If you’re joining us at UL next semester, why not apply for our student ambassador programme? Every blog that we post, like this one by Arun Rajeev, is written by a student like you, so read on to find out more!

I joined UL in September 2020 as a Postgraduate student. I was excited and terrified as everything was new to me, the place, the people, all the usual worries of an international student. Having signed up for the International Student Ambassador program I was excited and hoped to meet new people and probably make some new friends as well. As it turns out, things did not go as per plan due to the ongoing pandemic. The restrictions and the lockdowns meant the entire teaching was going to happen online. Not just teaching but almost all the planned social activities had to take place virtually. It was quite shocking in the initial months to even comprehend this fact. The excitement of studying abroad turned to fear of being locked inside. Although I was a bit dejected initially, I soon found ways to cope with this and one of the things that I loved about UL is the beautiful and serene campus. The walks on the numerous trails on campus helped me to reconnect with nature and relieve some of my stress and anxiety. The Shannon river cutting across the campus brought a soothing rhythm to the chaos around and the Living bridge became one of my favourite spots on campus.

Most of my volunteering activity involved taking photographs and sending them to the UL global team. It was one of the things that I loved about being a Student Ambassador and it was something I enjoyed and was passionate about. I was also fortunate to have taken part in 2 photoshoots for UL global during the end of the 2nd semester and it was one of those rare face to face moments that I got. The photoshoots were brief, but it was also a lot of fun, and I finally met some real people. Those few moments I could interact with people definitely would go down as some of the most memorable moments as a student for me. The Ambassador program was an unforgettable experience for me, it was enjoyable and I got to meet some great new people. I would recommend future international students to take part in the Ambassador program, it is definitely worth the effort and also quite fun and engaging.