From Cairo to Cork: My First Weeks as an MTU Student

Hello International Students, my name is Omar a fellow international student from Egypt. I am a first-year student based on  the Bishopstown campus. I am working with the MTU international office as part of the Global Citizens Scholarship Programme and I am here to show all present and future international students what it’s like being a student at MTU, studying far from home

I will be posting blogs of all my experiences every two weeks (hopefully). It is currently week 6  here in MTU and to be honest I am still discovering new things around campus, you might think “Oh, he would have figured it out by now it’s been 6 weeks” …... no. This campus is way bigger than I thought. I’m still finding new shortcuts and things to do around campus. But don’t worry, I am here to help you guys avoid all my mistakes and hopefully get around and understand campus by week 2 rather than my 6 weeks.

First things, first, the new Le Chelie building. Oh, my, what a beautiful building, it is so neat and niche it gives you the motivation to want to study (surprisingly), the building is the definition of brand new it. It only opened on the first day of college in September 2025.

Fact: LRC on your timetable means the Le Cheile Building – I learned this the hard way on my first day. Day One: I am running around campus asking other students where the LRC  building is, with people looking at me with utter confusion thinking what the heck is he on about. Until I run into a staff member and they say “Oh, it’s the new building outside”, the sweet relief I had after finding the building never felt better. So please don’t make my mistake and know that if your timetable says LRC it means the Le Chelie building, here is a little picture, so you have an idea

Finding your way around during your first weeks can be difficult so make sure to leave early.

Tip: Take a very early bus during the first month of university as traffic is particularly crazy during this time.

Next up cafeterias, they keep on spawning I am still discovering them. So MTU has lots of places to eat. 3 notable mentions are, firstly, the Quik Pick in the student center which is my personal favorite. 95% of the time you can find me there, the second one is based in the main building similar to like a quick pop up shop which sells easy, quick, on the go meals, but last and certainly not least the main Cafeteria that one has everything and I mean everything salad bars, roast dinners, snacks, drinks, and pre made wraps/club sandwich’s basically everything you could ask for is there, and every single staff that works in these cafeterias are the nicest sweetest people ever and always serve you with a smile. I can sit here with FULL CONFIDENCE and say MTU has the best popcorn chicken in all of Cork…. matter of fact all of Ireland (to me at least).

Once you attend MTU before lectures and anything else go straight for the popcorn chicken and wedges. Thankfully MTU’s food prices are amazing and affordable so all of us international students who are on budgets can rest assured that MTU is keeping us in mind. In my opinion everyone should try the popcorn chicken and wedges, the spice box with curry sauce and oh their waffle fries are to die for, (FYI I asked the cafeteria staff and all have informed me that all the chicken and beef are halal for any Muslim students wondering :)

Also, The MTU Library is a must for all students I think that it might be the best place to study, focus and get your work done. The pure silence in the library might be the most perfect thing you will ever hear (no pun intended). I prefer not to study at home, and I have done many study marathons in the library. I get so much more done than at home, advice from me to you get your headphones, your laptop, your books and just keep writing notes until your hand falls off and treat yourself at the end with some popcorn chicken from the MTU cafeteria

- Omar (October 2025)