Andy Deneris is an applied mathematics and economics major who spent a semester studying abroad in Ireland at University College Dublin (UCD). He shares his experience joining the surfing club, how the skills he gained by living in another country will help him in his career, and why he recommends studying abroad to other Case Western Reserve students!
How did you choose your study abroad institution?
I went with my friend and we were looking for a place in Europe so that we could be free to travel around each country. We also needed a school that had a wide selection of classes since we needed classes to satisfy both of our studies. This narrowed it down to UCD or Trinity, both in Dublin. I am glad we picked UCD as the resources there for study abroad students were very nice and even provided “Cultural Trips” that take you all over Ireland.
What was it like being a student studying abroad during the pandemic? What did you learn from this?
I actually studied abroad during the pandemic which was interesting. It made a lot of aspects difficult to enjoy like anything with a big group. I did learn a lot, however, about how Ireland handles situations like this vs America.
What are your career aspirations? How do you think your study abroad experience will help you in your career?
I hope to eventually go to graduate school and at some point would like to live and work in a foreign country. My study abroad helped me with this goal, as it gave me the opportunity to live in a culture I’m not used to for a long period of time. It gave me the skills necessary to acclimate to a new country and navigate it.
What was your favorite fun experience during your time abroad?
I ended up joining the surfing club at UCD and had a lot of great memories and fun with that. Not only the surfing trips but also the fun activities they’d do to muster morale. Even though it got really cold at times it was a lot of fun and I met a lot of new people through it.
How has this experience changed the way you think about the world?
My study abroad experience has made me realize that there is so much more to life than what we know. Just in finding how another English-speaking country can be so different from what we know to be normal, you realize that all aspects of life have infinite possibilities outside of our reality.
What advice would you give to other CWRU students considering whether to study abroad?
I would definitely recommend studying abroad, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I felt that I would have a lot of opportunities to travel in my life, but only for weeks at a time as a tourist. Studying abroad gives you the chance to be in another country not as a tourist, but as someone living there, as a resident who experiences all facets of life there not just the main attractions.