Application process
I only made the decision at relatively short notice in June to do my semester abroad in Dublin . Your website was a great help to me , with a phone call and a few emails everything was cleared up and I only had to submit a few documents and take the very feasible language test, which could even be submitted after consultation. I heard from fellow students who applied independently or through their home university that their application process and, above all, the choice of course was much more chaotic and sometimes dragged on for weeks after the start of the semester, so praise for the good organization of your website.
University and courses
The general level at the DBS is well below that at German universities, so that it is possible to achieve good grades with very little effort . I had 6 bachelor courses from the third year of study, each of which was assessed with 5 ECTS. The courses were Financial Structured Products with Andrew Quinn, Human Resource Management with Martin O’Dea, Business Information Systems with Bernadette Higgins, Digital Marketing Concepts with Pauline Sargent, Digital Planning and Management with Keith Feighry and Services Marketing. All of these courses were for the students who, like me, flew home in December to complete with homework that could be done without attending the lectures. Most of these assignments had to be done in groups, usually between 3,000 and 4,000 words per group of 2 to 4 students. In the digital subjects, there was also a final presentation that was given before the course.
The DBS is very centrally located on Augnier Street, one of Dublin’s main thoroughfares. There are two buildings in which most of the lectures take place. The accessibility by bus is therefore very good for students who tend to live outside of the city, whereas with the LUAS you have a 15-minute walk from the station to the university. Check act-test-centers to see more reviews from current students.
Theoretically, there is compulsory attendance for all students, which is recorded when they are tagged in by the student ID and can be viewed online as a percentage for each student. However, this is practically only relevant for non-EU students who require 85 percent attendance for their visa. For me as a German student, despite other statements from the Student Office, it was not a problem to have attendance rates of less than 50 percent in courses and still pass without anything being objected to.
Apart from their studies , the DBS has done a lot to enable the students to have a good time . A team was specially employed to organize various activities such as billiards, table tennis, Fifa, poker tournaments and much more under a motto every week. to organize and host parties. In addition, there were teams for various sports with whom one trained and competed against other universities in the Dublin area. I joined the soccer team, which was a great way to get to know a lot of new people quickly.
Explore town & country
Dublin itself is not confusing, so you can quickly get a good overview and orientate yourself. Nevertheless, there were always various options for recreational activities, so that there was no boredom. Basically, there is always something interesting going on in the city , and when things get quieter, the pubs are always a fun distraction with live music, quizzes or comedy evenings.
If you don’t want to miss anything from university, the best way to explore the Dublin area and the entire island is during Reading Week, a free week in November. Guided bus tours over a day or two are offered to almost every attraction . The cheaper and, in my opinion, much better alternative is, in my opinion, to explore the country with a rental car. This offers more flexibility and the ability to deviate from the standard tourist routes. However, the conditions for renting a car from most providers are not so easy to meet for most students, as the driver must be at least 25 years old and a credit card is required.
So if the opportunity for such a round tour arises, you can very comfortably see the south and west halves of the island and admire the nature there within 5 days, two more days should be planned for Northern Ireland.
Also in the Dublin area, with the Wicklow Mountains and small towns that can be easily reached by train, there are beautiful opportunities to look at nature in the national parks and on the coast while hiking.
In addition, Dublin Airport is Ryanair’s main base, which is why you can make short trips to London, Scotland and other countries very cheaply .
