Study Abroad at University of Limerick, Ireland

I stayed for the full academic year and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I got to do so much traveling this year to places that I never thought I would see. I think that people who want to study abroad should definitely do it. Not only do you get exposed to a new culture, but you also get to meet people that you otherwise would have never met. It gives you a bunch of opportunities to do things that you might not get to see. Sure, you can google the cliffs of moher but you will never really understand how much of a drop there is unless you are standing (or sitting) on the edge looking down at the water below. Being abroad gives you freedom to do things the way that you want to do them. You learn how to be your own person and how fast money can be spent if you aren't careful. Coming home after a year definitely makes me appreciate the freedom that I had abroad. I made a lot of friends and a lot of amazing memories. I'll miss being abroad but it's nice to be home.

All of the people at UL were very welcoming and I felt right at home. We stayed in private apartments and were offered numerous excursions to see as much of Ireland as we could over the short duration of our term. We visited several castles and had a few guided tours as well as several self-guided tours. My favorite part was probably visiting the Milk Market in downtown Limerick. We were given a few hours to explore the farmer's market and also had some free time around Limerick. We also got the chance to go downtown to enjoy the nightlife of Limerick with some of the current students of UL. 10/10 would recommend the program, 2 thumbs up, 5 gold stars, standing ovation. This was wonderful experience and anyone who gets the chance to visit UL, you absolutely should.

Going overseas to Ireland was an experience that was definitely heightened by studying at the University of Limerick. The staff was very friendly and made you comfortable with any questions. Within the 3 weeks that I was there, I saw so many parts of Ireland! The extra excursions are worth it, you need to see as much as you can while you're there. Exploring Dublin was one of my favorite parts, as the city has so many different buildings, museums, statues, pubs, and people that were all welcoming.

When I first came to UL, I wasn't really sure what to make of the whole changing to a new environment and leaving everything behind in the US. I will say though that this semester I had was easily the greatest experience of my life. Becoming immersed in a new culture, traveling all over Europe with a wonderful cast of people who are in a similar situation like me, it was such a life changing trip for me and I would absolutely recommend going to UL.

If you're looking for a good community and support system, University of Limerick has all of that for you. The students and staff are all very supportive of international students and the University has a large number of resources and the student's disposal. The city of Limerick is also an up and coming community with a lot social activities, dining locations, and community events such as the farmer's markets they have every week. The only downside I have found of the University is the lack of seriousness surrounding academics. As an engineering student, classes are very important to my degree so the lack of emphasis on the academics is a little frustrating, especially coming from a very intense academic program back in the United States.

Studying abroad at the University of Limerick was the single best experience of my life. Studying here provided the experience of an Irish college campus as well as experiencing an Irish city (just a 7-10 min drive to downtown Limerick). The university itself is stunning and full of opportunities for student involvement. Countless clubs and activities for everyone. The support international students receive from UL is overwhelmingly helpful. Because of the large percentage of international students I was able to make friends with Irish students as well as friends from all over the world. My classes were interesting, but were not overwhelming (which was good for the specific experience I was looking for). I recommend taking Introduction to traditional Irish music and dance. It was so much fun, and I learned a lot about the Irish culture. Limerick city is also amazing. They have a milk market every weekend that has amazing food and trinkets. Many stores (my FAVORITE was Penny's). Great restaurants and pubs. The city is also home to two other universities so it has a lot of night life catering to the college ages. The nightlife was so much fun! The campus bar, Stables, always had events going on. Every Friday they host international night which is SO much fun! If you want a crazier night out Limerick city has many clubs and pubs that I am sure will fulfill what your looking for. The food was really good. I had a kitchen so I cooked for myself and all the food was great quality. The food when I went out to eat whether on campus or in the city was always good. Unfortunately for coffee drinkers, the coffee does not even compare to the coffee in the states. Also, iced coffee doesn't exist. Living accommodations weren't bad. Back in the states I always shared a dorm room, but at UL everyone gets their own room and shares a kitchen with roommates. Depending on which student housing you are put in you could get your own bathroom. I lived in Plassy village (an older village) I shared a bathroom with three other girls and shared my house with seven others. Although it was not the best living accommodations I loved my roommates and wouldn't have wanted to live anywhere else. If you are looking to travel within Ireland, UL is great. The International club has trips all over Ireland that you can sign up for. As for traveling Europe you usually have to take a bus to Dublin Airport (Cheaper flights than Shannon airport). The bus ride is about 3 hours but the buses have free wifi and run on every hour. It really is not that bad. I recommend traveling the UK while your in Ireland. The flights are cheap and I was able to see a lot of cities I would have never gone to otherwise (Edinburgh, Scotland -Liverpool, England - London, England - Chester, England - Essex, England - Conwy, Wales - Lllandundo, Wales). I absolutely recommend this university, this city, this Country, it was life changing.

After the final exams and essays, the professor of my module EH6032 Modern poetry invited all the students to come to her house and have a party. The rule of this party is that each one brings a poem and read it to all, and student who can play his instrument is encouraged to play there. After hearing this invitation, the first impression came up in my mind is that this professor is extremely kind, for only the teacher who truly loves his students will be happy to invite everyone, no matter how many there are. And also she's exceptionally interested in art, that's why she could come up with the idea of music playing.

According to the direction of the address, I rode to her house. I didn't know it is a huge house with a immense yard. After entering the gate, I still need to ride a couple of minutes to reach the house. The pictures below are taken from her place. They are bright and gentle, exactly corresponding to the professor's characteristic.
　
When I knocked the door, the professor and her partner gave me a hug to express their warm welcome. They asked me to sit down and drink tea and chat with them. I appreciated their hospitality but I know there's a lot to prepare for the dinner so I helped them to cook in their kitchen. Later I found the professor's partner is a model husband. He not only supported her idea of party, but also cooked several dishes for us. By the way, his cooking skill is marvelous! All the students enjoyed the meal a lot!
　
Now it comes to the poem reading section. I prepared an ancient Chinese poem called Upstream and downstream Tune. I read it in Chinese first and then read the English translation version. One student asked me："Does every character stands for something?" "Yes," I answered. "For example, the character "休"（rest）is composed of "人" (person) and "木" (tree), which means this character is coined from the phenomenon that "when a person wants to have a rest, he needs to lean against a tree". This example aroused huge interest from the others! After the party the professor sent me an email to specially praise my interpretation. "Thank you again for your poem and character presentation in the party last night. I will carry with me a long time the look on Conor's (another student) face as he listened to you present him with a whole new way of thinking about the relation of language to sign system, including the important questions that arise from "thinking in pictures." When he said, "My mind is blown," he encapsulated what everyone in the room felt as you explained Chinese language and poetry so clearly and compellingly."　

The poems of different languages in different cultures brought by the other students are also impressive. Every language has its own pride, and the mission of we language learners is to spread our language and culture, which are the legacy of our ancestors, to the whole world and see them bloom and shine in a new way. I think in this sense everyone of us did a good job, and this is the noblest meaning of our party.

Studying abroad at UL was one of the best decisions I ever made. I fell in love with the university and Ireland in general so much more than I ever could have imagined. The University of Limerick is a very student-centered university; the work that the Student Union puts forth to create the best student experience possible is very evident. There are lots of amazing clubs and societies that allowed me to participate in many diverse experiences such as spending St. Paddy's Day in Dublin and climbing Mount Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain.
The student life at UL is very vibrant, with two pubs and two sports bars on campus and all the great pubs and clubs of Limerick City Centre only a short cab/ bus ride away. The university itself is very beautiful with lots of athletic fields and just lots of green space overall. The buildings for the most part are very modern and easy to navigate.
The living arrangements at UL were very good. I lived in a 6 person house - 3 american students, one greek student, one french student, and one german student. This was a really amazing experience because we all came from very different backgrounds and really became such a tight-knit family (saying goodbye on my last day was one of the hardest things I have ever done). The house was fairly spacious and we all got our own rooms!
Limerick's proximity to Shannon Airport made traveling very convenient, and Dublin was only a 2.5 hour bus ride away which really was not all so bad.
Probably my favorite part about UL is the people. The students were so friendly and welcoming - I could tell most students were genuinely interested in getting to know me. I will always miss the fun-loving nature of UL's students.
Overall, UL was super great. I would recommend it without any reservation.