Maynooth University (MU)

Maynooth University, just thirty minutes outside of Dublin, is “Ireland’s fastest-growing university,” with a current enrollment of about 11,000 students. It boasts “thirty-four academic departments across three faculties and eight specialist research institutes,” “extensive research activities,” “experiential learning” and “internships,” and a “full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs.” Students enjoy the “flexibility of the bachelor’s degree,” with “an incredibly diverse selection of subjects” that also “offers pathways into other degrees.” Students note that the relatively “less intensive academic structure” means that there is “less of a barrier to balancing work and life.” Students are supported by “quality,” “approachable,” and “obliging” staff, including librarians and administrators, and “enthusiastic lecturers,” some of whom are “internationally recognized researchers” in their respective fields. The small size of the school itself makes it “easy to get to know your lecturers and tutors,” and professors and staff are “passionate and extremely helpful.” There is an emphasis on life after college: “We are given extremely practical advice on how to further our careers,” one student remarks, “and everything in our lectures is framed in the context of a real-life situation we may someday face in our careers.”

Maynooth University has a reputation for being “one of the friendliest campuses in Ireland,” and the student body is a “geographically diverse bunch,” which “brings in people from the surrounding counties like Kildare, Meath and Kilkenny,” along with folks from “Dublin City.” Student enrollment has “grown massively in the past fifteen to twenty years,” but students point out that “Maynooth still has a small student population compared to other colleges” in the area, with student enrollment that can be up to three times as large. “You can still meet people you know on your walks, have room to walk around or find a place to be alone should you need,” says one student. Maynooth University promotes a “collaborative environment where group work and sharing resources between peers is an essential part of college life,” which helps ensure that students will “have the necessary communication and team work skills needed for the workplace.” Students are, by and large, “social,” “inclusive,” incredibly hard-working and friendly,” and “diverse,” with a “good mixture of mature and non-traditional students.” One student summed up the experience well: “I am surrounded by a wide scope of students who are diverse in opinions and talents, but who have a collective sense of identity in being part of this University.”

Maynooth’s campus is “based in a small town that has become a student town, giving way to a friendly environment.” Maynooth students appreciate the “stunningly beautiful campus” that includes the “natural landscape of the south campus,” featuring “large fields with trees, walkways, a graveyard, a beautiful church, the seminary, and a lot of beautiful wildlife.” “This picturesque area is one of the main reasons I came to this college,” says one student. “I can still go outside and walk around in the fresh air and lower my stress levels exponentially before walking a brief five to seven minutes to my next lecture.” The two main campuses (north and south) are just across the road from one another. The “campus is nicely compact” and the “mixture of the old campus” with “lovely green open areas with pretty old buildings” and the new, with its “modern buildings” gives a nice feel to the area.

Students praise the “range of free services,” including the “health center, for all students, an “interactive student union” with “great representation,” an array of “athletics and other extracurricular activities,” with a “variety of clubs and societies.” There is “no need to leave the town during the week,” to find entertainment, as the town of Maynooth is “lively, with a number of pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops for students.” Campus life is also busy with “clubs and societies running social and sporting events daily.” If none of this takes your fancy, direct buses and trains go between Maynooth and Dublin regularly, and it is also “easy to get home to the Midlands as the motorway passes through the town.” A large proportion of students are commuters. The student union offers a “cheap” and tasty breakfast, and downtown offers “a variety of pubs” and dining spots.