An unforgettable adventure
As an in-house student, I walked to the IES Abroad Dublin centre every Monday - Thursday for classes, and every class was fantastic. As a BE&T student, I took the required classes of Globalisation and Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing and Communications, and selected Photo/Graphic: Exploring Visual Narratives, Write Here Write Now: an Introduction to Immersion Writing, and Celtic Myths and Legends as my remaining three classes, which brought me up to the required fifteen credits. Each class was intriguing, provided new information, and was well paced. The instructors all made an effort to be accessible, and were all very conscientious of the fact that students had more than just their class to worry about. The workload felt very fair, and the grading scale -- while it seemed scary at first -- worked out well enough in the end. The housing options offered were both good, with pros and cons to each. I lived in Binary Hub, a student residence, while the other option was Pavilion View, an apartment complex. The pros to Binary Hub included private rooms with en suite bathrooms and a shared kitchen pace, friendly staff and community events, and a cat on property. The cons consisted of having to pay for laundry (seriously, it adds up fast ) and the approximately 2 mile walk to the IES Abroad centre. That being said, the walk came to be a nice part of my day--provided I could get out of my room on time. The rooms were very nice and well-appointed, with a sleek, contemporary style, and the privacy of having my own room made the walk worth it. The area around Aparto Binary Hub, where I stayed, is part of an are that is rich in history and revitalization efforts. It can feel a little sketchy, but it's perfectly safe during the day, and even at night you should be fine as long as you stay aware of your surroundings. People pretty much just want to get about their own lives, and mind their own business. There were plenty of places in the city to immerse yourself in the culture, and further places still a brief DART ride away. But when it comes down to it, the IES Abroad Dublin staff were some of the real highlights of the trip. They genuinely care about the students, and there's a jovial and warm, even familial atmosphere amongst the core staff and the various instructors. The instructors themselves were excellent, and made sure they were available if any of the students needed their help. Jackie worked incredibly hard to put together a wide variety of weekend field trips, which allowed students to get out of the city and into Ireland at large, and to really experience the culture of the country. And the head of the Writer's Program, Stephen McMahon, is a gem of a man who somehow has enough room in his heart to take a vested interest in the success of every one of his students. Máire, the leader of the immersion writing course, introduced us to a whole new style of writing and expression, and Mitch, the lecturer for the Celtic Myths and Legends Course, brought incredible vivacity to the old stories through her passion for the subject. Stephen Chandler and Maeve, the instructors for the two required business courses, both provided a wealth of knowledge and insight to their respective subjects, and were a privilege to learn from. When I remember studying abroad, it is these people, along with the friends I made there, that I will remember as making it wonderful. Studying in Dublin with IES Abroad truly was one of the best experiences of my life, and from getting lost that first night while wandering the streets of the city to reluctantly packing my bags, it was an adventure I'll never be able to forget.
