With over 30,000 students enrolled and ranked among the top 200 universities in the world, UCD is the place to be. Oh, and its graduates are considered the most employable in Ireland. But there is a lot more to UCD than just lectures and late nights grinding in the library. UCD offers an incredible amount to its students: world-class sports facilities – used by Leinster, Europe’s best rugby team, the long list of student-run societies, the super selection of places to eat on campus and the constant investment into the campus to keep it as modern and as vibrant as possible!
Now down to the basics......
Accommodation:
If you managed to bag yourself accommodation on campus, you’re in luck. The rooms on campus are very well equipped with a single bed, a bathroom, desk along with a shared social dining area with handy cooking facilities, fridges, couches and cupboard space to put your groceries into.
On the downside, accommodation is typically quite expensive in UCD and in Dublin as a whole. UCD recently announced plans to increase rent prices by 12%, so if staying on campus isn’t an option, renting a house with your friends privately off campus might suit you more. You also might try renting a room in a house with a family to get the true Dublin experience.
If you have the option, It is probably best to live on campus as UCD is always buzzing with different activities and events. High brow stuff like debates at the L&H or partying at a concert – everything will be at the fingertips. Living on campus means you will miss nothing. Most importantly, you are normally only 100-200 yards from the classrooms – perfect for rolling out of bed five minutes before the start of lecture.
Sports:
If mainstream sports are your passion or if you are interested in trying out something a bit more niche, UCD offers 60 different kinds of sports that range from football, taekwondo to squash. UCD has incredible gym facilities with 3 gyms all tailored to the different personalities of gym go-ers. The team gym is strictly for students in a team that need specific machines for their workouts. The performance gym is targeted at people who incorporate Olympic-style lifting into their workouts as it has many lifting platforms and squat racks not widely available in the main gym. The main gym has a very large cardio and weights section but, as I said, does not contain many lifting platforms. It is worth noting that the equipment is newer in the main gym and looks overall a bit nicer and less rundown than the others. Part of being a UCD student is the availability of free classes in the gym which include yoga, HIIT training, pilates and other fitness-related classes, all of which are instructed by a fitness trainer hired by UCD.
Student-run societies
You will never be bored! UCD has enough student-run societies to cater for every need. You can test your debating skills in the Arts block or become a master juggler (no prior skills required – everyone welcome). What other college has a Harry Potter society? The best place to start exploring is Freshers’ week in UCD that allows new students to go and sign up to whatever society they like. Lots of free tee-shirts and other goodies. UCD also has a student bar beside the student centre while you can waste away many hours chatting with new friends or catching a big game on the TV. If this is not your scene, you can always go to the on campus cinema to catch one of the latest movies with your friends.
OK, one downside
One of the drawbacks to UCD is that it is not really near the City centre which really limits your food choices to food service on campus. If you’re willing to make the trip outside, there are a few supermarkets nearby. Otherwise, you might be waiting until the weekend to go into town. That is not to say the food selection in UCD is not adequate – UCD has great food options. You can find a great variety of things in UCD that agrees with most budgets. The best food is probably to be found In the health sciences building at Pi which offers made to order salads and fresh sandwiches. However, there are cheaper options to be found at either Centra or the Student union shops which can at times appear to be staggeringly cheap, but the quality may at times be lacking. If you are living on campus, there is always the option of going back to your dorm and using the cooking facilities there to save money and spare yourself the grief of getting another chicken fillet roll from Centra 😉