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Courses
Courses
Choosing a course is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make! View our courses and see what our students and lecturers have to say about the courses you are interested in at the links below.
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University Life
University Life
Each year more than 4,000 choose University of Galway as their University of choice. Find out what life at University of Galway is all about here.
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About University of Galway
About University of Galway
Since 1845, University of Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.
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Colleges & Schools
Colleges & Schools
University of Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching across a range of key areas of expertise.
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Research & Innovation
Research & Innovation
University of Galway’s vibrant research community take on some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
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Business & Industry
Guiding Breakthrough Research at University of Galway
We explore and facilitate commercial opportunities for the research community at University of Galway, as well as facilitating industry partnership.
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Alumni & Friends
Alumni & Friends
There are 128,000 University of Galway alumni worldwide. Stay connected to your alumni community! Join our social networks and update your details online.
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Community Engagement
Community Engagement
At University of Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
Accessibility & LanguageWhat’s expected of you
What’s expected of you
Students at University of Galway are expected to be an engaged, independent learners.
Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, and passion you bring to your learning: basically how motivated you are to learn and progress in your education.
Independent learning is when you take responsibility for your own learning. You use your study time to build on what your lecturers and tutors teach you, and set and achieve your own learning goals. See our guide to independent learning for more.
As a university student, you are expected to:
- Understand the requirements of your course
- Attend all lectures, tutorials, field trips, laboratory demonstrations, and any other classes for your course
- Read assigned course readings (see Reading and Research Skills)
- Think critically (see Critical thinking)
- Engage with others in your discipline: your classmates as well as staff (see Communication Skills)
- Complete all your assignments and exams to the best of your ability (see Assignments and Exams)
You will learn and develop lots of new skills at University of Galway, and we hope the Academic Skills Hub will help you develop your academic skills. The advice and guidance offered here is quite general and is designed for all students. However, many of the academic skills you'll need to develop will be discipline- or subject-specific. If in doubt, check in with a lecturer or tutor.
Your mindset
If you can go to as many lectures and tutorials as is humanly possible for you, and start to work on improving your organisational skills, you will be well on the way to success at University of Galway. But there is one other area of development that can vastly improve your student experience, and this is your ‘mindset’.
Your mindset refers to the set of perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that you hold about yourself, your capabilities, and your environment. Research has suggested that those who have ‘fixed mindsets’ (that is, they believe that their character and abilities are fixed by nature and cannot be changed, no matter how hard they try) tend to be less successful than those with so-called ‘growth mindsets’ (who believe that they can learn, develop and grow as long as they put enough effort in).
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/butterseite/2658061277
The key message is: don’t be too quick to write yourself, or your capabilities, off. It’s OK to make mistakes, and it is often through making mistakes, and accepting the critical feedback of others, that we learn and grow. If you are finding things tough, remind yourself that this is a learning opportunity.
If things aren’t working out
If things don’t seem to be going as planned at University of Galway, remember that there is lots of support available. Ask for help early on and it will be much easier to get back on track again. If you’re not sure how to ask for help, see our email templates in Communication Skills for inspiration or take a look at the Support Wheel to see what support is available to you based on your needs. Remember that it takes most students at least a couple of months to settle in to University life and you are not alone if you feel a bit overwhelmed at the beginning.
