If you hate saving money, nice weather and tasty bread then Waterford is probably not for you. Samuel Costa our Waterford IT and Brazilian Ambassador shares three reasons not to choose this historical city as your study abroad destination…
Two years ago I had the opportunity to live in Dublin for one year while studying at UCD, and I absolutely fell in love with Ireland. So, when I got the Government of Ireland scholarship, I jumped at the opportunity to come back to this amazing country. This time my destination was Waterford, a lovely city, with fifty thousand habitants, located in the southeast of Ireland, where I would pursue a Master in Business, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (A.K.A. mBITE). Now, as the first semester just ended, I would like to share with you 3 reasons that might make you not choose Waterford Institute of Technology as your school in Ireland. Let’s go!
The money
With the rent costing sometimes half as much as in Dublin, you will get a lot of extra pocket money, and you don’t want extra money, because if you have do, you are probably going to spend it on drinks, parties, and chocolates, which are not good for your health. And to make that “problem” even worse, there is the fact that as everything is in a walkable distance, you won’t need to spend with public transport, I mean… except when you decide to go to Tramore, a really nice coastal town half an hour away from Waterford. And you will probably be going there more often than you expect because of …
The weather
If you came to Ireland, I assume that you chose it because you love the rain, the freezing cold, and flying umbrellas, right? Well, in that case, I am sorry to disappoint you, but Waterford and the south east region have warmer temperatures and get less rain than most parts of Ireland, so you if you come to WIT, you will have less opportunities to take a romantic walk under the rain (with soaked socks).
The lecturers
You see, the extra parties and trips to the coast are things that are constantly pushing you to skip classes. And that is awfully pleasant to do when you are expecting that annoying, boring lecturer, but at WIT you will feel really guilty is you skip. Why? In the mBITE course at WIT I have the best lecturers that I’ve ever had, either in Brazil or in Ireland, they are friendly, professional, care about the students and mix both real life and academic content at the classes. So, at WIT you will not only feel guilty about skipping classes but also catch yourself willing to go to them. Horrible isn’t it?!
Honourable mention – the Blaa!
In Waterford you are going to find these flour covered, extremely soft white breads that are as tasty as they are soft. After them, normal bread will taste like sand for you, so absolutely don’t try it.
Extra money, warmer weather and awesome lecturers (and the Blaa), I believe these points let clear enough that Waterford City and WIT are not good options. Unless of course if you think that these things aren’t so bad, then obviously you will have an amazing time here, enjoying a city full of history, meeting people from all over the world, participating in top-notch classes, and with a really nice coast just 30 minutes away as a plus.