It's hard to believe that I have already been in Ireland for over three months. I have grown so much as a person. Over my time here I have written down my suggestions for those thinking about studying abroad in Dublin and those visiting Ireland.
Make a budget
I can't stress this enough. Know how much you have set aside for the semester and plan each week for what you can spend so you don't have to cancel trips or not be able to do activities that you want to. Within the first two weeks of arriving, set up an Excel sheet that is broken down by every week and all the trips you're planning on taking. Every time you go out to eat, buy food, or any entertainment purchases, take 30 seconds to jot down how much you spent on your phone and update it later that week on your laptop when you have a chance. I promise you it will help you save on spending and it will make you prioritize what you truly want to do.
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| Budget |
Keep a journal for yourself and a blog for your friends and family.
It is hard to keep in contact with your loved ones back home due to traveling and the time differences. A way to make sure you can keep everyone updated is making a quick blog post every week of the activities you've done. The journal is for years done the road to look back on the little things that you didn't blog about but you want to still remember.
Find scholarships.
As soon as you have decided to study abroad and you start filling out applications, take the time to do scholarships. There are tons of organizations and people in the world that are willing to help students accomplish their dreams of studying abroad. You just have to put the time in and do it.
TRAVEL!
Travel as much as you possibly can. If you want to travel or do an activity that your new friends do not want to, just go do it! Do not let people hold you back and try not to feel bad if your schedule does not accommodate everyone. This trip is for you so do everything you want to do.
Lastly for those traveling to Ireland here are a few of my suggestions.
Study in Dublin
It is such a great city with so much to do and see. The airport is only a 20 minute ride from the city centre and there are buses that go to all ends of Ireland from Dublin.
Go see every part of Ireland that you can. It is an incredibly beautiful country. Here are my top five things to see:
In Dublin: go to the Kilmainham Jail and see an Irish sporting event at Croke Park
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| Kilmainham Jail |
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| Croke Park |
Outside of Dublin: Go see the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry
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| Cliffs of Moher |
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| Ring of Kerry |
Finally: Go do a tour of Northern Ireland. Giant's Causeway was my favorite place to see in Ireland
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| Giant's Causeway |
Sylas S. is the Spring 2017 MOJO Blogger in Dublin, Ireland. He is currently a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Platteville.