Erasmus Adviser at UCD in Dublin

Sheep, Guinness, green mountains, steep coasts, harsh winds, cosy pubs, music everywhere and down-to-earth people. These are the things I imagined when I decided to embark on my second exchange in Dublin - and it's exactly what I got.

Preparation

I'm currently doing my master's in Interactive Media. My home university has direct partnership with University College Dublin - but these formalities are hardly worth mentioning. The people at the international office are very helpful and usually respond to any queries within a day. As long as you're not staying any longer than a year and you're a member of the EU, you don't need to register as an Irish citizen or apply for a Visa. (Unfortunately you won't be able to work though, if you're only staying for this amount of time).

As Ireland is a country of the EU, I could just use my usual insurance card. However, just to be safe, I did invest in a very low-priced foreign health insurance. With your insurance card, you can go to the hospital and public medical centres for free. Amongst other things, though, it can be difficult to get an appointment at short notice. For this reason, the extra health insurance might be worth your while. A good alternative to the private practices is also the campus doctor at UCD. An appointment with this doctor costs €25 (since 2018), which is very cheap. Tests and follow-up appointments are free, or are significantly cheaper than what you would be charged with at private practices.

On the topic of money, Dublin payments are processed predominantly by Visa card, but you can also pay with cash everywhere. You won't need to open an Irish bank account; you can use your German credit card and usually with the EC-Card as well (through V-Pay). You should only make withdrawals with the credit card. Consors and DKB have free credit card accounts, with great terms!

Accommodation

It's an absolute nightmare! That is not an exaggeration. It's impossible to find affordable rooms in Dublin, and the situation is not improving. There are Irish people who travel for three hours on the bus every day, just for two lectures. For such a small city the cost of rent is horrific. Let's begin with the options you have: 1. A host family. In terms of price, places in the city centre or close to the university are €600-900 a month. If you're lucky, you can get a room with a host family at a relatively cheap price. However, guests are almost always prohibited from staying the night, and you don't have the freedom of using all the rooms in the house. I've heard a lot of stories from friends who were kicked out after a month, because of issues with the host family. I, myself, lived with an older woman and it was not always easy. But for €600 a month, the room was great. 2. Student accommodation. The prices vary between €700-1200 per month for a room. The accommodations in Ireland are all private, hence the exorbitant prices. There are a few on campus and a few in the city centre. The advantage of this option: You meet Irish people, you can invite friends over and can have student parties. But it comes at a price. And lots of accommodations are booked out early on. 3. Sharing a room/dormitory offers more hostel-type amenities for students who avail of double rooms or dormitories. You would pay between €400-700 and would often get, for example, free breakfast. You also get to know other students easily. 4. Studio apartment? Forget it! 5. AirBnB/ SpotAHome. Also quite expensive but you won't have to travel over to find an apartment, or worry about scams. 6. Flat share rooms are between €400-€800. Definitely not easy, and they go very quickly in Dublin. A room can be advertised and taken in the same week. First come, first served.

Finances

Dublin is expensive, but it's definitely doable once you're lucky with accommodation. I can only recommend again to apply for the governmental financial assistance. The rate is higher in Dublin than in Germany, and with the Erasmus and child benefit grant, you can return home completely free of debt! In general, the cost of living is a bit more expensive than in Germany, but it's not excessive. Here's a little monthly bill of mine, daytrips and excursions excluded:

• Room: 600, -
• Transport: 80, -
• Food: 250, -
• Partying/going out: 100, -
• Leisure time: 50, -

If you want to save money on food, you should shop in Lidl or in the Asian shops around the Spire. Alcohol is a bit more expensive, especially in pubs. Unfortunately, predrinking isn't so common amongst Irish people and they prefer to meet in pubs outside the city centre. A beer can cost between €4-8, and a cocktail €8-12. (Public drinking is prohibited!) The most expensive cost is definitely the public transport. This is because it's privately run. There are four different options: the bus, the Luas (Straßenbahnen), the Dart (S-Bahn) and the airport bus (Aircoach). They don't have a monthly ticket for everyone. Instead they have chip cards, and pay a specific price for each journey. It's cheaper for a student, but still unbelievably expensive!

UCD

UCD's main campus is gigantic, and a has a lot to offer: a cinema, a radio station, a theatre, two gyms, a pool, sport facilities, one big library and several small ones, two lakes, great student accommodation, a health centre, chill out lounges, cafés, shops, a cafeteria and lots of delis. The food on campus is pretty expensive and not particularly good, so you're better off bringing in your own lunch or going to the Subway on campus. They have food trucks on campus every Thursday. Gym membership is free and there are loads of great fitness classes, but if you want to go to the pool (or the saunas) you will have to pay something. I definitely recommend to everyone to sign up with plenty of sports clubs and societies during Freshers' Week. Most of the time the sports clubs arrange great trips away during the semester, and they're worth it every time. You can also learn to sail, do fencing, go rockclimbing and dive for €20-30 per semester. Do it! Societies cost €2 per semester and also offer loads of great events. You can take part in the university radio, TV or theatre without any experience needed, also the film, food, LGBTQ, dance, Erasmus, law, debating, medicine and nursing societies to meet like-minded people.

The classes are also different to those in my German university. The BA modules are worth five credits, and the MA modules are worth 5-10 credits. There are lots of essays to write and then two weeks of exams at the end of each semester. Also, the semesters are way too short! They're just about four months long. The classrooms and lecturers vary from faculty to faculty. You should inform yourself of them directly.

Dublin

I experienced Dublin over the course of September to December, during the winter semester. It's a magical city with unbelievably welcoming people! Of course, concerning public transport and the traffic lights (which make no sense!) they are definitely a bit behind, but that is mainly due to privatisation. You can also see the British influence everywhere. Dublin has a lot to offer in regards to sightseeing, shopping and going out. Pubs are much more popular than clubs, but you can have a lot of fun in them. The music is, however, quite chart-oriented, particularly for my ears, which are used to Berlin's music. There is a solution to this, though: lots of gay and queer clubs play very good electronic and also have amazing drag shows; for example in The George or in Mother. Make sure to visit the great pubs on live music nights! It's worth it and you'll quickly come into conversation with Irish people. My favourite is The Old Dubliner.

You can reach pretty much anywhere in Ireland from Dublin, so make sure to go on all the daytrips and getaways! The train here has unchanging, fair prices and is much more comfortable than the buses. Buses usually travel each hour from the outskirts and you can buy tickets directly from the driver. There are also student discounts everywhere when you have your Leapcard with you!

Result.

Dublin was a small salvation for me when I wasn't doing so well. It is unbelievably easy to meet people here. The best way to do so is to join sport clubs, societies and attend university events. Make sure to also go on the Freshers trips that your clubs arrange. True, you'll just be drinking, but you will be guaranteed to have enough friends to keep busy with each weekend afterwards! Travel a lot, drink a lot, go out a lot, make friends and relationships and enjoy your time here! My stay here is finishing up in two weeks and I don't want to leave! I have fallen completely in love with this cosy, impractical but lovely city and its people. Luckily for me Ryanair can bring me back as often as I like for just €30 <3