Hi, I am Ellie !!! I am a Music and Business Management student here at the University of Southampton and I have just completed my year aboard studying at University College Cork in Ireland. This blog aims to share my amazing experience of living and studying aboard and hopefully inspire you to go on a year aboard!!
Moving to Ireland
When I first moved abroad to Ireland, I experienced a mixture of emotions ranging from excitement, nerves, and a little bit sadness. Looking back, I think that these emotions were due to the fact that moving abroad is something that I had never done before and it was my body’s way of adapting to the big change and adventure that was to come. Once I arrived in Cork, it honestly felt a bit surreal. Everything was new the streets, shops, and the accents!! However, this was very exciting!! I purposely arrived a little bit early so that I could settle down and find my bearings before the first semester started. I used this time to explore the city and my university’s campus (which looked like Hogwarts from Harry Potter.) I was also able to properly meet and get to know my house mates who were also international students. This gave me comfort as we were all in similar situations moving away from home to a new country. I would recommend doing this as having this extra time really helped me to settle in and reduce stress and nerves before the busy term started.
Here are some photos of my University:
University and student life
Looking back, the academic year flew by. Each term was very busy with lectures, societies and the many events that were run by the student union. The music department at University College Cork was very supportive and I felt that everyone (even the lectures) were really friendly. This therefore created a positive and supportive environment to study in. The choices in modules were very different to the options back at Southampton as the some of the modules were related to the Traditional Irish music culture. You also had the option to learn Traditional Irish Musical instruments which was new and exciting to me!!! Some examples of modules that I took were, Tin Whistle, Step Dancing, and Exploring Irish traditional music (where my assignment was going to the pub, listneing to music in which I then reviewed.)
University College Cork was a busy and welcoming Community. I felt that everyone on campus was approachable and friendly, meaning I got the sense of belonging when I was there. The campus had so many areas in which you could go grab a coffee or to study which I really liked as I wasn’t stressing about trying to find a place to study for my exams. The student’s union held many events and were really supportive throughout the year. I found it interesting how facilities such as the gym and societies were free to all students, and this really motivated me to join societies and use the gym. I made friends with many Irish students who taught me many Irish phrases such as “grand” which means I’m good, “Craic” which means having a good time or a laugh. I also learnt that students would travel back home for the weekend, so the student night out was every Thursday. On this day of the week majority of students would go to the pub to watch live music bands, or they would attend music sessions instead of clubs which was different from the UK night life, but honestly it was an amazing experience!!
Travelling
I was lucky enough that I was able to travel to many amazing places in Ireland. I managed to visit some of the most scenic, famous, and beautiful places in the country. Upon my travels I did some absolutely terrifying things such as hanging off the edge of a ruin to kiss a stone (Blarney Castle), nearly getting blown off several cliffs (Knockmealdown mountains) and driving along the coast on very narrow roads (Wild Atlantic Way). However, even if it was terrifying it was all worth it and was a great experience that I will never forget. Not only this but I was also lucky enough to travel outside of Ireland and visited the Giants causeway in Belfast, Amsterdam at Christmas time and Edinburgh.
Here are a few of my photos from my travels:
(Famous from the Harry Potter films)
Reflection
My year abroad has been an experience that I will never forget about. I have learnt so much about the Irish culture and realised that this is something that you can’t truly understand unless you immerse yourself and are a part of it for a long period of time. when I first moved to Ireland, I was a slightly unconfident, shy, and nervous person. Being abroad has changed this as I was put of outside my comfort zone. This has really made me more confident in myself and benefitted my own personal growth. Even though there were many challenges faced, I overcame them and feel that I have come out of even stronger than I was before. I have also learnt and expanded my knowledge academically which can really help me in the future. Many new skills were learnt, and I made many new friends from all over the world who I still keep in contact with now, even though we live in different countries!!! Doing year aboard has been one of the best experiences of my academic life and if I got the opportunity to do it again I would. From my own experiences I would really recommend doing a year abroad as it is a great opportunity, and you gain so much from that you can take away with you throughout the rest of your life.