The International Office knows that moving to a new country is an exciting experience for students, but also understands the challenges associated with such a significant transition.
For the 2012 academic year, UCD’s Orientation Week and International Student Welcome will take place between Monday 9th January and Friday 13th Janaury 2011.
Orientation January 2012
UCD International Orientation January 2012
CSA Orientation January 2012
Welcome to UCD – we can’t wait to meet you at the airport!
UCD International is delighted to announce details of our airport welcome for incoming international students. The team will be based at a courtesy booth in the Arrivals Hall of Terminal 2, Dublin airport from Sunday 8th to Tuesday 10th January inclusive. Members of the team will also be in the Arrivals Hall in Terminal 1 and will direct you to Terminal 2.
When you arrive in the airport look for members of the team who will be wearing UCD t-shirts. They will direct you to the UCD booth. The team will be on hand from 9am to 5pm to answer any questions and assist you with your transfer to UCD.
We have also negotiated a discount on the Aircoach bus to assist with your transfer to UCD.
Transfer from the Airport to UCD
Dublin Airport is 10 km north of the city centre. Aircoach, a private bus service from Dublin Airport to the city centre and destinations south of the River Liffey. Two routes serve UCD Campuses with the recommended route being the Leopardstown route which passes by the main entrance to UCD on the Stillorgan Road and also serves Muckross Residences.
This service departs Dublin Airport at the following times:
4.00am – 6.00 am Every 20 minutes
6.00am – 8.00pm Every 10 minutes
8.00pm – Midnight Every 20 minutes
12.00am – 4.00am Every hour
For UCD Belfield campus please depart the Aircoach at the N11 Montrose stop. For Muckross residence please depart the Aircoach at the Hampton Hotel stop. If you are staying in Blackrock residences you can either take the Leopardstown Aircoach to UCD and then take a taxi to Blackrock. This will cost €10 or less. An alternative route is to take the Greystones Aircoach direct from Dublin Airport and depart at the Blackrock Village stop. Please note this service is not as regular and there is at least one hour between services.
For full details and the route map please see www.aircoach.ie. An online single discount rate has been negotiated with aircoach. To avail of this discount please follow the instructions outlined below:
Students should book two single tickets as opposed to a return ticket. This will ensure that you can avail of a discounted fare on your return home. In order to get the discount you must book your 2 single tickets online between 13th December 2011 to the 31st December 2011.
1. Click on www.aircoach.ie
2. Fill in details. Please see example of Aircoach booking form.
Origin - Dublin Airport
Destination - UCD Slip Road
Journey Type - single
Outward Date - select date that you will be arriving in Dublin
Discount Code - UCD
3. In order to get the Aircoach discount for your departure from Ireland repeat steps above for the date when you will be leaving Dublin.
Discount tickets that you purchase online can only be used between the 1st - 29th January 2012 and the 1st May - 31st July 2012.
Arriving late at night at the airport
If you arrive in the airport after 8pm, you should take a taxi to your destination. A taxi from the airport to the city centre costs approximately €25 and an additional €15 from the city centre to UCD, Belfield. Taxi drivers may add extra charges for each passenger and for luggage. If staying on the Belfield campus, you should advise taxi drivers to enter the campus via the Fosters Avenue entrance. The student residences are signposted.
International Student Welcome
The International Student Welcome and Information Fair will take place on Wednesday Janaury 11th at 15:00 in the C005 Health Sciences Building, where information will be provided about many student support services around UCD.
Orientation Programme by Categories
Study abroad and exchange students will receive their orientation schedule from their UCD programme co-ordinator.
Full-degree international students will also have programme-specific events during orientation week.
Graduate students should contact their supervisor or their programme administrator for further information on course-specific events.
Call home with your free O2 Mobile Phone SIM card!
UCD International and O2 will be providing each international student with a free O2 SIM card when you arrive in UCD. O2 is a telecommunications and broadband provider based in Ireland.
A dedicated O2 staff member will be based in the UCD Global Lounge between 10am to 12noon from Monday 9th to Friday 13th January to answer any questions regarding the mobile phone provider. Each free SIM will contain €10 free call credit that can be used straight away. The free SIM will give you free calls and texts to all other O2 customers.
Unlock your phone
Your new O2 SIM card will be ready to use as soon as you receive it and is compatible with most international phones. Students can purchase a new phone when they arrive in Ireland or unlock their exiting mobile phones. If you wish to use your existing phone, please ensure it is unlocked and is compatible to accept an international SIM card. Please follow the instructions below to unlock your phone.
· Contact your phone network. They can provide the phone unlocking code on request. Most networks will provide this if you have spend over a certain amount of credit. Once you have the code, Google your phone model to find unlocking instructions to guide you through the process.
· Go to an independent phone shop. Many provide a service to unlock phones at a minimal cost. Check online for the closest shop to you.
· Your phone may be unlocked already! You can check this by putting in a different SIM card to your current network and see if it works.
