Why Pursue a Degree in Ireland

After writing another guest post for the UCC International Blog, I realized I've never reflected on my degree and move to Ireland here on SEDiva. With the closing of last term and the finishing of a million projects, and with the new year and the arrival of a million more projects, I've been thinking a lot about my decisions to go back to school and to move to Ireland to do it. Last semester was a whirlwind, and it wasn't often easy. A lot of the difficulties came from culture shock and homesickness, a lot came from the drama of academia, and a lot came from the everyday drama of friendships and relationships. Most of these problems we experience no matter where we are or what we are doing. Some of these arise simply from being l'ingénue in a foreign country.

As an American, I'm often asked, why study music at University College Cork? That seems like a stupid question. A more serious one might be: why on earth move to a foreign country to get a degree at all? University is daunting enough as it is, no matter if we're pursuing our first, second, or eight degree. Choosing to go to college is a massive decision and almost always represents a turning point of some kind in our lives, a conscious decision to change in some way. Why make the already awkward transition even scarier by adding learn-about-and-assimilate-to-a-new-culture-a-thousand-miles-from-friends-and-family to the mix? Are you insane?

Moving countries is admittedly a terrifying thought, and I am unable to report that it is actually easy, so I apologize. It's a hard thing to do and a hard decision to make. It involves a lot of legally, visa-y, goverment-y things I would never have thought of before. New friends must be made, new grading systems must be learned, and in the case of an American musician, new theories and words for already known concepts must be learned (but that's a story for another post). But sitting here almost six months later, I have to say I'm finally glad I did it. We can build our lives in any way we want to, really. Where doesn't seem to be really as important as how, so make the most of wherever you are. Nowhere can be better than "here". It's the only place we'll ever really be.