The semester abroad in Dublin was a special and unforgettable experience. I got to know a lot of great people and had the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and society.
Dublin / Ireland:
According to TOP-MBA-UNIVERSITIES, Dublin is a small, loving and energetic capital that has a lot of variety and culture to offer. In particular, various festivals and exhibitions take place in August and September. There are: the famous “Electric Picnic”, “Fringe” and theater festivals as well as the “Cultural Nights”, where all museums and exhibitions open their doors to visitors free of charge.
Cinema lovers will also get their money’s worth in Dublin. Be it old Hollywood classics on the big screen or European independent films. There is something for every taste. The IFI (Irish Film Institute) in Temple Bar is particularly recommended.
In addition, the city is very musical and musical sounds literally storm the streets from every corner.
The best thing to do is keep your eyes open and get up to speed on totallydublin.ie about the cultural life of the capital.
If you have already visited Temple Bar with its numerous pubs, you should head south of the city. There you can expect great pubs and clubs with fewer tourists and a greater chance of meeting locals.
The beautiful coast of Ireland can be admired after only half an hour on the train from Dublin. You can also use your free time to travel around the island by car, train or bus (bus and train tickets are available with discounts for students). Ireland is ideal for water sports – for example in Ireland you can surf wonderfully in autumn and winter and the full body wetsuit with shoes, hat and gloves ensures that it always stays warm.
As soon as you have received an acceptance, the question of accommodation arises. There are a number of student residences, but most of them are located outside the city center and are a lot more expensive than privately rented apartments. Those who still decide on a room in one of the dormitories should take care of it quickly and preferably reserve a room without obligation before receiving the acceptance.
For anyone who would like to find an apartment or room on their own, I recommend traveling to Dublin a little earlier about 1 to 2 weeks before the start of the program and first renting a room in one of the many hostels in the center of the city. It is also a good opportunity to meet first acquaintances or even potential roommates. Because during this time there are an unbelievable number of students in the hostels who are looking for an apartment.
The following pages proved to be particularly helpful during the search: daft.ie, rent.ie. You have to note, however, that it is a bit difficult to find a room in an existing flat share, as you are only in the city for a comparatively short period of time and most flat shares are interested in long-term tenants. Rental prices in Dublin are generally very high. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t try to save on rent and rent a room way out of the city center as Dublin has many dangerous corners, especially in the north.
After a somewhat exhausting search and a lot of sightseeing, I was finally able to find a great apartment in the heart of the city that I shared with another student. I had to pay around 600 euros for my room. The apartment was large, beautiful and only 5 minutes away from the DBS.
Studies at the DBS:
The Dublin Business School is located in the center of Dublin with its different locations, which are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other.
A two-week English preparation course for international students was offered prior to the start of the semester. It was a great way to get used to university, brush up on English grammar and get a first glimpse of Irish culture and history. I would have only wished that the students in the courses had been better mixed so that you could come into contact with different nations.
The choice of courses at DBS is very diverse. You can choose courses from different master’s programs and do not have to focus on just one. However, in order for the courses that I took at DBS to be credited, I had to conclude a learning agreement with my home university in advance. To do this, I had to find courses with comparable content and send the course description to the examination office at my university so that they could confirm my choice. The problem is that the more precise courses and timetables of the DBS are only finally fixed at the beginning of the semester (mid-September), so that there can be overlaps or that courses are not even offered.
If the desired courses are not offered for full-time students, these can sometimes be taken in the evening with part-time students. Personally, I would not recommend this option as working with the students on these courses has proven to be a bit difficult. Due to their job, they have a completely different approach to university content and are also a lot older. I changed my part-time course after three weeks.
Most of my courses had a small number of participants. It varied between 9 to 12 participants so that the lecturers knew the names of the students. This created an informal, warm and personal atmosphere in the lectures.
There was a lot to read during the semester. In particular, the focus was on current journal articles and examples from practice. The theory often played a minor role. The final theses for international students included written papers, group projects and presentations. You have to be prepared for the fact that a lot of research and writing has to be done during the semester abroad.
