My Undergraduate Experience – What more could I possibly hope for? by Jia Xu – Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

It has been quite a number of years since I graduated from the University of Limerick. However, I can still clearly remember every minute I spent in the college and recall every individual I met on campus. It was a truly challenging and exciting four years.

I chose Information Technology & Telecommunications for my undergraduate study, the course introduced me into the compettive IT world with a vast array of hardware and software knowledge. I often felt like I was a little child let loose in a massive playground with many toys.

The lecturers at UL are great teachers who guide you through each module of study and help you to decide what area of study you would like to major in and subsequently work in once you graduate. During my undergraduate study the aspect of study that I appreciated the most was doing research work. As the semesters progressed, I started to learn more about the lecturers and professors who were teaching my classes. Some of the professors were at the top of their fields and I was honoured that they were not only taking time away from research but also were interested in involving students in their future work. There were many quite interesting research projects going on at the time in the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering. Almost all of the lecturers had their own websites which helped me understand their research interests, publications etc. After my own little research, I sent an email to the lecturer whose work I was most interested in. It wasn’t long before I got a response back and had my first meeting with Dr Sutcliffe. In my fourth year, I met with him weekly on my research progress and I also met with other researchers within the group to exchange ideas and future research proposals. It did mean I was extremely busy in my last year at UL between my study and research work but it was a worthwhile development opportunity for me. So for those who are really interested in research, please don’t miss out on UL. My advice is to spend some time exploring the UL website, you will come across a lot of interesting research subjects.

Having studied at a university in Europe, how can I not also mention my travel experiences? I spent a summer studying in the UL Language Centre where I met a lovely bunch of folks from Italy, Spain, Sweden and Japan. More than 10 years on, we are still good friends, keep in contact and visit each other regularly. Due to my network of friends, I have tasted many different cuisines, enjoyed a rich diversity of cultures and travelled to many different parts of Europe and the world.