UL was a breath of fresh air. It was a one off experience for me that I'll never have again in my life. That said, I really think the university can do better in terms of checking on their international students in terms of accommodation and actually bringing in the concept of placement. If these 2 can be taken care of, I think it'd become the most sought after university in Europe.
Course Curriculum :
It was relevant but not relevant enough to get me a skillset that I could update on my resume. I got research experience so I'd say my degree was better suited for someone wanting to do a PhD rather than wanting to work outside after their masters.
Exams :
My IELTS score was 7.5/9. Listening 8.5/9, reading and speaking 7.5/9 and writing was 7/9. And the minimum requirement was a 6.5/9 overall to be admitted into my university. I submitted all the above. Mentioned Key achievements in my 4 years and 8 months of experience at EY. Got 3 letters of recommendation from my company. And submitted my Statement of Purpose as to what I wanted to get out of my degree.
Placement :
There's no concept of placement outside of India. Only career fair where atleast 50 to 100 companies put up stalls and advertise what they have for graduate students. There is a career guidance department that helps you in honing your CV and interview skills, and they regularly touch base with you if you need any help. But that's pretty much it. You are supposed to search for jobs by yourself. Median salary for a post graduate ranges anywhere from 25k to 40k depending on your field, skillset, experience level etc.
Fees :
My total tuition fee was around 11 lakhs in INR. And with accommodation and other living expenses I'd keep at least around 18 lakhs for my masters.
Scholarship :
Yes. It was a generic scholarship offered to Indians if you had a 75% CGPA. I got 1/4th cut off from my tuition fee.
Faculty :
The person that left the most impact on me was my course director professor John McCarthy. All the professors are approachable. But I could say that only 2 of them stood out for me personally. One was my course director and another was my finance lecturer Antoinette Flynn. Both of them really knew their stuff and were outstanding professors expert in their respective fields.
Campus Life :
I think UL stands out till date for me, not particularly for the degree education, but more for the extra curricular aspect of it. Everyday there'd be something going on in the campus at some corner. With marvelous infrastructure and a plethora of events happening in every nook and corner, you are bound to get yourself involved and will eventually fall in love with campus life. I was part of International society, Music club and table tennis club and loved my time in all of them. The UL library and sports facilities are amongst the best in Ireland, so if you have an eye for these I'm sure UL is your place to be.
Hostel :
Accommodation was the worst aspect of my study in Ireland. I changed 6 houses in a span of 18 months which averages out to 1 house for 3 months. Most of the rooms are let out by the owners and since they are from a different generation altogether, there's a lot of restrictions, cultural differences that are hard to accommodate. If you stay with fellow students, you'll have to search for like minded folks or that will be worse because you end up paying for other people's blunders and lifestyle. My average rental cost was around 400 euros per month when I usually rented a single room with a shared bathroom.
