Application:
The application for the semester abroad was quite easy, as MicroEDU was on hand with advice and action and was very helpful. Thanks again for that!
I had to wait a bit for the acceptance, but it came on time.
Choosing a course is also straightforward. You can already specify your desired courses from Germany beforehand, but you can then think about it again on site and look at all the courses for the first two weeks before you have to make a final decision.
Unfortunately, I was only able to have 2 courses credited at my home university because I am studying economics and only business administration courses are offered in Dublin. Therefore, I took 2 business administration electives (Strategic Management, International Human Resource Management) and 2 other courses, in which I only took part and did not have to take any courses.
This is possible because attendance is verified and Griffith College can therefore issue a certificate of attendance. These two courses were Operations Management and History of Art & Design. I was particularly happy to take the last course because it gave me the opportunity to look into another subject.
It was possible to take courses in every department if they fit into the schedule.
In the business area there are several courses to choose from. As an exchange student, I also had the opportunity to choose courses from all years. Therefore there are a lot of courses to choose from, but they can also be at the same time, which you only learn on site. So you should choose several courses in order to be able to put together your timetable on site.
The college also offers the possibility to choose evening courses (part time) in order to avoid overlapping courses during the day.
Studies:
Since I come from a very large university in Germany, it was a big change for me to study at Griffith College. The groups are very small. In three of my courses there were no more than 30 people. The lecture is also designed for this – there are many tasks that also have to be presented. In addition, many questions are asked in the lecture and cooperation is encouraged. However, it is up to you how much you get involved and you are rarely approached. Get more information about Griffith College Dublin on educationvv.
But I found it very interesting to get to know these other learning methods.
The lecturers are always available and ready to help where they can.
The International Office is always very helpful and friendly and takes care of all questions that Exchange Students may have.
In addition to the exam at the end of the semester, you also have to write an ‘assignment’ for each course. Since I only took courses from the third year, these ‘homework’ had a length of 3000 words. In one course I had to write a business report and in another course I had to work on a case study.
This was a bit stressful, but you have a week off in ‘assignment week’ to work on this and you get the topic weeks in advance.
Reside:
I lived in the Halls of Residence, the student dormitory on campus. That was also a great advantage, as you only have a 2-minute walk to the lecture and can be back in the apartment very quickly even in free periods.
Mostly internationals live in the dormitory, which is a great opportunity to get to know a lot of new people, but also means that it is often relatively noisy. However, I thought it was great that there was always something going on and that you were with people from different countries.
I applied for a ‘shared room’ and therefore shared a room. This is a change, but it was not a problem for me, as I was very lucky and had a very nice roommate with whom I got along very well. In addition, it was only about one semester and you do so much anyway that you don’t spend too much time in the room.
The apartments are well equipped and all have a large eat-in kitchen. If something is broken, you can notify the Accommodation Office and someone will come over.
In the end I had to move again because I was the last one in the apartment. This was very short-term, badly organized and unfortunately fell into the exam phase. But also here I was lucky again and met a nice roommate again.
The price is quite high, but that goes for Dublin as a whole. However, I also know some who have looked for an apartment off campus.
For me, it was the right decision to move to the Halls of Residence, because I got to know a lot of people so quickly, didn’t have a long way to college, you hardly have to worry about anything and it was very uncomplicated because college was also here -Contact helps and establishes contact.
If you do not want to share a room with someone who speaks the same language, you should indicate this in your application.
Life:
Life in Dublin isn’t that cheap, but with a little extra attention it still works. Directly opposite the college there is a Spar supermarket, which is very expensive, but a 20-minute walk away there are Lidl and Aldi, where prices are similar to those in Germany. At ‘Dunnes’ in the city center you can also shop cheaply and get very good things too.
The college is a 15-20 minute walk to the city center, but there are also frequent buses that leave from right outside the college. You can also feel safe in the area.
Dublin:
Dublin is a beautiful city that has a lot to offer and is very varied. Irish culture is a very friendly and happy one.
The nightlife is very diverse: from the cozy pub culture with live music to night clubs!
The Students Union also organizes some parties, which are especially for the internationals, in order to keep getting to know new people. They also organize trips and have different clubs (rugby, yoga, dance, writing, etc.) that you can take part in. The clubs are free and the trips are very cheap and always great fun!
Information on this can be found on SU’s own facebook page.
It is important to have an Irish mobile number. With us, everyone has decided on Meteor. You can top up the prepaid card with different amounts and the advantage is that if everyone has Meteor, you can call or write to each other free of charge. You can then top up in the Spar opposite the college.
Travel:
I recommend everyone to use the early days and travel around a lot. I was there in the winter semester. In September and October the weather is very nice and there is not so much to do for the university.
Ireland is a great country with untouched nature and varied landscapes.
We took advantage of the size of the country and tried to travel much of the island. Really every part of the island is worth the trip and is very different from the other parts of the island!
There are some organized trips that can be booked through the Tourism Office. If you know where you want to go and find out what you can see there, you can organize your trip yourself. One way to travel is the intercity bus (Bus Eireann). Renting a car is a little tricky in Ireland. You often have to be over 25 or even 27 years old. With Avis you can also rent a car when you are younger, you only have to have a driver’s license for at least 4 years.
Even if you don’t want to go far, you can already see a lot: the Dublin Peninsula, Howth and the Wicklow Mountains in the south of Dublin.
But it is also worth driving further, especially since the distances in Ireland are not great and you can get from one side of the island to the other within a few hours.
Also worthwhile: Connemara, the west coast with the Cliffs of Moher, the Peninsulas in the south-west, but also Northern Ireland with Belfast.
There are also cheap flights to London and Scotland from Dublin.
All in all, I can highly recommend a semester abroad in Dublin! It’s an unforgettable experience – I’ve met a lot of great people and had unique experiences…
