The Study Part of Study Abroad

Moving to another country takes so much coordination and your arrival produces so much excitement that it is easy to completely forget the study component of study abroad. Getting paperwork, packing, traveling, settling in, orientation, and meeting people create such a whirlwind that starting classes is like a jolt back to reality. This is not to say that classes in Ireland are by any means unpleasant, it just feels odd to start learning again after feeling so removed from the environment. However, taking classes abroad is a great way to get experience in new topics, perspectives, and teaching styles. It also makes everything feel a little more normal.

Before I left for my time abroad, or even completed my application, I was required to submit all of the courses I planned to take at the University of Limerick to my advisor. This was important to ensure that they would be approved and transferred back. Planning these components also made life much easier once I got to Ireland.

At UL, choosing and scheduling classes is much more fluid than at home, which can be great but create unexpected stresses. During orientation, international students are instructed on how to find courses and information, but everything else is up to the student. Exchange students have two weeks where they can test any classes they want. It is up to the student to search through course times and go to whichever they desire, giving everyone a lot of independence. Personally, I knew that I wanted to stick with the five courses I submitted to my home advisor so that they would apply to my degree. If you wish to stray from these selections, reach out to your advisor immediately and make sure that the courses will transfer back home.

The University of Limerick's flag poles at the campus entrance.

In order to officially be added to courses, UL staff advised students to just show up to classes and ask professors to add them to the roster after the first class meeting. However, many classes have limited seats, so I contacted my professors beforehand to ensure my spots and receive class information on the Brightspace platform.

When trying to put my classes in my personal schedule, I quickly realized the differences between this organization and that at home. Here, most classes meet once a week for a large lecture that everyone goes to and there is only one time option, which contrasts with the many sessions of each course that are usually offered at home. Then, the classes usually have another meeting during the week, called a tutorial or lab, in which students are split up into smaller groups. These small classes have multiple times, and students are assigned to them by the professor. When I preliminarily reached out to my professors, I asked them to put me in specific sections that worked best with my schedule, though, and they were more than willing to work with me. The key component here is just knowing your options and communicating efficiently and kindly.

The river a walk over on the way to classes.

After a week of classes, international students can start submitting the courses they wish to take to a form provided by the university. Again, if your courses differ from those you originally told your advisor about, be sure to ask them if it is okay before you confirm your registration. After all of this planning, my first week of classes went pretty well. A lot of my classes are longer than at home, ranging from 1-3 hours, but my professors are entertaining. All of my professors started instructing on the first day, so do not expect to just go home after reviewing the schedule for the semester. Additionally, there were no outlets in reach of any of my seats, so make sure to have your laptop fully charged and a notebook for backup.

There is a stereotype in the U.S. that classes in Europe are often easier because they do not have continuous assessment or high attendance policies. However, I have found that my courseload is more similar to home than I expected. A couple of my classes only have two assignments for the semester, but the rest have around four with expectations for weekly discussion posts. There is no way to compare the difficulties of these classes directly to those at home, but just put your best foot forward and expect quality education. Even if your class only has one assessment for the semester, it is expected that you study and put effort in throughout the year so that you perform well in the end.

The view on the way to one of my classes.

Since the class-planning process is much more fluid here, I was able to stack all of my classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Now, I have four-day weekends, which are perfect for traveling around Ireland! Considering this, expect some posts about my travels in the future.