Application process:
Your website supported me very well with the application process. After a short time I got an acceptance from DBS. Fortunately, my home university didn’t cause any problems either. The application therefore went smoothly.
The DBS is located in the heart of Dublin and the various buildings are within easy walking distance. During the break, you can take a detour to Grafton Street or a café, which is unfortunately not good for your wallet. The two cafeterias are also a good place to do it and in good weather, St. Stephen’s Green is recommended.
The DBS buildings are not the newest, but they are really in order and they are all equipped with the necessary technical equipment. Why there is an air conditioning system in every room, which was set to 18 ° C even in December, I cannot fully understand, but in summer you will certainly be happy about it.
We spent a lot of time in the library, especially towards the end. It is well equipped and you always get help when you need it. For example, courses in academic writing are offered for exchange students.
The DBS also offers many other things. There are promotions for Fresher’s Week, Halloween and Christmas. This includes events in the DBS, as well as parties in clubs.
At the beginning of the semester abroad, you could do a two-week language course. Since I did an internship beforehand, I couldn’t take part. But I haven’t regretted it either. As far as I can tell, you don’t learn a lot and a 2 week language course (more like a culture course) + a week Fresher’s Week were too long for most of them. The only disadvantage I had was that cliques had already formed. But I made friends within 4 days, because everyone is very open and likes to get in touch with new people.
Course content:
I have chosen the following courses:
Global Business Environment, Strategic Management, Psychology of Work, Selling and Sales Management, People in Organizations and Project Planning and Control.
Overall, I was happy with my choice. It will always be the case that some courses are more interesting than others. I had to write an assignment in every course, mostly in group work. If you don’t want to write a lot, you shouldn’t choose Global Business Environment, Strategic Management or Psychology of Work. The assignments were sometimes really demanding or very time-consuming. Check iamaccepted to see more reviews from current students.
By the way, attendance is compulsory in the courses and people swipe or stab. But if you have visitors, it is not a problem not to come to the lecture.
Living:
Living in Dublin is very expensive. I pre-booked a room with Chubb Properties, a student residence hall. I lived in an off-campus house with 6 other exchange students. This was in Ranelagh in Dublin 6 right on the Grand Canal, in my opinion a great residential area. It is a 15-20 minute walk to the DBS, 25 minutes to Temple Bar and 30 minutes to O’Connel Street. I almost always ran, but you could also have taken the bus. Aldi, Lidl and all sorts of other shops, as well as pubs, cinemas or parks could be reached quickly. Due to the good location and because I had a single room, I also paid a handsome price of 800 € per month for it. The house was fine, but quite old. The biggest problem was the mold.
Leisure:
Dublin is definitely a great student city. In any case, I wasn’t bored. At lunchtime you meet for coffee, for example in the Queen of Tartes, in the evening you go to a pub or club. We recommend Peadar Kearney’s (pub) and Dicey’s (club), especially because the prices are lower here than in other pubs or clubs. We also enjoyed being on the coast at the weekend. The towns of Howth and Malahide are an absolute must and easy to reach with the DART (train). Those who prefer to go shopping won’t miss out either. Penney’s became our second home.
Ireland has more to offer than Dublin, of course. I spent a weekend in Belfast and on the Giant’s Causeway which is highly recommended. I also did a tour during Reading Week. From Dublin it went to Connemara, on to Galway, through the Burren National Park, to the Cliffs of Moher, then on the Dingle Peninsula, in the Killarney National Park, once along the Ring of Kerry and back to Dublin. All the stops on the tour are absolutely worth seeing. From cliffs to the hinterland to beautiful sandy beaches, everything was there. Ireland has a lot to offer in terms of landscape.
Conclusion:
I haven’t regretted for a second that I decided to do the semester in Ireland. I’ve seen so much, gained a lot of experience and met new people. My English didn’t really improve because I had a lot to do with Germans and studying in English was nothing new to me. At my home university, too, the lecture is in English. Everything wasn’t always nice and in the end I was really looking forward to going home. That was probably mainly because I missed my boyfriend, family and friends. But when I was home I missed Dublin and my friends from there. You always want what you don’t have right now.
All in all, I can recommend everyone to spend a semester in Dublin.
