Field of study in Wageningen: BSc Food and Nutrition
Study period exchange: 08/01/2024 – 10/05/2024
Country (exchange): Ireland
City (exchange): Cork
University (exchange): University College Cork
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
After getting some information on studying abroad I was immediately interested in going on a study exchange. I did not know exactly what I wanted to do after my bachelor’s degree and hoped that this exchange would help me with this.
What is the reason you chose for this country?
I looked up several universities in several countries. A few things that were important to me were what I wanted to go to a place I had never been before, I also wanted to go somewhere that I would not chose as vacation destination normally. I did not know much about Ireland before but after looking it up I realized how beautiful this country looked and wanted to see this with my own eyes. That is why I choose Ireland as my first option.
What is the reason you chose for this university?
I choose this university partly because of the country but also because of the courses. I have always been interested in education and working with children and this university had some interesting courses that were in line with this. Besides this, I looked the university up and it looked amazing, like a Harry Potter university, and I really wanted to go now.
3. Accessibility to reach destination
I find it a bit sad myself but there are not many options to go to Cork. I went with plane to Dublin and took a bus to Cork. You can also fly to Cork directly but that is more expensive, especially if you have an ESN account with the Ryanair discount. You could also go by car/boat but this cost a lot more money and time.
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses that were taught in English:
Yes, the main language in the country is English.
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses in my field of interest:
Yes, there were many different course I could follow, I choose to do some more social science course but there were many other options available.
I am satisfied with the level of the courses that I followed:
Yes, since I was following social science courses everything was new to me, however it was good to follow and I did not struggle to keep up.
I am satisfied, in the end, with the selection of courses I followed:
No , Only for the Social Work 1 course I am not happy, I would rather have done something different but I could not change it around anymore because I decided it too late. For the rest I was really happy.
What is it like to study there?
It is a really nice university to study at. The academic level is I think a bit lower then Wageningen, but that also really depends on the course. I only had essays for examinations and no real exams, however most of my friends did have exams. The workload is fine, for me it was really useful to attend the lectures and sometimes work a bit outside of the lectures but there was also enough time to explore the country and make new friends. The lesson materials are very clear, they use Canva as website where they share all the documents and information and this was all very clear to me.
What is the culture of the university?
All the lectures were amazing people, they really wanted to help when I had questions and they really liked having Erasmus students in their classes. I could go to them after lectures or sent them e-mails and they would always help me. I was in a lot of classes with local students but besides discussing the information we got in class with them I did not really talk to them. I made a lot of friends outside of class. For me the big difference was that most classes were smaller than the classes I was used to at WU. Besides this, the atmosphere is kind of the same as WU and I really liked this.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
The university has several catering spots where you can eat and get coffee. They even have a bar where you can go after studying. Besides this, they have a lot of sports clubs and societies, which you can join for free. With our student card, we could join the sports facility, which is a bit outside of campus, for free. I joined the Waterpolo club myself, where I got in touch with a lot of local students which was fun. There are many different societies you could join but I did not do this. The university also offers help for international students to learn how to learn for exams in Cork and what is expected in most essays. I did not use this but I think it could be really useful.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
You could sign up for a room that is via the university, they are not on campus. You could also look for private companies that rent rooms in the city. However, there are a lot of scammers on Facebook etc. So be aware of that!
What is the culture like?
The culture is not that much different from the Netherlands. The food is different, they eat a bit more unhealthy and there are for example less vegetarian “meat” options in the supermarket. However, I liked the food. The people are really friendly and really want to help you. People were always really interested where we were from and what we were doing and always gave nice tips or helped us if needed.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
You should get a student travel card a soon as possible, with this you can travel around the city really cheap, sometime I only paid 40 cents to go somewhere. This is really nice to have. Besides this I decided to get a card with which I could rent city bikes. This only cost 10 euros a year and was nice to use. My house was really close to the university so I always walked there.
6. Expenses
Can you give an indication of your expenses for/during your exchange?
The price levels were in general [higher; lower; equal] in comparison to in the Netherlands:
Rent is way higher, but for the rest I think they are mostly equal. Groceries can be more expensive, but it really depends on the supermarket you go.
7. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
I travelled around Ireland a lot, there are many different places to go. A place that is nearby (approximately an hour from door to door for me) Was Fort Camden/Crosshaven. There was a beautiful beach here and I went here several times. In addition I really like the Inish Mohr Island. I traveled here together with other people and we biked around, it was really beautiful. If you are able to drive and not scared to drive on the left side of the road I would really recommend renting a car (for example with YUKO car service) and do a little road trip.
What does not appear in a travel guide, but is definitely worth seeing/doing?
I found a really cool place where you went with a cable car over the see to a small Island where you could walk around. The name of this is Dursey Island Cable Car. You have to have a car to go there but it was beautiful.
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
I had moments where I missed my family and friends and also my own things, and honestly also just my own room. But I made such good friends which made it amazing. It can be challenging but time goes fast and it is such a cool experience and I am grateful that I could do this.
What is your best memory of your time abroad?
Just all the memories I made with my friends. I cannot name one favourite but just having amazing dinners talking and having fun with friends was the simplest, but fun evenings.
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Laura more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: Laura.vullings@wur.nl