1. Why did you choose your host country and host university?
I chose the University of Limerick because my older sister previously did an exchange in Limerick and found it to be an incredible and life-changing experience. I wanted to be located in Europe so other European countries would be easily accessible (and inexpensive to travel to!), I didn't want to have a language barrier in my host country, and I had heard such good things about Ireland — it seemed like the perfect choice! I looked into the University of Limerick and it had a great reputation, a good location within Ireland, and a beautiful campus with excellent student facilities (library, gym, etc.) — I barely had a second thought when I chose UL as my first choice.

2. What was your favorite experience while on exchange?  
It's incredibly difficult to narrow down my exchange to one experience. I was able to travel to so many different countries and places even just within Ireland. Some standout experiences include walking along the River Thames at sunset and admiring Big Ben and the London Eye, hiking in Portugal and getting to witness the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, and climbing the 366-step staircase of the Belfry Tower in Bruges. For Ireland specifically, my time in Galway stands out where my friends and I ran around, exploring the city and singing "Galway Girl" by Ed Sheeran — we ended the day admiring the sunset from Mutton Island. At the University of Limerick, the River Shannon trail was meters away from my student village and I enjoyed walking along the river frequently, appreciating the greenery and the swans on the water - those walks will always be an experience that I will look back on fondly.

3. What was something surprising or different that you experienced while on exchange?  
Ireland is so small compared to Canada that it's not too difficult to travel home for the weekends. Campus was almost completely empty on the weekends and it was normal to see a ton of traffic on Friday evenings as all the students left campus to go home. Some other strange things were that almost all dogs were off-leash, their version of hot chocolate from the stores was really different, they didn't need to refrigerate their eggs, and almost every single item in stores would be labelled "Irish" — it was important that food and goods were locally sourced.

4. Words of advice to a student considering an exchange?   
My advice to a student considering an exchange would be to absolutely go for it — it's an incredible, life-changing experience that seems so daunting in the beginning but turns out to be 100% worth it. I wouldn't change anything about my experience at the University of Limerick. I made great friends from all over the world and was able to experience so many memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. International exchanges help students grow in both their skills and as people. It may seem intimidating, but there are few things in life that provide such valuable experience.