Grading was very different. Classes were challenging yet manageable with traveling and other activities. Not as important to go to lectures, since most power points are posted online. The location of UCD is right outside of the city center, so it gets expensive riding the bus every week and taking taxis. The campus is beautiful and a nice transition. Living on campus is much easier than living off, and an easy way to stay involved. Irish people are so incredibly friendly, easy to talk to, and inviting. I didn't get the opportunity to live with any Irish students, but met many and became acquaintances. Make conversation with taxi drivers and the locals and pubs, etc.! There are many opportunities through the International Student Society at UCD and also through personal endeavors for excursions and travel, usually very affordable!

Many other study abroad programs require students to attend American schools in their country. With this program, you get to study at University College Dublin, the largest school in the country. You take classes with Irish students and learn from Irish professors. The location is perfect, it is 4 miles south of the city centre and the city is easily accessible by bus. The locals are incredibly friendly, it is a huge part of their culture. You will not fail to meet many Irish people. An organization called International Students' Society takes foreign students on trips all around the country. They do one to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, one all over the South of Ireland, multiple to Belfast and Northern Ireland, and an adventure trip to hike, rock climb and kayak in Donegal. Ireland is so small that you can drive from one end to the other in just three hours. This gives students the opportunity to see the entire country.

I took courses in Archaeology and Celtic Studies, some of which were field-trip based. Classes were less homework/quiz based, which I found really nice, so you can enjoy Dublin and travelling without the same stress you might have at CU. UCD is about a 30-40 minute bus ride into Dublin. The commute is easy if you live on campus, but buses stop running at midnight, so you have to take a taxi if you miss it. Irish people are extremely warm and kind, and always happy to give directions of just chat for a bit. It's easy to travel around Ireland, or fly to continental Europe from UCD.

The Global office at UCD was a nice resource to have, and I knew I could ask them questions if I needed to.

The staff in the International Office at the University College Dublin were so helpful - they helped me transfer in and out of classes the first week, register with the GNIB for visa purposes, get to know what would be happening around the campus, threw events for the international students to attend and meet people. They were great!

UCD is a very large University in Ireland so it was really nice having the benefits of a large school- such as a huge diversity of clubs and events that are held on campus. I would definitely recommend joining a few clubs to really get the most out of your study abroad experience and meet really awesome people!

UCD is a very international school- so unfortunately I feel like I did not fully get the best immersion into the culture on campus. My best interactions with locals were outside of Dublin and traveling around Ireland. The Irish people were all incredibly kind and fun to be around.

This program was unlike any other abroad trip I've experienced! Being enrolled in an actual university abroad enables you to receive the full experience and interact with actual Irish students! Ireland is so beautiful, and getting the opportunity to travel around this amazing country was a huge privilege! With each new experience, I learned something new about myself.

UCD did a fantastic job at getting students involved, which included clubs and trips to various places in Ireland. This was a huge plus!

Irish courses are very different from American ones. The grades rely heavily on large group projects and large final exams. None of my classes had smaller grades, for things like attendance or weekly assignments.