Student Stories: Getting Down to the Business of Learning

It was always my dream to pursue education from a foreign university where one gets international exposure. Business analytics, data analytics, data science, and information system management are particularly popular with Indian students due to a very large number of students graduating in technology fields every year.

Earlier studying abroad was a choice limited for very few students but now due to increased reachability and resources, students are opting for higher education abroad. Doing one or two years post-graduation outside the country is much more affordable, rather than three or four years of undergraduate.

After browsing through numerous courses and universities, Business Analytics at NUI Galway caught my eye. As a study destination, Ireland is a stunning country with gorgeous landscapes, amiable people and great food.

NUI Galway is in the beautiful city of Galway. The year 2020-21 was when I enrolled in the course, but little did anyone knew how unusual this year was going to be due to Covid-19.

Early on the number of Covid cases were low in Ireland as compared to other nations and the University announced plans to commence the Master’s program. The paperwork and formalities took more time than usual as all the offices were working on limited capacities. Despite all this, all excited, I flew to Ireland.

Unfortunately, the cases rose in Ireland and the college had to move classes online. Initially, I was concerned if the online platform would match up the international exposure I was looking for, and in the beginning going online was indeed challenging, but slowly things were streamlined, and it gave us a totally distinct experience.

The studies at NUI Galway focused more on learning from various resources, research papers, e-learning technologies rather than the textbooks. We also got industry specialists as guest lecturers.

I witnessed some concepts which were new to me, like group assignments which support collaborative learning. It brought people from different backgrounds and culture to work together and put their knowledge and experience in it.

Also, being part of a society was also a never-before involvement. The Clubs and Societies bring people with the same interests and passions together, just the platform was online. It was a huge platform for learning, knowledge gain, networking, and a little break from studies.

Many on campus facilities could not be used or had limited access. However, this year pushed everyone to think outside the box to go online. Being an international student was a fulfilling experience at NUI Galway, as Ireland is indeed more beautiful than I thought. Galway has a rich culture like my country and am happy to be a postgraduate from what I call the city of celebrations.