Irish school principal speaks on the country's higher education

An interior view of National University of Ireland Maynooth. [Photo provided tochinadaily.com.cn]

What's the percentage of Chinese students in your university?

Quite small. We have 10,500 students and about 1,000 of them are international students, but from 110 countries. We only have 200 or so Chinese students, about 2 percent. We would like to see more Chinese students while keeping the diversity.

What's your general impression to Chinese students?

Very hardworking. They are also very open and gain a lot from coming to our country. Our students gain a lot from interacting with Chinese students as well.

What's your suggestion to Chinese students who are preparing to study abroad?

Be considerate, do your search and ask yourself questions. What are the countries you will like? What are the universities you will like? Will they offer you the program that you want? Pick the ones you want to go to, make a list, and seek advice from the international offices of the universities. The most important thing is to prepare, and figure out where you want to go.