Our semester abroad in Ireland

“A change of pace” – was the motto for us when we decided on a semester abroad instead of an internship in the fourth master’s trimester. Getting away from everyday life and experiencing new things in green Ireland was the best choice for us. So we contacted MicroEDU and our journey could begin. The applications for the semester abroad at Dublin Business School went smoothly and we were delighted with the wide range of courses. This was also the reason why we chose the DBS. Accordingly, we use the wide range of lectures and choose other courses than those that corresponded to our original course of study. This enabled us to take courses in web analytics and psychology, which made a nice change.

Dublin

When we arrived in Dublin, we felt at home pretty quickly, but not because of our accommodation, but because of the country itself. The Irish are number 9 of the friendliest people in the world and Dublin is a beautiful city that puts you in a good mood: not too touristy but lots of nice corners to see. Several parks stretch across Dublin and give just a taste of what to expect from the rest of the country.

For the discovery of Dublin we recommend to use the bicycle, as it is not only much cheaper, but also much faster than the bus – at least in the morning and evening hours. Bicycling in Dublin then becomes a kind of Irish extreme sport. If you dare to take part, you should be extremely careful, as buses stopping spontaneously, cars passing by and other cyclists do not make the way through the city easier. However, the Irish bus and car drivers are quite considerate and always keep an eye on the weaker but also smart and jostling cyclists.

Weather in Ireland

In addition, you have to like the weather in Ireland. It’s never too cold or too warm, but it’s like the German weather in April. It can pour in one second and the sun shine in the next. That’s why rainproof clothing is a must-have in Ireland, because even if no rain is reported, it will likely rain exactly when you are out and about.

University

According to toppharmacyschools, the Dublin Business School in Ireland was not as undemanding as is generally claimed from abroad. On the contrary, it was quite exhausting and you had to do a lot for 5 credits. However, if you make an effort, you will be rewarded with a good grade. Here we were also professors at any time with words and deeds. One advantage we had was that we didn’t have to write any exams at the end of the semester, everything was done during the trimester. Because of this, we can now enjoy relaxing holidays.

Leisure

Despite many exams, we used every free time to explore the area outside of Dublin. Day trips can be planned quickly and easily reached by bus or darts. On Howth Island we went on a very beautiful cliff walk through the nature of Ireland, with Galway we visited a beautiful little Viking town and in Belfast we learned everything about the history of the Titanic and life in Northern Ireland. A surf trip with the university made it possible for us to try out a sport in cold October that is more associated with summer countries. The Cliffs of Moher were another attraction that amazed us. In any case, we can confirm that the nature of Ireland is very worth seeing and the beauty is almost astonishing. We were also fortunate to be able to attend comedy shows and sporting events.

Challenges

Unfortunately, there were also some challenges that we would like to share. We started our first week of lectures anything but pleasant. After the first week we learned that our course selection was not possible and we had the task of choosing all courses again. The accommodation also gave us some headaches, as cleanliness was not very important and the landlord was not so careful about the truth about the actual living conditions in advance. The recommendation not to book via Airbnb and rather to take a little more money into your hand.

Conclusion

Despite the many challenges, however, we were able to gain many wonderful experiences in Ireland. We met a lot of great people and enjoyed several evenings with delicious pub food and music. The negative experiences only made us stronger.