Tales from Abroad
Exceeding Expectations: The University College Cork (Ireland)
"My study abroad experience this past year far exceeded my expectations.
While I knew I would have fun and delight in many adventures, I never anticipated Cork becoming home. And that is what this city has become to me
- a second home.
From my brilliant flatmates to the attentive and caring staff in the International Education Office, from the quad of UCC to the
dramatic West Cork coastline, Ireland has instilled in me a sense of
independence, freedom, comfort and happiness. While the difference between the US system of education and Ireland's
takes some getting accustomed to, I was impressed with UCC. Most of my classes were relatively small despite the population of the college, and the
course offerings are diverse and interesting.
My advice to future students would be to take second level courses and above, and to keep up with the
work over the course of the year, as to make the exams a less stressful experience - that will help to adjust to the different system. My other
advice would be to take advantage of all the traveling you can, but also don't overlook Cork City. There are so many great things to do in the city -
of course the nightlife, but also the movie theaters, plays, art and the musical entertainment- which you can find almost nightly.
I am going to miss Cork dearly. I have grown very attached to this city, this country and the great people that I have met within it. But there is
comfort in knowing that it will always be home, a home away from home."
Kathryn Casey
College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts
Early Start in Literatures
My Irish Experiences!
Ireland is the most beautiful place on Earth!! It’s
rugged, unspoiled, and vibrant. The
rolling green hills in all shades of green, stone fences, and sheep cover the
countryside. The greenness comes
from the rain, which takes a bit of getting used to and your umbrella becomes
your new best friend by the end. The
ocean was always cold and loud. The
light from the sky would shine down upon the water in certain areas creating
beautiful reflections. Dingle and the Aran Island of Innishmore were my favorite
places. Hiking the hills of Dingle
through sheep droppings and biking all around the rocky land of Innishmore will
always come to mind the instant I hear the word Ireland. The countryside is truly the best part of Ireland and riding the big Bus
Eireann buses on the little two lane roads makes the journey to the countryside
even more fun.
Cork is an enjoyable city with lots to do. The city pretty much has a pub around every corner, which is a bit
tempting. Sitting in a pub
socializing and meeting people is a great way to learn the culture and hear some
good Irish stories. My friends and
I spent a fair amount of time in the pubs; the Old Oak was a favorite place to
pass the time. If not in a pub
there were movies, plays, and operas to attend or the Simpson’s was always on
TV. Cork is full of churches,
bright colored buildings, shops, restaurants, and bridges.
UCC is a great school. It’s
a small campus with a nice mix of old and new buildings. The grounds are covered with interesting art, flowers and trees. There
are a lot of Irish and international students who are all really friendly. The International Education Office is extremely helpful and friendly; get
to know them because they can be a huge help at times. Classes are interesting and taught by great professors who are really
amusing to listen to. Classes at
UCC were wonderful because they were free and devoid of the structure that is
found in the US. Also participating in the Early Start Semester in History was
wonderful, it allowed me to get to know the campus and city before everyone else
arrived. And the field trip to
Dublin and Belfast was incredible, being able to hear leaders of the Northern
Ireland Assembly speak about the Peace Process was something I never expected
but was amazing and interesting.
When I came home from Ireland I was a different person. I may have acted the same and looked the same, but inside I had changed. I gained independence and a sense of being able to accomplish anything. I accomplished things I never thought I could like figuring out the Paris
Metro. I will always strive to
maintain the sense that I can accomplish anything, which I learned in Ireland. I came home with an Irish way of thinking; I value my friends and family
more and take those relationships more seriously. I lost my need for structure and order and instead came home with the
ability to be more spontaneous and adventurous. The wildness, ruggedness and independent spirit of Ireland still remain
with me today! I can’t wait to
return to Ireland in the future and see Cork, UCC and the beautiful countryside!
Jeff Mettille
Early Start Semester in History
Discover Cork!
I know, and I apologize. I have
already broken the cardinal rule of writing. The title is not my own, but the title of a book (that I will read soon)! I think it is a good title and have used it to title this essay about my
semester in Cork, which in the words of one 4th year UCC student is
the “biggest and best county in Ireland!” I would have to agree (even if I did not make it to all the counties,
especially County Mayo, which I heard was the best). I really enjoyed my time in Ireland. I had no idea what to expect and quite honestly I don’t
think I could have even located Ireland on a map, let alone Cork (city of
county)! But, I am glad I went. I just wanted to travel somewhere out of the States, preferably English
speaking and I am a biology/anthropology person. If there was a program that could cater to my likes, well, perfection
could not be far off from my Regents Semester in Ireland at UCC (don’t worry
there are plenty of other academic programs available; UCC was voted University
of the year in Ireland)!
Lucky me, in fact when I stepped off the plane I stepped into what must be as
close to perfection as possible. Now,
I don’t mean to perpetuate the idea of green fields, sheep, and leprechauns,
but there were green fields, a few sheep, and my roommate suspected our lecturer
was at least part leprechaun. For
me this was my first time out of the good USA, and my first time out of Iowa for
any extended period of time. May be
that was it I was finally out of jail (a.k.a. Iowa). I think no matter where you go the same euphoria may occur, but I am glad
that I choose Cork, Ireland for my first “out of Iowa” experience. I’m sure I “learned and grew as a person.” I don’t think this comes from school, but that is why they let you in
the country. It’s the day-to-day
things that are impossible to find anywhere else: watching the hurling finals on
television (of course Cork lost to Kilkenny but whatever, Up Cork!), at a pub on
a Sunday morning, traveling to Dublin and having my bags take a side trip (this
only happened to me, no one else I knew), Saturday morning walks around the
city, traditional music concerts any night of the week, trying to figure out how
six people are going to share two dorm sized fridges, spending two weeks trying
to find street signs and trying to decipher the Cork accent ( I was ecstatic
when I found the Cork radio station, just like home!), trying to figure out how
the buses work, and I could go on forever! So no matter where you are thinking
of studying I hope you consider Cork. It
is grand and you should have a brilliant time!!!
ENJOY CORK – A SORT OF HOMECOMING!
Renee Pasker
Early Start in Archeology
Back to Top |
