An Interview With Morgan Sheils – Bachelor of Commerce (Global Experience)

Morgan Sheils is a BComm (Global Experience) student at University of Galway who has just returned from a year studying at Burgundy School of Business (BSB) in Dijon, France. We caught up with him to hear how his time abroad and studying for a double degree developed his academic skills and fostered personal growth.

What motivated you to Study Abroad?

There were several reasons that motivated me to study abroad. As a child, I grew up in Texas and Copenhagen as well as Ireland, so travel and moving have always been a central theme throughout my life. When I was looking at college courses and came across Bachelor of Commerce (Global Experience) at University of Galway I knew it was the course for me. The opportunity to study abroad in my third year gave me something to look forward to throughout my college experience.

When it came around to go abroad, I really wanted to challenge myself and throw myself into an entirely new experience. I wanted to experience a new culture, meet new people and also learn more about myself. The opportunity to experience college in another country also appealed to me, and the excitement of making lots of new friends.

What is a double degree and why did you pursue that?

A double degree is effectively receiving two separate degrees in your undergraduate course by meeting a certain criteria. Simply put, you receive two separate degrees when you graduate at the end of your studies in the 4^th year.

There were a multitude of reasons as to why I decided to pursue the double degree. The first was that it was an amazing opportunity to stand out from others in my course. It is very unique, looks great on your CV and is a great talking point in interviews. The other major reason I decided to do the double degree was because I had the opportunity to spend the full year studying abroad. The most popular route tends to be half the year on a work placement and half the year doing an Erasmus. My thinking was that I could get an internship at any point in my life, but I would never have the opportunity to go study abroad for a year and gain a second degree. It was too good to pass up, and I did get an internship the summer, so it all worked out quite nicely. The final reason is that I like to challenge myself or force myself to try new things, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do that.

Student life in France vs Galway, what were the differences?

Student life most certainly was very different in France in comparison to Galway. Firstly, the weather was much drier, which was nice for a change. Starting with academics, I personally thought France was a lighter workload than what we’re used to in Galway, but it definitely challenged me in other areas. For example, the classes were much smaller at BSB, of around 25-30, so it was very much like being in secondary school again. We were very presentation-focused and had to present in front of the class in every class, and normally had to do that in every class we had. This was really unique and taught me some really valuable presenting skills and working with different groups. We also used laptops for everything, including exams, which was very strange in comparison to sitting in the kingfisher writing until you can’t feel your hand anymore. We would take tests on a secure platform that wouldn’t let you access any other tabs. I definitely became much more literate in technology as a result.

The other big ones were the three-hour classes and no fixed structure. That meant that one week you could have a class on a Monday at 11, but on Tuesday the next week and so on. The three-hour classes take some time to get used to, but were quite fun at the same time. In terms of clubs and societies, BSB was a much smaller school, so there wasn’t as much choice as there is in Galway, but there were lots of nights out organised by the main societies in the school. The nightlife was also quite different; the bars all had happy hour, where drinks would be €1/€2 cheaper than their usual price, and it was much less chaotic in comparison to Galway.

There was an amazing Karaoke bar called Jayuna, which I would definitely recommend going to. The lady who runs it is lovely. The other noticeable difference is that there weren’t as many student deals at restaurants like you’d see in Galway, but food was generally cheaper, so I didn’t think this was too much of an obstacle. Dijon is a very similar size to Galway, so it was really nice from that perspective, as you don’t feel too overwhelmed by the city.

Any culture shocks?

The biggest culture shock for me was everything being closed on a Sunday, and I mean everything. There was effectively nothing open on a Sunday, not even supermarkets or restaurants. The other big one was that many businesses closed from 12-2 so the workers could go for lunch, and you’d often see the town packed and people sitting out eating lunch, which was crazy to me at the start. Many restaurants offer “Menus” which consist of a starter and a main course for €20, but the caveat is that you don’t get to pick these. If you aren’t a picky eater, definitely try it. I suppose seeing snails (escargots) in a restaurant was a shock at first, but they actually taste amazing, and I definitely had my fair share. Another cool culture shock was the wine festivals; they were amazing. It was crazy to see how many people would actually go to them and just how busy it got.

What was your biggest takeaway from the experience?

My biggest takeaway from the whole experience was definitely the friends I made. I was very fortunate to make some really good friends with whom I am friends for life. I was in Oslo this summer, meeting one of my friends from the first semester and had five of my friends from the second semester come to Galway a few weeks ago. I also have plans to go see more of my Erasmus friends and visit them in their respective countries later this year.

Do you have any advice for students considering pursuing study abroad?

My advice for students considering pursuing a study abroad is to definitely do it. It was by far the best year of my life, you don’t realise how much you will learn about yourself, others and just the world in general. It is a really nice way to break up the year between the second year and the final year as well. I believe it’ll be the making of you as a person, and you will meet some amazing people who will become some of your best friends. It also opens many new doors and opportunities.

Images thanks to Morgan Sheils