University is a place to practice your passions, to learn what you want to learn and grow in the skills that matter to you. Providing this experience to students is a top priority at UL. I recently spoke to Sonya San, a third year Law plus student from Malaysia. I wanted to know how successful UL has been in providing this experience for her. 

Law Plus is essentially a course where you do core law modules alongside electives in a subject of your choosing – Sonya praised the wide variety of elective subjects at UL (including but not limited to Sociology, Economics, French, and Politics) before saying that she herself chose to study Spanish alongside Law. Law plus is a perfect area where you can be trained in Law, while also exploring another passion. 

“My interest lies in languages as well – so I went with Law and Spanish also!” 

UL is the sporting campus of Ireland, hosting many of the best sports facilities in the country. UL Sport also hosts a variety of fitness classes for people of all skills and abilities. Sonya told me that she “Avail[s] of the gym very often and on top of that there are many fitness classes … which someone like me would really enjoy”. Not only are students free to pursue their academic passions, but they are also enabled to do so with their hobbies, and to excel physically.  

Ireland is known around the globe as a tourist hotspot. Many students come to study on the Emerald Isle due to their passion for traveling and exploring the world. It should come as no surprise then that UL does all it can to encourage students to see the country while they are here. UL Student Life (The Student Union) often organises bus trips out to must-see locations, such as the Cliffs of Moher. Sonya told me that her best experience of traveling in Ireland was a trip she took to the Ring of Kerry – a scenic road around some of the best coastal views on the Island. 

Despite all of this, Sonya told me that none of this had been her main reason for choosing to study at UL. What sold her on the university was our programme of co-op work placement. This programme offers students the ability to work in the field they are training for. Sonya, as a Law student, worked in Bray Courthouse. You can hear more about her experience in the wonderful video she produced for UL global: 

UL is like many other universities, where practicing your passions are a part of the student experience. However, UL is unique, because in UL practicing your passions is the experience. Whether you want choice and variety in your studies, the opportunity to practice fitness and sports, or the chance to get a taste of your chosen field of work; UL offers you these opportunities.