The stereotypical Dual BA student is a creature known to dwell in the Arts Bloc, the GMB and Kavanagh Court. It comes with an international background and entitlement swathed within generic niceties. If you give an American Dual BA student a Guinness, it will attempt an Irish accent and not cease running its mouth until the Liffy runs dry.  

As an American Dual BA student myself, I can neither confirm nor deny these rumours. I arrived at Trinity at the age of 18 with a truckload of clothes and a mission—to be a “global citizen”, an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hoped I would attain, to quote the words of countryman John F. Kennedy. This distinction carried me through my Fresher experience, finding a community at Trinity, both in the Dual BA and through student journalism. 

Should I stay or should I go? That’s the question many students in the Dual BA have asked themselves, wondering if they are willing to commit to a program that entails two years at Trinity before dropping their lives, friends and pint of cider or Guinness to move to New York for the next two years – where they may not be of legal drinking age. 

Multiple peers of mine, including a close friend, decided to drop out. That was early on, and made me confront for the first time that thought which had previously lingered in obscurity, only now making itself obnoxiously apparent, like a seagull or tourist in Front Square: our time together was finite.

So, till Dual BA do us part. It is worthwhile saying that I have not found the transition to Columbia easy. I miss my friends and, even as a New Yorker, there was no preparation for the difficulty of making friends outside the Dual BA at my new university. Admittedly, as a third-year student, it is difficult to find the motivation to reach out to acquaintances, wizened crone that I am.

Competition is part of life, but I have found it difficult — the sense that I am no longer a respectably-sized fish across the pond and instead am a minnow expected to walk on land. Despite considerable experience, I was rejected from several publications at Columbia by interviewers my own age. I couldn’t help but think that if I was at Trinity I would be in their position instead of flopping around, a hapless Freshman in the body of a Junior. 

Goodbye to All That 

What would life be like if I stayed? To find out, I decided to speak with students who decided to stay at Trinity. Many deliberated for a long time before making the decision to leave the program, citing social and economic factors as the primary reasons behind their choice.

“I was just getting settled in Dublin, and realised that I didn’t really want to have a big transition and have to learn a new city”, recalls Keegan Ryan, a third year Classics student who left the Dual BA shortly after second year began. She loved her small, noncompetitive classes and was reluctant to go from Archaeology to courses dedicated to the hard-sciences in Columbia’s core curriculum. Participation in the Dual BA necessitates taking certain classes to fulfil the core, regardless of your degree. She cites the bureaucracy as another factor in her decision to leave, noting Trinity did not make it easy to fulfil the core requirements. 

Multiple students expressed their frustration at a lack of clarity in this respect, with the Dean in charge of administering student affairs changing at a rate that mirrors the constantly shifting rotation of Defence Against the Dark Arts professors in the Harry Potter saga. 

I also spoke to students who made the change to Columbia, but nevertheless voiced frustrations with the program. Some of these students found issues with their language requirements, as the Dual BA program requires two years of a language, recommended to be taken at Trinity. 

One English third year student noted that she had wanted to take one language after studying it for five years in previous schools, only to be put in Italian. She finally decided on Latin, with a couple of other English students.

“From the beginning, it wasn’t put on our official schedules on the Trinity Live app,” says the student, recalling how the students in Latin resorted to “constantly emailing several different people, both the English advisor for undergrads and also the Dual BA advisor for English and also the Dual BA people” and went to office hours for the undergrad English advisor at Trinity.  

“But she was in a meeting and she ignored me and was like what are you doing here… she was very very dismissive, [saying] all you Dual BA people are always asking about your languages, and we’re figuring it out.” She continues, “but they were not.”  

It wasn’t until this March that a meeting was called with a general Dual BA advisor in attendance. It was proposed that as the program requires two years of a language but Latin fulfils double the credit requirements, schedules were falsified to show Latin on both the students’ first and second year schedules. 

The third-year didn’t take issue with this approach, as she was “just chilling” during second year when she didn’t have to take a language, but she found the administration frustrating and expressed that this problem would have been “easily avoidable if they had said to us—don’t take Latin.” Latin will not be an option for incoming Dual BA students in the future, and it’s not difficult to see why. 

The Dual BA program has only been around since 2018 and has all the dysfunctionality of a young person struggling to navigate the world for the first time—understandable until you consider that the program was conceived intentionally by adults with fully-developed prefrontal cortexes, presumably no longer adrift in their twenties. 

To be sure, many bureaucratic frustrations are not innate to the Dual BA program, but prevalent in Trinity and higher education as a whole.

Still, no students who left the program expressed regret, which testifies to the considerable opportunities that come from staying at Trinity—including additional opportunities to travel. Virginia Ferri, my friend who dropped out first term of first year, is currently partaking in an international exchange at McGill in Montreal, an opportunity she would not have been able to undertake had she remained in the Dual BA program.

As a result, she has travelled widely around Canada and, when visiting me, enthusiastically observed that she understood the experience of Americans studying abroad at Trinity, who are known to go wild with Ryanair perks while European students most often return home for Reading Week. 

“A couple of weeks ago, my two flatmates and I drove out to a cabin in the woods in the middle of Ontario for a night, ” Ferri says, recalling how there was no running water, heating, and an outdoors bathroom, “but it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.” 

“I knew that two years [in Dublin] wouldn’t be enough for me, and moving to New York in such little time would have made everything too rushed”, she says. To some extent, the Dual BA sounds great in practice, but in actuality entails the agony  of separating from friends and the severing connections you have forged with professors, classmates and societies.

Ryan has been active in DU Archaeological Society and has been able to attain a leadership position, which does not come to the most wildly ambitious new arrivals to campus. Ferri has been engaged in the music scene within Trinity. Studying at McGill, she finds the workload “a bit more” intense; at Columbia this would be substantially more.

Every student I spoke to cited the financial component of the Dual BA as a major reason why they decided to leave the program. The cost of Columbia tuition—65k without factoring in living expenses—is tremendous even if you have the means, frequently requiring sacrifice on the part of your family and making it more difficult to pursue further education beyond college. 

The actual process of dropping out remains quite simple. Ferri noted that the only part that was “awkward” was “talking to the Dual BA advisor and having to explain to him that I wanted to drop out — but he was chill about it.” Another student said that they decided to leave the program last minute, citing parental pressures as a factor that contributed to their indecision.

It was emphasised throughout my conversations with students that it is a highly subjective decision to make, and it is important to consider how you as an individual are equipped to handle the transition. While tempting to rely on the opinions of family and friends, ultimately you should know yourself and your innate abilities to cope with your new surroundings. 

Befuddling New World 

What about the poor saps sucked into paying approximately four times the Trinity international fees?

Yes, I’m talking about the students who joined the Dual BA program after being admitted to Trinity on a ‘normal’ four year course. Multiple students agreed to speak to Misc. about what spurred their leap in magical thinking, not to forget the substantial increase in tuition payments. It is worth noting that this year is the first students have been allowed to join halfway through their degrees, as members of the class of 2025 had to join the class of 2026.

Olivia Bulis joined the program out of her “desire to engage in two diverse academic settings”. Although she initially thought “a highly specialised and focused European model of education” entirely focused on English would best suit her goals, she came to the conclusion that she wanted to explore how her subject intercepts with others. 

“No area of study exists in a vacuum, and rather calls itself to converse with other academic spheres and schools of thought,” says Bulis. “I am really grateful that the Dual BA exists, wherein I was able to subsume myself in English studies for my first two years, and yet, at Columbia, I have relished the opportunity to take courses outside my course.” 

Bulis plans to double major in Anthropology, which would be impossible given Trinity’s focus on the predetermined discipline students choose before setting foot on campus. Columbia allows students to experiment with other fields, as is traditional of a liberal arts college in the US, and even requires it given the core curriculum which necessitates classes outside your major and across the sciences and humanities.

Melina Rosehkhan also decided to join the program out of a desire to challenge herself. It perfectly aligns with her career aspirations, as at Trinity she studied languages through her Middle Eastern Language and Cultural Studies (MELC) degree while at Columbia she is able to earn a Political Science degree, learning foundational concepts she lacked at Trinity.

How have students found the transition?

It is certainly true that the academic culture at Trinity differs greatly from the culture at Columbia. Many students feel they have reaped the benefits of this transition, noting the “incredible privilege” of having access to the opportunities at Columbia, an Ivy League institution, and within New York City as well, getting off campus to attend concerts and events.

It does entail a lot more work, but most students view this shift as part of the trade-off to the program, an aspect of adjustment they took for granted as part of the transition process. “I’m someone who feels more work doesn’t have to be a bad thing”, says Rosehkhan, citing “more growth and challenges in order to grow — Trinity was too chill for me.” 

Third-year Amelia Hemmings, an American studying English through the program, says the city didn’t take a lot to get used to since she’s from Los Angeles. While academically there’s been a lot to get used to, “the good thing is I feel like I’m learning so much… my brain is working more than it has in a long time.” 

Most have not noticed an increase in annoying individuals, with the caveat that this may be because us Dual BA students are the problem at Trinity. “I haven’t met anyone who’s too intense”, says Hemmings, before commenting, somewhat forebodingly, “I know they’re out there.” 

She is happy with her experience now, although she notes that “if you asked me during midterms, I’d be crying.” Indeed, this period after midterms indicates the variability between student experiences, as Columbia entails both midterms and continuous assessment to an extent that some majors at Trinity lack—in English, our entire module grade usually comes down to a singular end-of-term assignment. 

Other majors have been more accustomed to constant assessment, which is not to say that the workload has been easy. The sheer variability between testimonies speaks to the unique pathways available to students at Columbia. Most appreciate the increased attention from professors, as the concept of a “coffee chat” or close relationships are not as normalised at Trinity, although not unprecedented. 

Bulis is one of several who has taken graduate level courses and is pursuing a major or minor in another discipline, in addition to benefiting from this personalised attention level. By comparison, the ratio of students to professors is rapidly increasing at Trinity, with an Irish Independent article last year calling out this as a hindrance to its otherwise stellar reputation. 

Noting an upcoming research publication, Bulis says that she will “be forever grateful” for the opportunity to collaborate with the professor. “One thing I have found to be very different here is that my professors take a vested interest in their students… I have never felt more validated, and simultaneously pushed and challenged academically.”

Classes at Columbia are also quirkier—Louisa Sophia Filmer, a third year studying Political Science, recalls an instance of “close-reading a poem seven times”, ending with the exercise where students had to “sing whatever word speaks to you”. In her case, this was “Christopher Columbus.” My literature class Desire and Metamorphosis is taught by a New York Times columnist who was parodied on SNL, with a final project rewriting a ten page essay on a ‘metamorphosis’ we have experienced in our lives. She also plays The Kinks and sings. 

There is less of a society-driven culture at Columbia, due to the intense nature of studies. “I have not been very able to get involved in extracurriculars”, says Hemmings, whereas at Trinity, “I was doing shows and stage-managing a lot.” Rosehkhan, while noting the tremendous opportunities available, says the sheer quantity “can be overwhelming”, concluding, “I learned to set my priorities, otherwise you won’t survive.” 

That said, if you’re struggling with the transition, getting involved in club culture or outside campus activities can be a valuable outlet for meeting people and getting situated. 

Travelling within the US is also worthwhile, and it can be more affordable than you might think. Rosehkhan has travelled widely and inexpensively, and thinks this opportunity is also something to take advantage of, as “it’s easier than most people think.” She took a Flex bus to Boston for “60 bucks back and forth”, DC for “40” and has plans to travel to Chicago for Thanksgiving and Costa Rica for holiday break. While not Ryanair pricing, it’s not too shabby.

Culture shock frequently reflects wider cultural differences. “Here people are really grinding”, says Rosehkhan, they “are hustling and already applying to internships.” She finds this to be a general trend in American culture, rather than a reflection of Trinity and Columbia as institutions. “It’s cool… makes you motivated to continue and have some grit.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, as once students adjust, New York is unparalleled. 

Jess Flood, a fourth-year English major, speaks to the cohort of 2025’s experience, feeling ambivalence especially to a lack of information prior to the transition.

“I thought it was so crazy”, she says, advising students to “look at [third-year in the Dual BA] as starting again and going into a whole new experience” rather than assuming that they know exactly what Columbia entails based on Trinity student life.

A year on, Flood has found her experience “amazing.” In addition to “getting exposure” to students across the international degree programs [Columbia has joint programs with Sciences Po, Tel Aviv and City University of Hong Kong] and exposure to academics, “you’re 20 or 21 and you’re in New York… once you settle in, you embrace that. It’s so fun.”

She says that the close-knit environment in the Dual BA is a plus, noting that students come in with preexisting friend groups that students in a more conventional study abroad program don’t necessarily have. Flood has found her friends in the Dual BA “to be a massive source of fun and comfort” as well as a “source of stability” during her time at Columbia.

One memorable moment was when her friends from Trinity came to New York to visit for ten days after the end of Columbia finals in May. “We kept meeting up and we’d go ride bikes and do all the New Yorker-y things,” she reminisces, “I was like… I’m so lucky to have this, I have my friends from both sides of the program and they both know each other and get on so well.”

The propensity of these connections strikes Flood—and I—as a notable highlight. The Dual BA “teaches you to keep connected across so many different places”, says Flood. “That’s such an incredible skill because it takes the fear out of moving when you’re older and [prevents relocation] from scaring you when you’re an adult.”

There is a definite elephant in the room when it comes to life in the US: The 2024 US Presidential Election. Rosehkhan was in DC on election day, and feels that she “witnessed history”. 

“There was a protest and people were like, either believe in Jesus or burn in hell.” She recalls the process of going with her friends as they voted. “I found it unbelievable”, she says, as she had “never been in a country where I felt like people were so divided… we’re living in a dystopia.” 

She is sympathetic for people likely to feel the direct impacts of the president-elect’s policies, saying that she “can’t imagine what [undocumented immigrants] are feeling right now, not knowing what to expect — in Europe, I could never imagine that.”

Personal relationships are also disastrous to maintain through online connection— I can think of at least three couples either broken up or suffering due to the physical distance imposed by attendance in the Dual BA, tales of agony fit to launch a remake of Normal People, albeit one that only Americans would watch.

Where we live now 

Most students in the program I spoke to experienced varying degrees of difficulty in adjusting to life after Trinity. 

If you had asked me two months ago what I thought of the Dual BA, I would offer a very different answer as to the nature of the program than I would now. It takes time to adapt and I’m much happier now than I was only a short time ago, more or less settled in.

It is a natural urge for overthinkers to romanticise the roads not taken, and to elevate these alternative pathways within their imaginations as superior to the existing trail. Still, most who left did not ultimately express regrets even if they had a tough time transitioning to life at Columbia, much as the students who stayed in the program voiced their gratitude for Trinity.

That said, it’s easy for students, particularly those who have stayed in the Dual BA, to enter into a fog of nostalgia for our former lives. 

I can certainly sympathise. At Trinity, it’s not like I was having the time of my life. Still, the culture was lit and we had T-ball, to misappropriate Lana Del Rey. Overall, it was a comparatively unpretentious environment encouraging us to have more of a work-life balance. 

Now, I go to the library in the mornings and it is not uncommon to leave after midnight. Yes, college is supposed to be the time of your life. We are undeniably lucky to have this opportunity and an Ivy League education while still having experienced Trinity, all of that trad. 

Nevertheless, let the American dream. It remains invariably tempting, the concept of a portal from Dublin to New York that involves actual teleportation, rather than glimpsing the bare asses of strangers. This, of course, is what occurred in the actual portal set up last summer, a potential contrast between expectations and reality that perhaps best encapsulates what it means to be a “global citizen”, the truth laid naked if unafraid.