I always wanted to study abroad for the exposure, better opportunities, and better-quality education. So, after completing my Class 12 from Amity International School, Pushp Vihar, New Delhi, I decided to explore my options of study abroad.
Currently, I am in my final year of a degree in Global Business, International Business at the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Why I chose Ireland
I decided to choose from only English-speaking countries, leaving me with the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Canada. I ruled out the USA and Canada as they are both very far. Also, the USA is too expensive, and Canada is too cold.
I applied to universities in other countries too, including Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Warwick, Kings College London, etc. I am from the Covid-19 batch so Australia and New Zealand had shut down their borders leaving me with the options of the UK and Ireland.
It finally boiled down to two options i.e., Trinity College Dublin or Warwick University. I chose Trinity because of a few reasons, first Dublin is a bigger city compared to Warwick which is only a small student city, Trinity is the best college in Ireland and can be compared to IITs and IIMs of the Irish people, thus giving me the best network possible. Lastly, I fell in love with the campus.
This is how I ended up studying a degree in Global Business, International Business at the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
The procedure for studying in Ireland is simple where you just apply directly to the university, through their portal. You just need to submit a few documents which include your passport, statement of purpose (SoP), letter of recommendation (LoR), CV, IELTS result and results of Classes 10, 11 and 12. Also, I applied for a scholarship for 5,000 euros called the India Undergraduate Scholarship — the criteria are your academic grades and your potential to contribute to the overall community.
Working as a Sports Officer at Trinity
My role as the Trinity Hall Sports Officer helped me understand how the university functions, student societies function. It provided me with a lot of experience in organising and running events, not just related to sports but also events like club nights, international trips, pub crawls, etc. Most importantly, it helped me connect and make new friends with first-year students as well.
Understanding the Irish accent
Initially, I faced challenges understanding the thick Irish accents in classes and while interacting with people. However, I found the Irish people to be very nice and easy to talk to.
I remember talking to the bus driver when I first arrived. Even while driving, he interacted with me and we had a long conversation about Dublin, Ireland, India, the sports culture of Ireland, etc.
One thing I love about Ireland is that people are very open and love to talk. It is easy to strike up a conversation with anyone about anything, not just your peers, but also with adults, bartenders, cab drivers, etc. For example, there is a manager at one of the pubs my friends and I frequently go to. We started going there during Freshers week and after a couple of visits, the manager began chatting with me about where I’m from, what I study, etc. One time, I saw him on a random street, and somehow, we still had a lot to chat about. I cannot imagine having such lengthy conversations with adults in India for some reason.
The student experience here is very different from India. Here, learning is more practical; we had classes where we had to study beforehand and then present every week which would be counted towards our final grade.
However, high school in India prepares you to work hard and improves your memory. It was my high school that had taught me the skills I needed in college like PowerPoint and presentations, interacting with people and confidence.
There were a lot of changes in my outlook towards life. When I came back to India for my holidays, I realised how privileged I am to get this opportunity and I also appreciated India in ways I never thought I would. When I got the opportunity to go to Sweden for my Erasmus, I realised that you are not restricted to one place. If you try hard enough you can travel and work anywhere even with limited resources.
My advice to future aspirants
Do not be too stressed about it and tell your parents not to stress about it. It is not hard, you might have to adjust and compromise but eventually, you will figure it out because there is no other option than to figure it out. Thus, providing you with the exposure and independence that you might have always wanted.
When choosing your college in the final stages, consider these three things in a college, especially for a business course in this specific order — 1) What environment and kind of place/city would you want to stay in? 2) How difficult it is to get into that college, thus deciding the quality of people in the university, and 3) The course and whether they provide opportunities like a semester abroad, placement year, etc.
In the end, consider everything but ultimately, it comes to your gut feeling, and just make sure you have no regrets.
(This letter is part of a series by The Indian Express where we bring to you the experiences of students at different foreign universities. From scholarships and loans to food and cultural experiences — students tell us how life is different in those countries and things they are learning other than academics)