1) Making Friends:
Unlike going to college in the massive lecture halls of universities, chances are you'll actually know the person sitting next to you in your lectures. Scratch that, by the end of the first month you'll probably know your whole class. Smaller colleges mean smaller classes and you're much more likely to recognise the faces you pass in the hallways. They say the friends you make in college are the friends you'll have for life and you can be guaranteed to make friends in the smaller college communities.
2) The Cost Of Living:
According to Mercer’s 2017 Cost of Living Survey, Dublin is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. This is especially true in the case of broke students, studying full-time, maybe working part-time and trying to find somewhere affordable to live. When it comes to not only accommodation but living in general (feeding yourself, sessioning etc) colleges outside the city are a haven for doing things on the cheap.
3) Rag Weeks:
Galway Rag week. Carlow Rag week. Waterford Rag week. 3 of the loosest sessions of the year. And where do they take place? Not in Dublin anyway! If you've ever been to any of these Raise and Give weeks then you'll already be aware of the enjoyable carnage that comes with them. If not, then you are seriously missing out! Not only are they for a good cause but the memories (or lack there of) have defined many a student's college experience.
4) Easy To Navigate:
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If you've ever walked through the likes of UCD you'll understand what a metropolis the place is and getting familiar with the grounds might seem somewhat daunting. Similar to class sizes, you'll quickly get to know your surroundings in the country colleges and the soon the place will actually begin to feel like home, which is a great attribute for freshers who may actually be properly away from home for the first time.
5) You'll Probably End Up In Dublin Anyway:
Depending on your area of study, you're fairly likely to end up working and living in Dublin later in life anyway! So why not embrace the fact that you're away from rush hour traffic, sloth like street walkers and the fact you don't have to suffer the experience of a crowded Dublin Bus on a wet and windy morning. Well, not for a few years anyway.
6) Parking:
One complaint I've often heard from Dublin city slickers is the fact they can never find parking on campus. While it's not always easy to find parking in any college, the country colleges are ideal in the sense that you can park anywhere on campus and still be within a reasonable walking distance of wherever you need to be.
7) Lecturers Actually Know You:
If you turn up for class that is. Building a sound relationship with your lecturers may work in your favour should you ever need to appeal grades or even when looking for references for jobs after college. This kind of relationship is probably hard to build in a gigantic lecture hall when you're just 1 of a 100 faces.
8) Taxi!:
Nights out in town will not only set you back a bitta dolla, there are times when finding a needle in a haystack is easier than getting a taxi after a night out. No fear of this down the country where most people are generally heading in the same direction, from the same direction. You're a lot less likely to be standing in the rain at 3am trying to get your doner box home before it gets cold.
