differences and furthered my understanding of other cultures. Overall, studying abroad helped me grow in ways I didn't know I needed to.

Day to day life in Dublin involved catching up with friends at classes at Trinity, a university that is actually older than the United States, heading out for pints at night, and then waking up the next day to study or explore. Dublin has all of the perks of being a big city, with a small city vibe. There were nights when I actually ran into people I had met on other nights out, that's how small the city is. I usually walked everywhere, although there were buses, which I very rarely used. The night life had a super chill vibe, very casual unless you went to the clubs on Harcourt St., which are fun in their own right, but definitely not an every night experience. The academics at Trinity, while confusing to get registered for, were well worth the registration chaos. They were interesting and engaging (for the most part) and had Professors that were experts in their fields. The academic life was not as challenging as my school in the U.S., but wasn't easy. It left time to travel, which I did amply, as Ryanair, the budget airline, is based in Dublin, so travelling places was extremely cheap. All in all I had an absolutely incredible semester, and a lot of it was the program I was on. I had great experiences with all of the IES staff from the moment I applied to even the summer after I left.

Studying for a semester at Trinity College Dublin was an amazing, life changing experience. IES did a great job at preparing me before I arrived in Dublin. Adjusting to the city was an easy process, and through the help of IES I was able to navigate Trinity's confusing academic system. I am so happy I had the opportunity to spend a semester in Dublin and explore Ireland!

IES Dublin rocks! The staff is so nice and accommodating. The housing was great. Trinity is very cool, historic school with plenty to get involved with. The age of the school means some processes are inefficient. I made amazing friends in my group. We managed to immerse ourselves in the culture well. The Irish people are so welcoming and friendly so it's easy!

I went abroad with the hope of making new friends, Irish and American, and IES direct enrollment at Trinity provided the perfect environment for that. The housing IES placed us in was really impressive and comfortable with extremely sweet Resident Assistants. There were different excursions to go on around Ireland that helped build a close-knit community among us visiting students, and the staff that led the excursions were awesome and knowledgeable. I loved the informal and supportive interactions I always had with the IES Dublin staff. As for the academics, Trinity was the perfect school for me. My professors were enthusiastic and brilliant, and the direct enrollment allowed us to easily meet Irish students and make some friends along the way. The rain took some getting used to, but I think most of us embraced it after a few weeks. Dublin a beautiful city but not in the way that places like Paris or Florence are, most of the richness is within the people and the culture--seek it out!

I was a student at Trinity for the 2014 Hilary Term, and I was really impressed by the housing IES secured for my peers and me. Not only was it spacious enough to comfortably house four, it was also only a 5 minute walk to campus. The program leaders made sure to check in with us on a regular basis and our RAs made sure to plan fun and authentic outings for us at least once a month (my favorite was going to see a Gaelic Football match at Croke Park). Trinity has a strong academic program that is largely pushed by student initiative (my department, Theology, did not have continuous assessment like its American counterpart), which I appreciated because it allowed me the freedom to work homework around my travel schedule. Also, because I was directly enrolled in the college, I had the opportunity to make a lot of Irish friends, which was my favorite part of my time abroad.

After a good amount of consideration, I decided to apply in the fall of my third year of college for a semester in Ireland. I chose IES because of their direct enrollment program at Trinity College Dublin, and am so glad that I did! Trinity is famous for its academic excellence and history, both of which were important to me. I wanted to really make the most of my time abroad, adding to my academic credentials as well as having the time of my life. IES made this possible, placing me in convenient and comfortable housing, introducing all of the program members to one another, and helping us adjust to life and class-work in a new country. Between the IES staff and the program-members, we formed a close-knit, supportive, and adventurous community. We were all encouraged to take full advantage of this adventure, travelling all over the country, including on program-run field trips, and learning about all of the exciting opportunities available in Dublin itself. I fell in love with that city, and with all of Ireland, and really have to thank IES for making my study abroad experience so wonderful.

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.