I decided very spontaneously to do a semester abroad in Dublin, as I had already done a semester abroad in California, which was also arranged through topschoolsoflaw. So after almost 8 months in Germany, I went abroad again and this time to Ireland. The application process was even easier this time because I was able to reuse most of the documents, such as the language test. Overall, the effort was minimal and definitely not to be compared with the application processes of German universities for partner universities. That is why I recommend anyone who has already done a semester abroad to think about a second one.
The DBS has several buildings in the city, most of which are close together and can be easily reached on foot.
Unfortunately, I missed the O week because I still had exams in Germany, but it wasn’t a problem at all. The DBS employees looked after us very well, Declan and Abigail were always available, even without an appointment, and answered all questions quickly.
I took the following courses:
Entrepreneurship with Martin Odea (had to create a business plan on their own)
HRM with David Wallace (homework)
Business Information Systems with Bernadette Higgins (written exam and a homework)
Business strategy with Enda Murphy (homework)
Cloud Computing at Brid Lane (not recommended, the lectures were mostly very easy, but not the homework! Since I was only there until December and couldn’t take the exam, I only had to write a homework. It was a bit unfair, Because I was the only one from the course who didn’t stay a full year, I had to do the same homework on my own as the others, but they worked together in groups of 3-4 people. When I asked the lecturer about it, she didn’t seen … well, I wrote the term paper on my own, but the grade wasn’t that good either, so I didn’t count the course any more)
Overall, I found all the courses very good, of course you can’t compare it with the content from Germany, which is clearly more demanding, but I still found the direct contact with the professors very good and that you had small courses, which is definitely a nice change from some Mass courses in Germany is.
Two other aspects that I liked about DBS were the university sports courses and the free printing of course materials. Many sports courses are offered at the beginning of the semester, which were also free for DBS students. I decided on the yoga / pilates course because I had overlaps with the other courses, but you could also take several courses, which was not a problem at all. I got the yoga mat from a Chinese shop (across from Lidl) on Thomas Street, which was available for a cheap € 7.50. Unisport can be clearly recommended.
Living
I reserved a room from Germany because I arrived in Dublin just before the start of the university and wanted to have as little stress as possible and I read from previous experience reports that it should be anything but easy to get a good and affordable apartment Find. I lived in Dublin 8, at Viva House and paid € 450 per person per month for a room that I shared with a friend from Germany. That’s a lot of money, especially considering that the house is very old and something was always broken. Viva House reacted very badly to criticism, otherwise we had a mixed flat with people from different countries and got along very well and did a lot together. What else has to say about apartment reservation from Germany, that you should not investigate any rental or deposit payments in advance, as they are most likely to be fraudsters. Unfortunately, that was the case with a friend who fell for it and had a less pleasant start in Ireland.
Leisure
The landscape of Ireland is fascinating, so it is highly recommended to use the time (weekends, Reeding Week) to travel. The university organizes many trips, but of course you can also explore Ireland cheaply on your own. If you want to rent a car, you have to see if you can handle left-hand traffic. But Dublin also has a lot to offer, for example the GUINNESS brewery tour was great. Otherwise pubs, pubs and more pubs and don’t forget to watch a rugby game.
Conclusion
I am very happy that I chose Dublin, I had a great time there and I love to tell about it again and again.
