NUI Galway

lperc

I'm not completely sure if I would be considered non-traditional or not but I figured this was the best place for this post

I just finished my first year of college in the US but the university that I went to was awful and I won't be going back this fall. I really want to go to NUI Galway, and have been looking at it for a while. I think it's plausible, but I just had a few questions that someone can hopefully answer for me!

1) If I were to go to Ireland for school, I would more than likely have to wait another year to save up money to go. This would mean that I'd be 20 by the time I started whichever school I go to. Would I be considerable older than the rest of the students or not really?

2) What is NUI Galway like? Is it a good school? Out of all the universities, I think that it's the best fit for me, but what is its reputation like and things like that?

3) What is Galway like in general? Do you consider it a nice place to live?

4) Are there any other schools you would recommend? I'm pretty open to suggestions, although I would prefer to not to go to school in a small town.

I like the idea of going to college in another country because I think they structure their degree programs better (like not requiring 2 years of general education which serve no purpose), which is the main reason I'm considering this.

Basically any advice would be really helpful, I'm trying to make plans for what I'm going to do for school next year. Thanks for any and all help!

BroFlo

lperc wrote: »

I'm not completely sure if I would be considered non-traditional or not but I figured this was the best place for this post

I just finished my first year of college in the US but the university that I went to was awful and I won't be going back this fall. I really want to go to NUI Galway, and have been looking at it for a while. I think it's plausible, but I just had a few questions that someone can hopefully answer for me!

1) If I were to go to Ireland for school, I would more than likely have to wait another year to save up money to go. This would mean that I'd be 20 by the time I started whichever school I go to. Would I be considerable older than the rest of the students or not really?

2) What is NUI Galway like? Is it a good school? Out of all the universities, I think that it's the best fit for me, but what is its reputation like and things like that?

3) What is Galway like in general? Do you consider it a nice place to live?

4) Are there any other schools you would recommend? I'm pretty open to suggestions, although I would prefer to not to go to school in a small town.

I like the idea of going to college in another country because I think they structure their degree programs better (like not requiring 2 years of general education which serve no purpose), which is the main reason I'm considering this.

Basically any advice would be really helpful, I'm trying to make plans for what I'm going to do for school next year. Thanks for any and all help!

Hey hope i can be of some help

1. 20 too old to go to college?? DONT THINK SO, loads and loads of people are 20 going to college you will have no problem what so ever their, so dont be worrying about your age.

2. I dont go to NUI Galway (yet) but am hoping to get a place their this september (and Im 24 ). NUIG has a really good reputation, it got voted University of the year 2009/2010. They have lots of societies for meeting people with simular interests etc.

3. Galway has a great buzz about it, its a great little celtic city. LOTS of Pubs

4. All the universities in Ireland have a good reputation ie NUI Maynooth, University of Limerick, Trinity, DCU, UCD, UCC. It all depends what you want to do in college/uni.

The only thing is Ireland is apparently a very expensive place to live :rolleyes:

WesternNight

As you're living in America, our cities might seem like small towns to you. Galway is quite small, as cities go. I suppose it wouldn't be practical to take a trip over here before making any final decisions? You could visit a few of the universities in the one trip easily enough.

Your best bet, though, would be to contact the university directly for any other information about courses and fees and eligibility etc.

DeepSleeper

1) - Being 20 should be no big deal, especially if you're willing to socialise a bit (not just in pubs...). If you join any of the Clubs and Societies at NUI Galway, you'll probably find yourself making friends amongst undergrads and postgrads, some clubs have staff members too, so age isn't an issue. Lists of clubs and socieities can be found on the university website.

2) NUIG is a good university - they get a fair amount of research funding and attract a lot of students from overseas too (esp. the USA and Continental Europe...)

3) Galway is a small city with the feel of a large town. It is considered in Ireland to be a cool sort of place, has a young population and it is easy to get around, to make friends etc. It hasn't yet lost its links to the surrounding countryside, so people make good use of the sea, the beaches, the countryside in Connemara etc.

4) You could also look at UCC if you thought Galway was too small - they are quite similar, though UCC exists within a much larger city.

Go for it!

lperc

Thank you for all the help/advice!

I read online that Galway has around 70k people. I'm from the western part of the US, and my "city" has around 25-30k people, so I think that Galway is just about the right size then.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm probably going to try to make a visit to Ireland before I make any final decisions. Would January be a decent time to go (i.e. fewer tourists? apart from me of course )

Thanks again for all of your help!