‘I would like to talk to someone who is further along in their journey. If I want that, then I can be it for someone else.’ UL Ambassador Jaimie tells us about the joys of studying abroad.
Name: Jaimie
Course: LLB Law Plus
Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Favourite food: Spicy ramen - I love spicy food, it’s my guilty pleasure! It’s a great stress meal for when I have something due the next day.
Can you tell me about your education journey so far?
‘I went to an international school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I studied subjects like English Literature, Art and Business. I finished high school before Covid hit and then took a gap year in 2020, coming to UL in 2021. I hadn’t really thought about Law but I always had a bit of interest in it. I took advice from Liam Ryan and did a foundation year in Business, and then decided to try Law. I’m staring at my huge textbook now… but it’s very interesting.’
Why did you choose UL?
‘I never really had a solid plan of where I wanted to go, and my parents were happy for me to choose anywhere. Towards the end of Year 11 they had representatives of different universities at our school. They were from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Australia, USA and so on. The Irish representative gave a really interesting speech and gave us leprechaun toys - which gave me a great impression!
‘I attended a higher education fair and wasn’t too interested in anything, when I saw a huge green banner that said Welcome to Ireland! I ended up talking to Liam Ryan, and thought it seemed great.’
How did you find out about the city before you moved?
‘I went in completely blind! Research isn’t my favourite thing, and it didn’t quite hit me that I was going to Europe until just before my flight. A student from the Malaysian Society at UL contacted me beforehand and connected me to someone on my course, which was helpful.’
What is your favourite thing about Limerick / Ireland?
‘The people - Irish people are really nice. It can be difficult to integrate at times but the friends I have made are lovely. I also like how there are horses everywhere, it’s so different from Kuala Lumpur! It’s nice to be able to travel around as well. I have an uncle who lives in Dublin, so I managed to visit him there. Although, I don’t have a waterproof coat which can be a problem at times!’
What do you wish you had known before coming to study at UL? Do you have advice for new arrivals or people thinking of studying at UL?
‘I wish that I had picked housing better! I’m currently in student accommodation and I do love my housemates and being on campus, but if I had known otherwise I would have rented. I think in hindsight I would have asked around more about options and how to get rented rooms. I wouldn’t trade my friendships for anything, but I would like a more home-like space that I don’t need to move from.’
‘My advice is to come without expectations! Coming from Asia, you get fined for not wearing a mask there. It’s different here. The food is so different too. We have lots of street food at home, but here it’s very organised and everything closes early. My best advice is to just go for it. Nothing bad can happen, except getting on the wrong bus and ending up in a different part of Limerick (true story!). But people are more than happy to help you out.’
What was the most challenging part of coming to study at UL?
‘The Irish accent! I’m more used to American and British accents, so it took me a few weeks to get used to it. I have to take a minute to translate in my head sometimes.’
Why did you decide to become a CC ambassador? How have you found it?
‘I wasn’t sure if I would get the ambassador position. I’m quite introverted so I was a bit scared of putting myself out there, but so far it has been really nice. One of the reasons I have enjoyed it is because it is completely online and it’s within my terms. The people I interact with tend to be from other courses, so that is a personal challenge for me but it gives me a better grasp on helping people and giving advice. I helped a guy from India look for accommodation and went out of my way to look for different options, even finding some for myself!’
‘As a student, I would like to talk to someone who is further along in their journey. If I want that, then I can be it for someone else.’
‘I recommend CampusConnect for international students, definitely! It’s like a little community bubble for us all, and there’s always someone to help.’