What I Wish I Knew When I First Arrived at UL

Starting life at UL can be exciting, overwhelming, and full of surprises. Looking back, here are the things I wish I had known when I first arrived—covering academics, daily life, part-time work, and wellbeing.

@Academic

Interior view of the UL Library showcasing the automated book retrieval system.

UL Library (offers academic workshops to support your studies).

Some of us might not be familiar with communications using e-mails, so it is worth it to play around with Outlook and figure out how Cc/Bcc and Reply/Reply All work.

The library does a lot of workshops to help you with referencing, academic writing, and Endnote.

If you need extra help with your studies, try the learning centres as they have drop-in sessions and run workshops to cover lab materials. The one for Computer Science and Information Systems is called ICT learning centre – they have their own website and accounts on social media where you can find their timetable.

@Tips on gaining volunteering hours (as it will appear on your transcript):

These hours contribute towards President’s Volunteer Award (PVA): 60 for Gold, 40 for Silver, 20 for Bronze and 12 for Plassey (only open to one-semester students). You will be awarded your certificate at a ceremony in University Concert Hall with reception afterwards.

Being in the committee of any club/society guarantees the Gold PVA.

The parade on St Patrick’s Day is great fun, gives you 8 hours plus a T-shirt and free lunch (delicious sandwich from the milk market, I would highly recommend the black pudding one with goat cheese)!

BeMindfUL is a great 4-week peer support programme that covers topics like supporting a friend, bystander intervention, substance use, cultural competence and suicide prevention. You can get a free water bottle, a sweatshirt, delicious hot dinners, and 18 hours!

Consider becoming a UL Global Ambassador – no spoiler, but you will not regret it in any way! The tours, the events, the goodies… And the best thing is that you will not need to reapply for the next academic year (and I will definitely be staying)!

@Life

Cooking demonstration on 'Zero Waste Pumpkin' at UL, showcasing sustainable cooking practices and creative uses for pumpkins.

From cooking demos to cultural festivals—UL events bring students together.

@Shopping:

Grocery shopping – price from low to high: Aldi/Lidl -> Tesco with club card/Dunnes with vouchers -> Dunnes without vouchers -> SuperValu

UL Student Life runs free bus to Lidl every Monday evening. It leaves UL at 7.30 and goes back from the shop at 8.30.

Mr. Price is great for bargains, and you will be able to find everything you need at The Range.

You can get designer brands at bargain prices from TKMaxx if you have good eyes for them.

Do not hesitate to ask for student discount anywhere!

@Events:

What I love about UL is that it is such a small world on its own and there are so many events that keep us entertained. There are so many organisations that regularly organise events, such as UL StudentLife, PSU, UL Global and Campus Life Services (book via their App), and of course Clubs & Societies. My favourite ones are festivals by UL Global, Cooking Demo with the Master Chefs team by CLS and UL StudentLife tour to Killarney.

@Driving:

Think about getting a driving license because the public transport here is not the best. And if you’ve made up your mind, act quickly because it is such a long haul and very expensive for us international students who don’t have anyone to practice with! My timeline as someone who never drove before to give you an idea:

Started preparing in winter 2023 -> Passed my theory test in January 2024 -> Did the eye test, got all the required document and applied for my learner’s permit in the same month -> Started my first driving lesson in February 2024 -> Completed the compulsory 12 lessons between February and August -> Received my invitation for booking the test in October 2024 -> Driving instructor got busy and I twisted my ankle, decided that I was not ready for the test, and rejoined the waiting list in December 2024 -> Failed my first driving test and immediately joined the waiting list again in June 2025 -> Passed my driving test and applied for my full license in October 2025. So, a year and a half would be a good estimate.

For the finance: The licenses and tests cost me around €400 (but it can be reduced to €300 if you can find cheaper place for eye test and pass your first driving test); Car hire cost me €200; lessons are €50 each and I have done 30, if not more.

@Eating on Campus

The Terrace Bar and The Pavilion use fresh ingredients from Ellan Farm 20 minutes away from UL, and they are open everyday!

Eden restaurant is probably the least known restaurant on campus, if not The Paddocks. But they are both great for meet-up with friends as they are usually not crowded!

I might be biased, but the chicken curry on Wednesdays at The Scholars Club are the best!

Remember to bring your own cup to the café at Kemmy Business school.

Café Allegro in foundation building changes their menus frequently and you can get delicious pasta for under €10!

Dining at The East Room Restaurant

(The mysterious) Plassey House is (posh but) not scary and you should go explore it! The building is named after Battle of Plassey in India. You can get a 3-course meal for €45 during lunch time or €70 for dinner at The East Room restaurant – they serve you with silver cutlery! Apart from the food, you should visit the venue for artwork! It is open to everyone as long as they are not filming – just ask at the reception.

@Part-time work

Many of us need to do part-times to sustain ourselves and we can learn so much from this type of jobs. Here are some opportunities that I know of:

Ruolin celebrating with coworkers at the CLS employee party, July 2024.

With my coworkers at CLS employee party in July 2024

Summer job at Campus Life Services (CLS): Job advertisements are out in March and open interviews are scheduled in May. You can work full-time (rostered for 3-6 days, usually 4-5 days weekly) as accommodation assistant (cleaner, no previous experience required), accommodation supervisor or receptionist at one of the student villages in summer, although most likely you will be rostered around villages (Kilmurry gets busy with sport events and Cappavilla takes in language school students for example). It is a minimum wage job as most of the non-professional roles but you can get free pizza for lunch sometimes. The management team holds 2 employee parties in summer and gives you drink vouchers, and you can also receive your holiday pay by the end of summer. You can expect to earn €5000-6000 if you are above 18.

Part-times throughout the academic year: Spar on campus, The Scholars Club and The Terrace Bar are always looking for student workers, usually at the beginning of each semester. However, it is your responsibility to balance your study and work, and remember not to lose focus on what matters more in the long run!

Seasonal jobs: TKMaxx, Brown Thomas, Costa Coffee and a lot of places need cover for holiday time and it might be worth considering if you are not going home during Christmas!

@Wellbeing in winter

I always feel that caring for ourselves in the changing weather should be talked about more often and here are some tips that I find helpful:

Take your supplements. Vitamin D, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Fish Oil, Vitamin B12…Do your own research and decide what works the best for you.

Connect with your friends. We are all social animals and we need each other’s company. Stop scrolling on your phone and spend more time with your friends!

If you feel like going to bed at 8pm – Trust me, you are not the only one. Why not just listen to your body and get up at 5am? You can enjoy the whole morning without interruptions, and you will feel so good about yourself when you see the sunrise!

Eat well. Student life is busy, and you probably do not want to live on bananas and protein powder and trust me I don’t mean that by saying “eat well”, nor am I asking you to buy expensive ingredients. Do your big grocery shopping during the weekend, batch cook your carbs, cut your protein into small portions and put them in the freezer – it is completely affordable and you will feel so much better than living on energy drinks and kebabs (trust me, I have been there).