I chose PUA for study because I wanted a special faculty to study Business at and I was very attracted to the idea of a dual degree with TU Dublin University, it was a motive for me as well to choose PUA.
I went to the TU Dublin student exchange program because I knew it was an experience that I couldn’t miss, I knew it would benefit me on both the professional side and the personal side and it indeed did, it was and it will always be an unforgettable experience for me.
The exchange was for six months and I went through a tough process to be chosen, at first, I applied when the college announced that they are doing an exchange program, then I submitted some papers which were the motivation letter and 3 recommendation letters from my professors at college, then I had an English test and after passing all of this I had an interview with the International Relations Coordinator Dr. Mennatallah Gowyed and Dr. Mohamed Mohy El-Din and within a few days later I received an email that I was accepted to take the scholarship.
The difference between the studying approach at PUA and TU Dublin is not much, almost the same except that they depend more on Research but even that we have it here in PUA so I didn’t find much difference, but on the other hand, when I went there I didn’t feel different from the students at the educational level, I used to answer with the Drs at the lectures and I have had an A in most of the subjects I have taken there and that’s because I had a great background and knowledge because of my great professors at PUA.
All the staff members, professors, researcher, and others that I have met have been VERY helpful, they didn’t make us feel different, they supported us and not only on the educational level but on a personal level as well, they helped us with the difficulties that we have had at first which helped in making our stay in Ireland way easier.
A regular day for me as a student at TU Dublin was to go from my house at Tallaght with the bus to the college, attend a lecture which was for two hours, then have a lunch break then go to the library to finish any assignments that I have before going to another lecture and leave the college after I’m done with my lectures and assignments.
My impression of Dublin and Ireland, Uhh, it was my first time for me to travel to Europe so I loved it, Dublin is a cozy city, I loved the cold weather because I’m a winter person so I enjoyed the weather, I loved the small and short buildings, the vibes it gave me were amazing, I enjoyed the small details of Ireland like the hot coffee on a rainy day or the long ride from home to college, I loved all the details about Ireland especially that its very very different from Egypt.
Yes, lots of things in Dublin and Ireland have surprised me like how organized everyone is, how everyone respects time and the privacy is amazing there, it was impressive for me because we lack such things here in Egypt.
My advice for the students that are going for exchange that they have to do their best at studying because they are presenting PUA and they should give a good impression about the college there in Dublin
Of course, the experience has changed me personally, I have become more responsible than before, I became more organized in my time, I have been in situations that I had to handle on my own, I have been through times that I felt lonely and I didn’t have my family around me but I had to handle everything on my own, my sickness, my stress, my happiness, and everything so the experience helped me to become a more responsible person and it changed me in a good way.
