Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

Since my arrival in September, I have been taken aback by the wide variety of opportunities for development, both personal and professional, here at UL. Opportunities range from leadership positions, academic growth, and a wide range of extracurricular activities. The flexible schedule UL provides regarding lectures and schoolwork facilitates the wide range of accomplishments students can achieve while handling scholarly responsibilities.

Even as a freshman at UL who is studying abroad as an international student for the first semester, I have been able to assume leadership positions due to the equitable opportunities presented in societies at UL such as the Consulting and Entrepreneurship Society. As a business major in the states, I signed up for this society at the vast career fair offered at UL, taking a
chance on a group of strangers with a similar interest. After walking in, I realized I was one of the few freshmen in the room, but it felt as if they had been waiting excitedly to see me. I was introduced to a dozen people right away through co-president Johnny Kelly, and was informed on the opportunity to run for leadership positions. Despite perceiving my odds as minimal to none given my lack of seniority, I ran for “Head of Finance,” giving a speech in front of 45 people.
After the society took a vote between another candidate and I, I managed to win the election and get the position. Being a part of the committee that led driven students who are as passionate about business and entrepreneurship has been an amazing experience, especially getting to practice real world business skills in excel, budget projections, facilitating grants with consulting
goliaths, etc. UL offering me the chance to explore my interests and grow my resume, even as a freshman, emphasizes the equality in opportunities at UL, letting anyone become who they want to be.

Another opportunity for growth readily available at UL is the extensive opportunities for volunteering apparent at every corner of the campus. Within my first few weeks on campus, I managed to achieve ambassador positions at both UL Global and UL Kemmy Business School.
As a KBS ambassador, students are given the opportunity to work open days to showcase the dynamic learning environment at UL and collaborate with the marketing team to highlight the university’s prospects to potential students. This has both enhanced my communication skills as well as my ability to meaningfully contribute to the university community. Being a UL Global Ambassador expands on the ability students get to represent UL to an international audience, promoting the university’s offerings to a global student base. Being a part of both of these volunteering initiatives helped me develop invaluable skills in event planning, communication, and leadership while making a positive impact on UL.

Mentioning the flexibility of UL’s class schedules is vital in acknowledging the perks of attending UL. One of–if not my favorite–features about being a student at UL is the ability to customize my schedule with academic advisors and pick the classes that work for my interests. As an international student, it was crucial to me to have Thursdays and Fridays off to balance schoolwork with extracurricular activities and an internship in Dublin.. By allowing me to arrange the first half of the week to my studies, I have been able to spend the second half of the week tying up loose ends in clubs, getting ahead on schoolwork for the following week, attending my internship, and taking the occasional trip to another country during my short time in Europe. My experience in balancing personal and academic endeavors has remained seamless throughout my time at UL, and is something I endure not to take for granted this fall.

Thanks to UL’s accessible transportation just outside the fabled Stables Club, my pursuit of off-campus activities has not been restricted in any way. The big green bus that shows up every 30 minutes takes students directly to Dublin for their various needs. As an international student, this has been an invaluable resource when handling immigration appointments, attending
my internship at the World Trade Center Dublin, and even spending the day in Dublin to experience the occasional rugby game or visit the Guinness Factory. The opportunity to obtain real-world work experience while pursuing full-time education is something I genuinely love while attending UL. The environment UL fosters is infections, providing healthy challenges
academically, while allowing for personal growth outside of academic work.

While the opportunities provided to students outside the classroom remains extensive, the actual classes inside the walls of UL remain consistently engaging. Beyond the coursework, the large benefit to the positive experience I have experienced at UL is credited to the staff’s promptness. The staff at UL has always been responsive to my requests, whether they be concerning academics, internship advice, or just general questions about campus life. As an international student, navigating life at UL has been considerably easier than it would have been without this degree of support. Understanding the unfamiliarity of international students regarding Ireland’s education system, module instructors are extremely accommodating and are ready to answer any questions I have. Making the most of my time at UL has been made possible by the kind and supportive teachers and administration, something that is hard to come across in many classrooms in my experience.

UL’s inclusive atmosphere in addition to the unique opportunities it provides to all students creates a beautiful melting pot, allowing individuals to pursue their personal passions and interests with no resistance. Being a part of the UL community is a one of a kind experience, with students being able to customize their experience to fit their interests and objectives thanks
to the variety of clubs, groups, and volunteer opportunities. Despite the background of a student at UL, there is a spot for them. Whether their interests lie in business, the arts, sports, social issues, etc, I have seen it all. Meeting people from different backgrounds with differing interests
has been one of my favorite parts of attending UL, being able to expand my horizons and adopt new passions and perspectives on various aspects of life that would have remained unbeknownst to me.

Overall, the University of Limerick remains untouched when it comes to facilitating an environment for professional, intellectual, and personal development. Between the opportunities for leadership, the helpful staff, the flexible schedule, extracurricular opportunities, etc, UL has it all combined into one community, allowing me to grow in areas I had not even considered
coming to Ireland in September. Through my various leadership positions, internship, and most importantly, relationships made at UL, I have been able to build a foundation for long term success in my life–a foundation I owe all the credit to UL. I’m eager to continue studying at UL this fall being assured UL will continue to have my best interest in mind regardless of what it
may be.