August 12th, 2025 english

Meet Ji Seong Kim, or Ji for short. Originally from South Korea, Ji is studying Business Administration with a second major in English at his home university. To strengthen his English proficiency, Ji chose to spend 12 weeks studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland.

“I’m hoping to work abroad one day,” Ji shares. “Maybe in a marketing team, so improving my English is really important for me.”

We’ll take you through a timeline of Ji’s experience in Dublin, Ireland, and his academic journey during his 12-week programme at Dublin City University.

Week 1 in Ireland

Before choosing Ireland, Ji had four study abroad options through his home university: the Philippines, Canada, Australia, and Ireland. Having already visited Australia, he was eager for a new culture to experience. “I wanted to explore a country I’ve never been to, and I’d never been to Europe at all,” Ji explains. Ireland offered not only the chance to experience a new culture but also a perfect base for weekend trips across Europe.

Though Ji is no stranger to cultural transitions, having lived in China for five years during his primary school days, moving to Europe still came with its share of surprises.

Luckily, his arrival coincided with one of Ireland’s biggest celebrations: St. Patrick’s Day. The parade and festive atmosphere became Ji’s first introduction to Irish celebrations and culture. When asked for his advice to future international students, Ji doesn’t hesitate: “Come in the spring.” In Korea, the academic year starts either in March or September, but for Ji, arriving in March meant he could experience St. Patrick’s Day, it was a unique highlight, “There’s nothing like it in Korea!”. 

Although Ji hadn’t explored much of Dublin at this stage, he was already settling into student life. “Everything I need is nearby,” he says. Living with a host family has also helped him feel at home. “They’re really nice, and everyone has been kind,” Ji shares. He appreciates the convenience of having both campus and city life accessible.

Week 6 in Ireland

We caught up with Ji after 6 weeks in the programme: 

One of Ji’s favourite aspects of studying abroad has been the chance to travel. He made the most of his time, visiting Belfast and enjoying scenic spots like the Howth Cliff Walk in Dublin. Over the Easter break, he travelled to Barcelona, where he enjoyed a few days exploring the city and was pleasantly surprised by how affordable and delicious the food was.

Looking ahead, Ji had more trips planned. He was heading to Scotland and London soon, where he hopes to catch a soccer match and is even hoping to see the famous Korean footballer Son Heung-min play.

Living with a host family had been a positive experience for Ji. He felt lucky to have been placed with a welcoming family who provide plenty of tasty home-cooked meals, helping him settle in comfortably.

When choosing where to study abroad, Ji intentionally selected Dublin to avoid relying too much on other Korean students and to fully immerse himself in English. While places like Australia attract large numbers of Korean students, Dublin offered him the chance to experience a new culture more independently while improving his language skills.

DCU International Academy hosts a weekly ‘Thursday Chat Club,’ which encourages students to meet fellow classmates from different countries, share what they’ve done over the past week, and discuss plans for the coming weekend. Ji highlighted that this activity provided an excellent opportunity to practice English amongst his peers.

Week 10 in Ireland

With his time in Dublin running to an end, Ji shares that he doesn’t plan to stop travelling while he’s here, with a trip to Brussels already on his itinerary before he heads back to South Korea.

It’s been inspiring to see how much Ji has embraced this opportunity, not only academically, but also culturally and socially. We look forward to seeing what the rest of his journey brings and to sharing his story with future students who may choose a similar path.

We sincerely thank Ji for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing his experience of studying and improving his English proficiency at DCU International Academy.

If you’re interested in having a similar experience, learn more about our programmes here.

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