Old Library at Trinity College

Author: Emily Kate Combs | Major: Accounting

Last fall, Dr Leflar came to speak to my Intermediate Accounting II program about the study abroad program he led with Professor Terrell to Ireland. I had always wanted to study abroad, but with COVID-19 and my decision to enter the IMACC program early, I didn’t think I had the chance anymore since I was technically a graduate and probably needed to focus on another internship to earn a full-time job offer. After interviewing and receiving job offers for all big four employers, I still felt a nag to go to Ireland. I had the rest of my life to work. I might not have another chance to spend four weeks in a foreign country. I also realized through the interview process with these accounting firms how much they valued a global mindset and someone who would be able to travel to their clients and adapt to new cities quickly. I knew I could gain those qualities through studying abroad, and I believe after completing this program I have gained these skills. I believe that I have more valued qualities to an employer after completing this program than I did when I interviewed last fall.

While we only had three classroom-style lectures, I learned more than I ever could in a classroom by experiencing the culture in a hands-on environment. Our campus was thirty minutes south of downtown Dublin, so we took public transportation to get everywhere. I learned many skills by navigating the different bus routes to get where I needed to be promptly. It wasn’t always on time or reliable, and that caused us to be flexible and have to plan ahead. The food was also very different from the United States, but what made it so different was the restaurant experience. Waiters are not tipped, and Irish people tend to have more laid back meals that last a lot longer than Americans, so the service is much slower and you would have to wave down a waiter to place your order, receive a refill, etc. Prices also reflected exactly what it would cost you. There wasn’t tax later added in, so many times prices would be whole numbers. The music was something I particularly looked forward to on the trip. Almost all of the pubs would have live traditional music played by people who just enjoyed playing it. They weren’t playing it for the money necessarily and often had full-time jobs earlier in the day before the played music at the pub all night. The music involved lots of crowd participation through singing and clapping along and was very lively. We had many encounters with interesting people as the Irish are overly friendly and always willing to give directions or ask you about where you are from.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this program to other students in the accounting, finance, or any business-related field. I signed up without knowing any of the other 16 students, and I am coming back with 16 new friends. It was such a unique experience and I would do it all over again if I could. The first thing I am going to do when I return home is eat some Mexican food and spend time with my family and friends.