University College Dublin - UCD (reviews)

I really appreciate that UCD has many online and part time courses available for people who work, but still want to continue their studies. The pricing for the part time and online courses are also very reasonable for the degree you get out of it!

university with good course content, employment rates and track record was vital. excelled in providing a professional and engaging learning environment, with enthusiastic lecturers actively involved in the industry in which they teach. Highlights also include opportunities to extend skills outside the classroom, which has enabled me to gain additional experience in the field and connect with other experts. highly recommended.

Hi
My name is Rashi. I completed my master’s from ucd in the year 2015 and i cherish every single learning from that place.
I was always into small things like save water, plant more trees, reduce energy consumption, no to plastic, recycling paper and many more. UCD’s intercultural environment and the new approaches i noticed was the most interesting at first. Later my master gave me a huge opportunity to learn the news ways and technology to save earth Or basically to save us.
The reduction for plastic can be done at verious level of its life. Therefore LCA (life cycle assessment ) modules were of great knowledge.
The reduction of energy consumption and conservation for the animal and plant farming were also very important and new to me.
Teachers and mentors were also excellent help.

For me, University College Dublin ticked all the boxes I needed to tick at the time. A large, sprawling campus with a diverse student population from all over the world is located in the capital city, far from the rural backroads of my hometown. Because of its outward-looking approach, I feel I received an education in both an academic and social sense. Academically, lecturers come from all over the world and are spearheading research in their respective fields and impart not only their knowledge but their enthusiasm for their research. Moreover, sharing such a diverse space with people from all over the world gave me the chance to develop and put the work into learning about myself, which is just as integral as any academic training one can receive.
Were I to offer advice for a room for improvement it would pertain to student welfare. Specifically, housing, cost of living, and student activism. The University does not offer enough support to those from disadvantaged backgrounds and where it does I feel it neglects those from rural backgrounds in favour of those from the Dublin area. Management earns too much money for the little investment government funnels to third-level institutions, student activists are disempowered and the student population lacking in morale as a result of the seemingly insurmountable slew of problems faced by students living in the big city.

Large student population (~30k), difficult to make friends because of irregular lecture structure (at least in humanities dept.) and most Irish students having known others for some time—not to say they aren’t friendly or open to making new friends, just a bit harder to fit in.

Professors know what they are talking about and want you to learn, however the overall teaching style at UCD (and most universities)—is composed of listening to someone talk for 45 minutes, taking notes, and then writing an essay worth over half your grade—can feel like pursuing an overwhelmingly exhausting and pointless daily routine. Because of it, I was put on antidepressants.

Prepare to replace your identity with an eight-digit number. Unlikely that professors will recognize you due to large lectures, so if you are like me and need to connect with your teachers in order to be a more productive learner, avoid UCD.

There are mixed opinions about this, but I personally think that the campus is ugly. Not only is it littered with awful 70s architecture, but they also keep building new things so it is constantly under construction, which is not the most pleasant sight to observe every day. Although, some of the newer buildings, like the science building (which is massive), are nice. The campus is about a one-hour bus ride from the city centre, located in a middle-of-nowhere suburban area of Dublin, so it feels somewhat dull and isolated.

Dorm rooms/suites are fantastic except for the fact that most do not have ovens and the showers are as narrow as you are (but perhaps that is to be expected in a dorm). Otherwise, good balance between privacy and sociability, most students have their own rooms but share a common space. Although, rent and goods are expensive and keep getting worse.

Student Union fails to fulfil its promises, holds non-competitive elections and prevents foreign students from running for positions, all while the school prides itself on its global diversity.

It is a very diverse school, though, that much is true. People from all over the world come here to study, so you’re bound to meet someone from a different culture/background.

Absolutely dead on the weekends.

There is a myriad of societies to join that are fun and free to be a part of, but it can be difficult to balance schoolwork and club activities.

Relatively easy to change subjects, variety of modules and subjects to choose from (Archeology was my favourite).

The food market every Thursday was the best part of being here. Kind of expensive, but totally worth it.

Every year in February they celebrate the Chinese New Year with a small light festival, and it is… awesome. Good food, cool lantern setup near the lake, an art show, and they host amazing dance, singing, and musical performances.

UCD is #1 for graduate employability in Ireland, so if you are a career-oriented student, this might be a good place for you. Lots of career options and help from the school.

Dublin is truly an amazing city and Ireland is a beautiful country. I do not regret coming here at all and seeing the island, but University College Dublin was not a good fit for me, and if you are anything like me and these issues bother you, it probably would not be a good fit for you either.

This college is very good and very easy to learn. It can be difficult to travel to this college tho as there are not many forms of transportation from where I live. The professors are very good and the student life is good.

My college experience has been unique for a multitude of reasons. My first year was interrupted by covid and now I’m back finally for my last year. Studying under both the School of English, Drama and Film as well as School of Classics, among others (electives), has provided me with different ideas of my third level experience. Under the general sector of arts in UCD I feel as though having such huge classes from 1st year made it very intimidating and quite lonely for those who did not know anyone beforehand. There is a disconnect with lecturers who didn’t know your name, classmates who you could easily never see twice because of such large groups and there is not much hands-on interaction. I have enjoyed some modules but overall I was not particularly happy studying English at UCD.

However, fortunately, I have greatly enjoyed studying under the school of classics. The class groups are about 1/3-1/4 of the size. The lecturers are very engaging as are their lectures. The tutorial groups were much more purposeful in helping students clarify and specialise. I have enjoyed the school of classics so much so that I am considering an MA degree in it within UCD.

Societies are a huge part of student life and fun on campus. I was late to join many but felt right at home once I had. My favourite element was signing up for one of the student newspapers and have worked my way up since to a section editor role. I would highly recommend students to but the bullet and join any and every society/club/extracurricular that interests them in the first year and give them a try.

Overall, what I have been able to experience in UCD in such uncertain times has been engaging and helped me progress academically. I would highly recommend studying classics or archaeology here as these have been the highlight of my time at UCD.

UCD is a world class college with great facilities for its students. The professors are great to work with and the course curriculum is challenging and rewarding. However, as it is a one year course you can’t gain all the education you want systematically.