#ipeucd

Hi this is Piper and I’m a junior studying at the University College Dublin this semester! I’ve been in Dublin for four days now and so much has already happened!

I touched down Monday afternoon/evening and I have to say that the transition to study abroad has been significantly easier than the transition to freshman year of college. This could partially be because freshman year I was coming from out of states and along with the fact that Ireland is an English speaking country this honestly just felt like freshman move-in on steroids. 

I can immediately tell that this is going to be an amazing experience but here are two of my goals for this semester:

Go on one solo trip: I’ve gotten so used to moving in groups back home, whether thats going to the grocery store with my roommates, picking classes with people from my professional fraternity, and honestly everything in between. As much as I am loving the friends I’ve made here within the first couple days I really want to develop my independence so I’m committing to going on one solo trip this semester, whether that is within Ireland or not is still tbd but I will keep you guys updated.

Join one Irish club/society: I can already tell that it would be so so easy to stay within the international community at UCD as there is such a large study abroad program here with students from all over the world. But this semester I really want to meet the locals and I’ve heard the best way to do that is to join one of their clubs! Right now I’ve got my eye on the mountaineering club but we’ll see after we have their version of club rush.

It's surreal to think this has all officially come to an end. After spending 5 months here, I have much to reflect on. I am gonna break it into sections: Dublin itself as a city, UCD and pub recommendations!

Dublin as a city

Dublin is a really charming city (especially downtown). The architecture is really Georgian (similar to London's), and the town center is small enough such that everything can be explored by walking. The pub culture is great, and the live music performances on the weekends really makes this usually rainy city more cheerful.

However, Dublin has some downsides too. It's expensive (like really expensive), almost on par with some Scandinavian cities and London. Tragically, I'd say Dublin has London prices with only a fraction of the fun. Eating out and housing are definitely costlier than in other European cities.

The most depressing aspect of Dublin is its public transit system. Many would expect a European city to have a robust public transit system, but Dublin lags behind many European cities. It does not have a subway, and it relies on buses that are always delayed and unreliable. There are also occurrences of ghost buses, which are buses shown to arrive on the transport live tracking app but never actually show up. There is only a mere 2 lines of trams, which serve a very small percentage of Dublin to which UCD is nowhere close. Overall, it is just really difficult to get around the city especially if you do not live in the city center, which is the case for UCD.

It rains a lot here. Like a crazy amount (especially January and February). It is obviously not as cold as it'd be in Ann Arbor, but the weather's grey most of the time. It was reported that Dublin did not see any sunshine for 50 consecutive days this year.

Something outstandingly positive about Dublin though: insanely cheap Ryanair flights from Dublin airport. Ryanair is Irish, so unsurprisingly Dublin is one of their largest bases, making prices competitive. However, if you are looking to explore Europe by rail, you will be disappointed, as Ireland is an isolated island. The only way to get to other countries is flying (even London). The only major train routes are to Galway, Cork and Belfast, with none connecting to Britain (like the Eurostar from London to mainland Europe).

UCD

UCD has many controversies this semester. A medical student was raped and videos of that circulated in a whatsapp group with the victim having no knowledge of the video being circulated. UCD prioritized keeping the incident under cover instead of proactively helping the victim and taking action against the perpetrator. This is not the end. The victim got pregnant as a result, and UCD would not let her reschedule the sitting of her exams. More details of the incident can be found online but this really calls into question how much UCD's leadership values students' well-being.

On the more day-to-day aspect of classes, there was little to no office hours available for you to ask for help. The only ways to communicate with professors are through lectures and emails. I understand that European universities emphasize more on independent learning so I am just stating this for future students to be aware.

On the bright side, the sports facilities are top-notch. They have many varsity teams too, including volleyball, tennis, soccer and etc. Their recreational facility also features a climbing wall. They also have a couple shops on campus to ensure students can readily access daily essentials.

However, from the perspective of a study abroad student, the location of UCD is a really huge downside. It's 40 mins from downtown Dublin by bus, which makes exploring Dublin and hanging out with other people in bars and restaurants really difficult. On the contrary, everything is within walking distance in Ann Arbor, which makes socializing really easy. I think my study abroad experience would have been a lot different if we were in an institution closer to downtown such as Trinity College Dublin.

Pub recommendations

Here comes the fun part! I am proud to say after these 5 months of exploring different pubs, I have a good list of pub recommendations depending on the day and what your preferences are.

Best Guinness pints:

Brazen Head (super creamy and perfect temperature)

Long Hall

Kehoes

Best ambience:

Long Hall

King's Inn

Bowe's Lounge Bar

Best entertainment:

Stag's head (Sunday & Monday stand-up comedy)

Cobblestone (best live Irish trad music)

Bad Bobs

Shoutout to Bleeding Horse for amazing lunch deals (9.95 euros for ham & cheese toastie and a bowl of salad)

^last pint at the airport before leaving :(

Thank you so much for keeping up with my blogs through the semester. It's been a pleasure sharing my experiences with everybody, and this part of my life has changed me in many ways. If anybody is interested in studying abroad in Dublin/UCD, feel free to reach out I'd be happy to answer any questions you have!

Signing off the last time

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering

We finally had our last exam, and our journey in UCD has officially come to an end. It definitely felt that time has passed faster when I am abroad compared to actually spending the winter semester in Michigan. It didn't feel too long ago when I got off my flight from the US, venturing this entirely new city with nothing but 2 overpacked suitcases and navigating a new campus.

^UCD's RDS exam hall, absolutely horrid and intimidating with over 2000 ppl in there

My last exam was on Friday morning. Since I'd be leaving within 2 days, it only made sense to "extensively" visit the 1 type of venue that Ireland has been so iconic for, the pubs. Right after getting lunch, we went to our favorite pubs again, getting as many Guinness pints as we could while enjoying live Irish music. We know full well that we are never getting good Guinness when drinking it again outside of Ireland, and we savored these moments as much as we could. I have to admit, 5 months of being in Ireland has really turned me into a fervent Guinness fan.

I also made time for buying souvenirs for friends and family, mainly getting random Guinness merchandises (caps, socks, jumpers, etc.). I also wished I knew this earlier but we are actually eligible to VAT refunds as non-EU residents if we purchased items within 3 months of leaving Ireland & the EU. The only catch is only receipts over 75 euros are eligible for tax free shopping. If you wish to buy new shoes, clothes, accessories or any high-value items in general, buying it here might be the way to go, as VAT can be as much as 23% of the price tag in some cases, presenting substantial savings potential. For every purchase you make, make sure to request a VAT-free form from the cashier upon purchase and compile all of them to be presented to the tax-refund counter at the airport (when you are on your final flight back to the US).

Finally, the one part I have not been looking forward to, packing. I admit that I was too distracted with finals and travelling the last 2 weeks that I did not start packing early. Despite that, I managed to pack most of my stuff in a single day and donate kitchen utensils to the student union to be used by future students. Unfortunately, I was not able to fit everything into a single checked bag, and since I am not willing to pay an additional 150 bucks for a second one, I had to post some of my clothes back home with DHL, which was thankfully cheaper (about 60 euros).

It's been a busy end to the week and I definitely have lots of reflections on these 5 months so stay tuned for my final blog!

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering

The time has finally come for the first final exam at UCD. I did decently in the assignments and midterm quizzes in this class so I did not feel highly pressured to perform well in this exam, but I did squeeze in a few hours of intensive content recap a day or two before this exam!

The atmosphere of UCD's exam venues felt surreal. UCD conducts most of its exams in a single exam hall, in which multiple (up to 20) modules are assessed simultaneously with 1 or 2 hour exams. It was a gigantic hall (which looked like a multipurpose sports hall), with probably as many as a thousand tables prepared. To be honest, this setup made the exam more intimidating than it should be. It felt like taking an exam in a gym.

The biggest hurdle is getting from campus to the exam hall. The venue is not on campus but a 3 stop bus ride away, with an additional 25 min walk from the bus station. We definitely had to allocate extra time (about an hour) to get to the exam venue or risk not getting to the exam on time due to buses potentially becoming overcrowded.

Overall, the exam went smoothly, and I have 2 left next week. This weekend, I am going on my last ever trip to continental Europe of my study abroad semester to Greece. It has been such an honor having the opportunity to see places and check off items in my bucket list affordably and my travels this semester are certainly a key highlight of my study abroad experience.

We snagged a low-season flight ticket to Santorini, and walking around and exploring this charming Greek island has been pretty enjoyable so far. The summer crowds are not here yet, and there were little to no lines visiting tourist attractions and famous restaurants. I'd highly recommend doing a trip to the Greek Islands in May, which is a shoulder season, with pleasantly warm weather and many shops operating.

Signing off this week, cheers!

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering

There was nothing going on this week. No classes, no labs, no exams, and we were free to do as we please. I took this opportunity to go on a longer than usual trip (extending beyond just a weekend) to Italy. Italy has always been the top of my bucket list, having heard great things about their food and culture.

We started off the trip at Naples in southern Italy. It definitely was the most authentic Italian city I have visited. It is the least touristy, with many local food spots. Our hostel had a great view of Mount Vesuvius, which was the volcano that destroyed the city of Pompeii more than a millennium ago. We went for a day trip to the Amalfi coast, which was just an hour drive away from Naples. The strip of beaches and cliffs is the most stunning I have ever seen. However, the main tourist towns (Positano and Amalfi) were highly crowded so arriving early is definitely ideal.

We then trained on to Rome. The amount of history in the buildings and monuments did not disappoint. However, our visit coincided with a long weekend, with labor day falling on a Friday. Sheer number of tourists flocked to Rome as a result. Lines for popular attractions such as the colosseum and Vatican museums were longer than usual. We even stayed up exploring the city till 3am one of the days (such as Trevi fountain) to explore sites without the crowds and get the best pictures.

Our journey continues in Florence, which I must say is the most beautiful city I have visited in Europe. The intricate art and designs engraved on the outer surface of the duomo cathedral and its surrounding buildings is nothing like I have ever seen. The food culture is here is my favorite of all cities I visited in Italy. Having a Florentine steak with a glass of red wine was divine. I find it interesting to witness the transition of the cuisine moving from South to North, with the south emphasizing more on carbs-based dishes (pizzas and pastas) and the north emphasizing more on meat-based dishes and wine.

We finally ended our week-long trip in Venice. It was a perfect time for us to visit as the long labor day weekend was over. The island was significantly less crowded than Rome and Florence and we were able to explore the island relaxingly. We stayed in a hostel on Giudecca island, which was just 5 mins away from the main island by ferry. It was a great location as it is not as expensive as staying on the main island but more convenient than staying on the Italian mainland.

Overall, a solid trip. Stay tuned for next week!

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering

Classes are officially over, and the timeline here seems pretty aligned with how it is back at Michigan. However, our finals schedule is a lot more stretched (spanning 3 weeks rather than just 1 with revision week included). Looking back at the whole semester, it is true of what people say: workload tends to be lighter in Irish universities, but the emphasis on getting a good score in final exams (which tends to make up 50-70% of final grades) is immense.

On the other hand, the weather has been great the past few days. Since I do not have classes on Thursdays and Fridays, I decided to take advantage of this to go on hikes in Howth and Bray Head, 2 popular hiking spots accessible from Dublin by train.

It was definitely challenging hiking again after a 6-month hiatus (having not gone on intense hikes since last summer). Howth did not only boast scenic trails, but it also has a charming small coastal town nearby with pubs and cafes along the seafront. What better way to spend a warm sunny day than enjoying a cold Guinness pint in the beer garden of a pub after a long hike.

The next day, we went to Bray Head, which an hour south of Dublin. This trail was a lot steeper, but the views were absolutely worth it. Getting to the bray head cross, we had a clear view of both the sea and the Wicklow Mountains.

Honestly, one thing that really changed in me is how much more I appreciate the sun. Although it is not as cold in Dublin as in Ann Arbor, we still get regular breaks of sunshine in Ann Arbor, and we can go on weeks without it in Ireland. I have got about slightly less than a month left in Dublin, so hopefully the weather stays as pleasant as it is!

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering

It's crazy to think that this is the 2nd last week of classes, the semester has truly gone by so fast. We just received our timetable for finals in May and professors were starting to wrap up content for each of their modules.

Nothing much happened in the first half of the week, but the weather in Dublin was truly bipolar. Although we have been getting breaks of sunshine more frequently, scattered rainclouds made the weather increasingly variable. I was walking to a grocery store one day and was caught in the middle of a hailstorm, which was pretty heavy. I had neither an umbrella nor a hooded coat and the hailstones hitting my face were not a joke. They were short bursts of hail and it was really annoying as I never knew what is the appropriate outfit for the day. I'd highly recommend wearing clothing with a hood, especially in the spring when it gets more common.

Thankfully, I had a trip over the weekend to Lisbon, which was a great escape from the incomprehensible weather in Dublin. Lisbon is probably one of the best cities I have visited in Europe. I absolutely loved the pastries, bifana, and vibrant nightlife (shoutout pink street). I also took a train to some scenic spots in the surrounding regions of Lisbon.

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, and it was one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. Overall, Lisbon is a really budget friendly place and I'd definitely visit Portugal again.

Cheers!

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering

Nothing much going on this week so I am going to talk about something very important especially if you intend to travel around Europe. Phone plans can be very expensive if you opt in for roaming plans with US telecom providers, going up to 80-100 dollars a month for plans that include unlimited roaming. There are plenty of options that also provide similar services with more perks at a much lower cost.

Personally for me, I opted to get a local sim card. It is 35 euros a month for me with Vodafone which is an insanely good deal for unlimited data in Ireland and unlimited roaming, calls and texts across the EU and UK. The best part is, this plan comes with 100 minutes of international calls (which includes calls to the US), which has been a lifesaver for me since I have had to call my apartment in Ann Arbor and banks to sort out logistics. I had to report credit card fraud recently and I was glad that I was able to contact my bank via phone call without extra fees. Other than Vodafone, Three is its main competitor so feel free to compare their plans side by side to see which of their plans best suit you.

A really popular option among study abroad students in Orange. It allows to purchase your esim before leaving the US. Some of their really good deals include 500GB for 90 days with unlimited calls and texts for 120 dollars, which covers EU countries. It's a great plan to ensure hassle-free travel across Europe. However, it only spans 90 days and will not cover your entire duration if you are studying abroad full 5 months during the winter or even fall semester. On the other hand, if you are on a summer study abroad program lasting less than 90 days, this would be perfect for you!

The 2 options I mentioned above are certainly not the only options. There are other alternatives such as Airalo, Nomad, etc. but they are most likely not as cost effective.

P.S. If you happen to be in Roebuck (one of the on-campus student residences on UCD), the service for Vodafone is horrible so you'd have to be fully reliant on the school's wifi. Not sure about the other residences though.

Ian Yew

Industrial & Operations Engineering