The world of business is diverse, ranging from finance to technology, marketing to accounting, and HR to economics. Business students have so many opportunities, both in Ireland and all over the world and whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, you can find your chosen path here in the UCD Quinn School of Business.
UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business
My name is Kevin. I am from Sligo and going into my third and final year of my Bachelor of Commerce degree in UCD, where I aim to specialise in Accounting. Hopefully in this blog I can give you all a first-hand account of what it’s like to be a student at Quinn, as it is affectionately known. So, prepare to be enlightened and/or inspired people!
Over the last two years, I have done a bit of everything in Commerce, which is what I love about the course. Coming in to UCD as a first year I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life, a position many of you may be in, so Commerce seemed like a pretty solid choice. As a degree it seemed to give me so many options, and it hasn’t failed!
In my two years here, I’ve got to sample a bit of everything; so I found out what I was good at, what I wasn’t good at and what I really wasn’t good at! It has also helped to give me a great foundation in the business world having a background in everything, which does help! As well as all this, there is great flexibility within the degree in terms of study abroad options and internship opportunities that are not offered by all universities or business colleges. I myself spent the last semester on exchange in Montreal, Canada at McGill University, which is ranked pretty high in the world of academia. This was one of the best experiences of my life!
Montreal skyline here
I will admit, when I stepped off the plane on New Year’s Day into the cool and breezy -27 degree Canadian air, I did feel like getting back on, but I don’t regret it for a second. To get the opportunity to study abroad is one that should not be turned down in my opinion. I met so many amazing people there from all corners of the world. The camaraderie between fellow exchange students is very different to anything else. Everyone is in the same boat; there to enjoy themselves without the same pressure of exams and college that you would have back home, so this leads to A LOT of fun nights!
Getting the opportunity to travel to places like New York (on an 11 hour train journey), Toronto and Niagara is something that never would have happened if I had stayed in Dublin for the semester. Having an Open Air Pub on the university campus for a day is also something UCD needs to get on to! So, if anyone is considering doing an exchange I would encourage them to 100% go for it!
Top of Rockefeller centre in NY
As well as the semester abroad, Commerce gives students the option to do an internship for a year in some of the world’s best companies. Some people I know are now going to work in Google, LinkedIn, Salesforce and all the Big 4 accounting firms for the next year which is a pretty cool opportunity to have. Having experience like that on your CV will stand you in pretty good stead.
So if you like the sound of what you’re hearing here then maybe Commerce is the course for you. Any questions, don’t forget you can ask one of our Student Ambassadors via our online chat .
