Exchange Report

During the application process, I thought about why I wanted to go to UCD specifically. Which courses offered by the university I find exciting and what I like life on campus at UCD. I spoke to other students who had already completed their semester abroad at UCD and read exchange reports online. I would particularly recommend talking to others who have already been to UCD, as this gives you a realistic idea of what to expect from a semester abroad and allows you to discuss the application process so that you can better assess what lies ahead.

The UCD information document recommends looking for accommodation early on. I would also recommend this. Most off-campus student residences have minimum stays of one year, which means that the selection is very limited. The problem is that applications for UCD residences only open two months before the start of the semester abroad (there are various meetings to help you apply so that you don't miss any deadlines). I would recommend that once you have been accepted for a semester abroad at UCD, you look for off-campus accommodation and cancel it if you get a place on campus. I personally lived on campus in Merville. The accommodation was good and safe. You should bear in mind that almost all accommodation costs over €1,000 per month.

Academic life at UCD is different from that at WU. Different programmes are used and different teaching methods are employed. At the beginning of the semester, there were many assignments that were not graded. Each professor teaches their course differently, and in some cases, the slides are not published until the exam. I really enjoyed the campus infrastructure. In addition to the teaching buildings, the university has several fitness studios, sports fields, cinemas, etc. Each faculty has its own building, which meant that as a business student, I had all my lectures in the business building, which made it easier to change rooms between two lectures. As for the courses, they are graded differently than at WU. There are different grading systems, and the one used is specified in the course description. It is worth checking this in advance.

The university offers many opportunities to participate in sports. There are various societies that you can join for €2-15 per semester. This gives you the chance to meet lots of people and try out new things. I recommend joining several societies. Personally, I was in the film, dance, economics and windsurfing society. On campus, you can also book tennis courts or visit several fitness studios. In addition, the university offers trips to different cities in Ireland and social events via the Reslife app. Public transport in Dublin is time-consuming. There are almost only buses, and it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get anywhere from campus. However, with the Student Leap Card, the buses are quite cheap.

During my semester abroad, I was constantly meeting new people. Events at the beginning of the semester in particular allowed me to get to know people from different countries who were studying different subjects. Life on campus and the opportunity to try out many new sports made my semester abroad even more enjoyable. I can recommend UCD to anyone who enjoys studying in an English-speaking environment and at the same time enjoys live music and hiking through the Irish countryside.