University of Limerick

by Dominik Fekete

In the beginning I wasn’t sure what to expect from my semester abroad in Ireland. I knew that the country is beautiful with a lot of astonishing landscapes. The Irish are said to be friendly and somehow crazy, in a positive way of course. I talked to a friend of mine who had been to the University of Limerick one semester before I went there. She had only nice things to say about it. I was so excited to experience it myself. It was quite easy to get to the University campus. I booked a flight from Munich to Dublin, which by all means, was not too expensive. At Dublin Airport there are several direct bus lines to the UL (University of Limerick) campus. Arriving there felt so special. Honestly speaking, I had never seen such a big and beautiful campus in my life. I had to ask for directions to get to my accommodation, but the people I met were very friendly and helpful. One local student told me that he was going the same way, so we went together which made things a lot easier for me.

Living on campus

As you might guess, I was living on-campus and I would highly recommend you to do that too. It is extremely comfortable since all the university buildings and sports facilities are within walking distance. I lived together with five other flatmates. We all had our own rooms and bathrooms. The only things we shared were the kitchen and the living room. I was very lucky with my flatmates. We got along so well and became really good friends. If you can’t find on-campus accommodation, don’t worry. I know a lot of people who lived off-campus and for them it worked perfectly fine. As I mentioned before, all the university buildings are located on one campus. Furthermore, there are several restaurants and cafes, a big sports arena which has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a gym, a track, and several indoor courts in it, outdoor all-weather pitches, a supermarket and two pubs. You don’t even have to go to the city ;-). There is always something going on in the pubs. From parties, to champions league-nights, to pub quizzes. UL is approximately 20 minutes away from the Limerick city centre if you are going by bus.

University Life

At UL each module is 6 ECTS credits. A module is divided into lectures, tutorials, and sometimes even labs. I liked this structure a lot: in the lectures we talked more about theory and in the tutorials, we tried to put some of the theoretical stuff into practice. There is one final exam per module at the end of the semester. You don’t have to do the exam in both, lecture and tutorial. It is combined since the topics you cover in lectures and tutorials are similar. The lecturers I had were all really nice and friendly. The Irish people are extremely helpful, so don’t be shy if you have questions or if you don’t understand something. Everything is structured and organized very well. There are many help-institutions on campus and ‘student life’ is always making sure that there is something going on, on- and off- campus. Parties, beautiful trips, food markets, pub quizzes, literally everything one could wish for.

The thing I liked most about UL is that they have loads of clubs and societies. It is Ireland’s Sports-campus, so you can sign up for a variety of different sports, like kayaking, football, rugby, Gaelic football, combat sports, sky-diving and many more. Societies are cool as well, because they give you the opportunity to get to know people that are interested in the same things. I signed up for the International society and I would recommend every international student to do so. They organized trips to places all over Ireland for a very affordable price. I have to mention that even though life in Ireland is a little bit more expensive than in Austria, all the things offered by student organizations are really cheap.

Making friends, trips, and social life

Making friends is one of the easiest things to do when you are on Erasmus at UL. It happens naturally. There are so many events and happenings organized for Erasmus students that it is impossible not to make new friends. It is such a great feeling to get to know people from all over the globe and to get introduced to their traditions and cultures. I can say that I have made friends for a lifetime.

A lot of trips get offered by either student organizations or societies. If they don’t offer a trip, just make your own trip with your new friends. Head off, explore the country, and enjoy your experience abroad. My friends from Canada, Australia and I made a trip to Northern Ireland for instance. We spent four days exploring this beautiful country and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever done. If you should decide to go to Northern Ireland, go to Belfast. It offers so many attractions, but I would definitely say, don’t miss out on the Titanic museum. It tells the story of the Titanic, from the planning in Belfast in the early 1900s, through the construction and launch, to its maiden voyage and subsequent place in history. Also make sure to do a ‘black taxi tour’. It gives you an insight into the history of Belfast and shows you several Murals that are located all over the city.

If you decide to travel in Ireland, make sure to see: The Cliffs of Moher, The Aran Islands, The Ring of Kerry, Galway, Cork, Dublin, Dingle, and if you want to go surfing, Lahinch.

Concerning night outs, Limerick has some really nice pubs and night clubs to offer. In Ireland it really isn’t difficult to find live music. I liked a pub called Charlie Chaplin’s and if you are more into clubbing, Icon would be a popular place to go to. It is awesome because it is a night club which is connected to a pub. If you enter, you are in the pub where live-music is played and if you are not in the mood for live music anymore, you can go into the second room, which is a nightclub, and enjoy some club beats.

To sum it up, I would encourage every single one of you to spend a semester abroad. Don’t be shy or afraid that you might not like it. It is such a valuable experience, from the new people you meet, new friends you make, new cultures you get to know, new places you see, to improving your English, and witnessing University life in a different way. My first choice would be the University of Limerick and I hope that my article helps you with your decision for your next Erasmus destination.