Katie V - Dublin, Ireland - Fall 2014

Hi CPP Class!

My name is Katie and I’m a senior nursing student spending the semester in Dublin, Ireland. So far, I have been having the time of my life! Dublin is such a fun city, and Ireland is incredibly gorgeous. Everywhere I go is beautiful- the coast, the countryside, even the downtown. It’s fun being in a country that has so much history. I have been here for about a month now and I am already comfortable navigating the city. Almost every time we go to downtown Dublin, we run into someone we know. I’ve met so many people here from the US, which I wasn’t expecting. It truly is a small world. 

Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, Ireland. It’s about 3 hours away from Dublin and it is one of the most fun places I’ve ever been! Kangaroos are everywhere, not in cages or enclosures.

Class here is very different than at Elmhurst, especially concerning nursing classes. At Elmhurst, we (the nursing students) usually have a quiz every morning before class starts, and several assignments due per week. Here there are 2 large assignments at midterm and final for each class, and that is the whole of our grade. That is probably the biggest change for me, but I’m confident that I will do well in school here.  If I could give any advice to those studying abroad, it would be expect to spend much more money than you plan on spending (especially if you are going to a country that uses the euro), to not stress yourself out about packing (you can always go shopping for things your forgot-pack light!), but most of all have fun and soak everything in because I’ve only been here a month and it’s gone by so fast! If anyone is going to Ireland to study abroad or has any questions about anything in general, please don’t hesitate to ask me! J

The coast that is about a 20 minute walk from campus. It’s such a calm place that is different from the beaches at home.