Semester
I attended Dublin Business School from September – December 2013. All Study Abroad students had finished their semester before Christmas, meaning no one had to take exams in January. The lectures started at different times. All bachelor courses started on September 23, 2013. The master courses began partly with the bachelor courses and partly a week later. The lectures that started a week later did not have Reading Week. We found out very late when which courses started.
After I decided on the semester at Dublin Business School, I received an email with the offer to attend a free language course before the start of the lectures (either 2 or 3 weeks). I chose the 2-week course, which started on September 2nd, 2013 and thus already on September 13th. was over. Since we only found out quite late that most of the master’s courses would not take place until September 30th. started, we had a lot of time until the semester really started. The language course is not a real language course, it is really only intended for those who come earlier to look for an apartment or want to get to know the city. For the most part, organizational matters are discussed, such as where the different DBS buildings are, how to quote correctly, find books in the library, etc. The lessons were only about 2-3 hours a week and there was no compulsory attendance, even if the attendance was checked. Personally, I thought the course was great because I already got to know most of my friends in the course and I didn’t have to worry about organizational matters later during the lectures. In addition, you have already learned a lot about Ireland and its history and received tips for finding accommodation.
Apartment Search
I have decided to look for an apartment first on site. The apartments are expensive. If you want a single room and don’t want to live too far away, I would calculate around 600 EUR per month. The cleanliness can usually not be compared with that in Germany, which of course depends a lot on the roommates. If you expect higher costs and have fun living with different nations, finding an apartment shouldn’t be a problem. I found out from a friend from my language course about a flat share that still had 2 rooms available and after looking for an apartment we both decided to go. The rooms didn’t become available until the end of September, so I had to stay in the hostel for a while. Since my lectures will not take place until 03.09. began I then decided without further ado to take a trip through Ireland. At http://www.buseireann.ie/ there are regular offers with which you can get from one big city to the next for 5 or 6 euros (e.g. Dublin – Galway) and since I had to pay for the hostel anyway, it was ideal for me. In the 2.5 weeks I looked at almost all the big cities and main attractions (Galway, Cork, Dingle, Killarney, Cliffs of Moher, etc.) and met an incredible number of friends from all over the world in the hostels. It was a really great time and I can recommend everyone to see this beautiful island, enjoy nature and visit the numerous pubs. The people are incredibly open and funny (which is probably due to the great pubs). Most hostels are really good for their price, The Abbey Court Hostel is highly recommended. There is even fresh fruit for breakfast. So my recommendation, grab a hostel for the first week and go looking for an apartment on site, it was the best time for me.
Courses
I attended two master’s and one bachelor’s course. Even if the bachelor’s course was very easy and you actually got the ECTS as a gift, as a master’s student I would also recommend the master’s courses. The undergraduate students are still very young and it feels like you’re back in school. The questions are very simple and I haven’t learned much. The master courses were quite time consuming. I had to hand in term papers (with at least 25 sources), which then almost corresponded to a bachelor thesis and give some presentations. That sounds like a lot, but not that much is expected. The work doesn’t have to be perfect and you can still get a 1.0, so it is graded generously. And many presentations are not graded at all, so the lecturers are already happy if you even show up and hold it. So, you get a few tasks, but at most you take on the stress yourself. Overall, the courses are more practice-oriented with a lot of case studies and group work in which you have to develop something independently. I found this to be an educational alternative to the very theoretical German courses, even if you probably don’t get that much new knowledge in a month.
General
- Don’t forget the adapter, Ireland has different sockets.
- There is no need to change money unless you want to make a detour to Northern Ireland, there are pounds there. In addition, the DBS offers many free excursions that are definitely worthwhile.
- In general there are a lot of Germans in Ireland, so I spoke a little German every day, theoretically you could have spent a few days not speaking English at all, but that’s up to you.
- If you go traveling, not only look at the cities, but also the surroundings, which is what makes Ireland so special. The hostels often offer bus tours for this, which are really good and on which I also got to know a lot of people, so that I was actually never traveling alone.
- In general, I prefer pubs to clubs in Ireland. The Diceys is very cheap on Tuesdays and therefore recommendable. Each drink EUR 2.50 and entry is free until 7 p.m. You can go there at 6 p.m. and you are by no means the first. Ireland starts early.
