I’m currently taking 5 classes at UCD. Three of them are engineering classes, one is a marketing class and the final one an archaeology class. The engineering classes are very similar to ones offered in the US and are what I expected. Marketing is interesting because while many of the brands discussed are international or US brands, we do discuss several exclusively Irish brands and explore the difference between the Irish and US marketplace.
However, the most interesting class I take is from the archaeology department, Discovering Ireland. Instead of consisting of traditional lectures, we get to visit real historical sites. The class meets on two Saturdays during the semester. Both field trips were all day excursions that visited three sites each. The field trips took us outside Dublin county, providing a great opportunity to see the countryside. Also, while all the sites we visited were of historical interest, they were not typical tourist traps. Instead we visited the ruins of old monasteries and burial sites that were free from gift shops and selfie sticks. The class provided a greatly different historical perspective on Ireland than that of more polished sites, like Dublin Castle or St. Patrick’s. For any students planning on studying here in the future, I highly recommend this class.
Exams schedules were released this week, which means study spots are on my mind. While the library is the obvious choice, it’s not my favorite. It’s too silent for me and the no food/drink policy means breaking for lunch. For those reasons, I prefer to study in Quinn business school. Quinn is conveniently close to my dorm, plenty of tables to sit at, and several printing stations. Unlike the library, Quinn is perfect place to study with a group or by yourself if you like some background noise. Also, the building has its own Starbucks to keep me caffeinated during long study sessions.
