I have been in Dublin studying at Trinity for a little over two months now. Adjusting to life here wasn't too hard. It took me a bit to get my food situation under control, but I figured it out once classes started. The 5 hour time difference is one thing I thought about a lot. In the morning, I wouldn't be able to text my friends until they got up for the day.
Classes here are also a lot different than at GW. All of my classes only meet once a week, except for"tutorial" groups that meet four times throughout the semester for two of my classes. Four of my five classes are also only fifty minutes long, and the other one is two hours. This means most of them are pretty dense in information, as fifty minutes of class time per week is not a lot. All of the classes also only have one or two assignments the whole semester, with two of them having one final essay as 100% of the grade. The lack of credit for attendance was strange to me, especially since a lot of them encourage you to attend every day.
I live in housing made for students studying abroad, and my suite mates are all either from the U.S. or Canada. I get my own bedroom with its own attached bathroom. It's great. Trinity is a thirty minute walk from my dorm, but it feels quick at this point.
Due to the fact there are so few assignments, I have a lot of free time for leisure and class readings. I followed some Trinity clubs, and I've attended a few jam sessions of the jazz club. Those were nice. After two weeks or so, I was back into my daily routine. Just like at GW, I would eat breakfast, go to class, have lunch at the dining hall, either go to the gym or Jiu Jitsu depending on the day, and then have a microwave meal for dinner. This routine has helped me feel like I'm home.
I haven't traveled much at all, but I did go to the town of Howth, which is a short train ride from Dublin. I went with friends, and we trekked along the cliffs near the ocean. It was a really beautiful experience. The day started cloudy, but as we progressed, the sun came out. It was an incredible moment when that happened. There were also hills to climb, and I've attached a picture of the view from atop one of them. That trip was my favorite day from my stay here so far. I'll be doing more traveling when my family visit this coming week, so I'm looking forward to that.
In terms of restaurants, I've really enjoyed the nearby Tacito's for whenever I want pizza or fried food. There's a fancy place called the Copper Alley Bistro which I sometimes go to on weekends. I also have enjoyed the best chicken sandwiches I've ever had at a Korean place called Chimac.
My experience so far hasn't been crazy, but I really enjoy the little things and just experiencing life in a new place. I go to the Lighthouse Cinema for a movie every once in a while, take pictures of the sun shining behind a church tower, and just take in the day to day moments. Even the mundane things are fresh experiences when you live in a different environment for the first time.
Matthew Sullivan
Fall 2025
GW Exchange - Trinity College Dublin
Columbian College of Arts and Science
History Major