Claire Kincaid spent a semester in UCD and the School of Earth Sciences in 2018 as a study abroad student from Olin College of Engineering, USA
What are you up to at the moment?
I finished my master's degree in Earth Resources Development Engineering at Colorado School of Mines and am moving to Sweden to start working as a Global Applications Specialist in mine electrification and automation for Epiroc in August [2021]. I'm really excited!
What was your experience of UCD and the School of Earth Sciences?
It was great. I really enjoyed it. Talking to, especially, the professors in the School of Earth Sciences was really nice, because I came in with no formal background in geology, but a lot of informal background in geology and a lot of background from the mining engineering side, less the geology [side]. They really helped me and gave me the opportunity to study quite a few topics that are typically reserved for more advanced students, and I really, really enjoyed that. It was ridiculously helpful in the internships that I had immediately after that, and also in all of the mining classes that I've had since. My degree was in mechanical engineering, and then through my study abroad at UCD I completed coursework equivalent to a minor in geology, which then gave me the background necessary to do two Mining Engineering internships and get into this Earth Resources Development Engineering program which is an interdisciplinary mining engineering program at Colorado School of Mines. It was really helpful and exactly what I was looking for.
What other things did you get up to while you were in Ireland?
I was really active in club life. I joined the caving club. We went on a great caving trip out in County Clare. I joined the karate club, and we did the all-Ireland intervarsity in Cork, and then I joined the windsurfing club and got to go on a couple great weekend trips out to Galway. We always meant to go windsurfing in Dublin, but we never got around to it because the weather was always bad. That was a little sad! But I got to see a lot of Ireland by traveling with the clubs that that UCD had. I really enjoyed the club day where you could kind of go and see all the clubs. I [also] did a bit of individual traveling myself. I really enjoyed Kilkenny; it was absolutely beautiful. I love walking and I got to see a lot of the city of Dublin just by walking around. I really enjoyed taking the bus from UCD to Trinity and then getting off in Trinity and wandering around the entire city. Dublin is very, very big, but it feels relatively small, because you can get anywhere in a decent amount of time by walking, and so I really enjoyed walking around Dublin and just staring at everything. I'm sure I looked exactly like the tourists that I was!
Do you have any advice for someone considering studying abroad in UCD?
If you are the slightest, most remotely interested in rocks, UCD is a great place to be. I absolutely loved the School of Earth Sciences. […] In terms of experience, just enjoy it. See Ireland while you can. Take field classes especially in the Earth Science department. I really enjoyed the nearly two-weeks long field course that I went on. Then we went on another weekend field course for one of the more advanced geology classes later. Both of those were phenomenal. I really enjoyed them. Another great way to see Ireland. And then, just have fun - UCD is a great place to be. It was really, really fun the entire time that I was there. The only non-fun time was exams, and those aren't fun anywhere!