This latest campus visit to the University (July 22nd-July 23rd) is the third this year by US high schools interested in encouraging their students to take their full degree at Irish universities.
Bringing counsellors on tours of Irish universities showcases the opportunities for international students and the counsellors spread the word among American families. Meredith Reddy of Suffern High School in New York said: “I truly believe that if American students were to come here, they would fall in love with the place. I look forward to sharing my experience with students back in the US.” The counsellors also visited NUI Galway and Dublin City University on their wide-ranging tour and Shawn Ahern of Boston College High School, MA, noted: “This was an amazing visit. I learned so much about UCC and Irish universities in general.”
Staff from across the University met with the counsellors to describe UCC’s wide range of academic programmes and student support services. The staff and the campus clearly impressed Joan Perrault, Director of Guidance at Notre Dame Academy, Massachusetts, who enthused: “I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to visit UCC. My experience here exceeded all my expectations. The level of dedication and the passion of the faculty are stunning. And to experience one’s education in such a beautiful setting is a special privilege.”
American PhD students and researchers at UCC told the high school counsellors about their experiences of academic and social life in Cork. They described the joy of long Irish summer evenings that more than compensated for the ‘soft’ rainy days. The counsellors were struck by their intellectual ability and Tom Hanley of Loyola School on Park Avenue, New York, noted the advantages of an Irish education for his students: “University College Cork clearly provides the type of advanced educational opportunities and first-rate facilities sought by American students.”
The Cork campus visit was organised by the International Education Office at UCC in collaboration with academic and administrative staff and students across the University as well as the University Curator, Mr Michael Holland. Programmes from all four colleges in UCC were represented. UCC staff discussed their commitment to research-led teaching and described a range of linkages with universities in the US, from student and staff exchanges to research partnerships with top-ranked institutions.
For further information on UCC’s programmes for international students, please go to www.ucc.ie/en/study/international/ while for fun facts, check out blog at ‘uccinternational.wordpress.com’
Picture: Joan Perrault of Notre Dame Academy, MA and Rich Weissberg of Tappan Zee High School, NY, enjoy a tour of UCC’s 19th century Ogham Stone Corridor.
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