Since its founding in 2002, The National Society of High School Scholars has been working with top universities around the world to connect our members with resources related to the college admissions process. This year, Mr. Nobel and NSHSS have launched a program to establish collaborative relationships with top colleges and universities across the globe to encourage our members to spend some formative time in their academic career studying abroad. Our collaborating universities rank among the top institutions of higher learning and are excited to hear from our students and families, and look forward to welcoming you to their campuses.
For university officials interested in exploring opportunities with NSHSS, please contact University Relations Manager Veronica Squires.
See the list of our international universities.
Earning your Degree at Dublin City University — A pioneering Irish university with energy and inspriation
Sylvia Schroeder
International Officer at DCU, Student Recruitment USA
The 25th anniversary celebrations last year gave Dublin City University an opportunity to look back on an institutional history filled with exciting new developments, commitment and a Can Do attitude. From its very beginnings, DCU became known as an institution that thrived on challenge, and dared to be different. During its short existence, DCU has followed a strong desire to respond to the emerging needs of an Ireland which has transformed itself enormously in recent times. In a recent interview for the DCU Times, former President Dr. Danny O’Hare reminded readers of how DCU “can truly claim that we have had a substantial influence on the evolution of Irish higher education, as well as contributing to the emergence of the country’s recent prosperity.” Today, DCU is a research-intensive university that offers employment-relevant, innovative, interdisciplinary programs that produce highly-regarded graduates for the new global workplace.
Ever since its inception, DCU has made a name for itself as a different type of Irish university. ‘Different?!’--you might ask. Different in what way?
DCU's new Student Advice Centre, picturing the Dr. Claire Bohan, Director of Student Affairs, Alan Flanagan, President of the DCU Students Union, and his colleagues, and the Student Advice Team
Well, to begin with, take a look at DCU’s INTRA program. INTRA is a short cut for the university’s INtegrated TRAining program, which formally integrates the student’s academic study with closely coordinated realistic employment opportunities. INTRA has been an integral component of the majority of DCU’s undergraduate degrees, and the program is closely tied to the university’s commitment to ensure that its educational programs are relevant to the industrial and commercial world. INTRA provides students with an opportunity to experience a real work environment before graduation, while getting paid a salary (in most cases)! Placements are coordinated through a dedicated INTRA office and the skills and experience thus gained give our graduates a first rate competitive advantage.
Another means of awarding initiative in our dedicated students is the Uaneen module. This is a popular award scheme which recognizes the commitment and learning acquired by students involved in extra-curricular activities and which is unique within the Irish third-level sector. The scheme encourages students to develop their extra-curricular activities along with their academic studies to provide them with transferable skills and competencies needed to live and work in our complex world.
A third factor shaping DCU’s degree programs is the high level of interdisciplinarity. This is evident when one views our list of programs. There are, for instance, programs with titles like Physics with Astronomy, or Marketing, Innovation and Technology, or Manufacturing Engineering with Business Studies. The latest addition to this list is our BA in Contemporary Culture and Society, which seeks to understand and analyze our modern world and the factors that influence us. While programs offered at Irish universities are generally more specific than U.S. degrees, this particular program provides a high level of flexibility in that students choose from a range of modules in five strands to construct the degree according to personal interests.
Other developments at DCU include the University’s new elite Sports Academy, which offers an extensive sports scholarship scheme for elite athletes, previously unknown in Ireland. Or indeed, take a glimpse at some of the cutting edge research carried out in one of our research institutes, the National Institute of Cellular Biotechnology--here researchers engage in exciting study in the areas of cancer, diabetes, and eye injury.
Whatever program or level of study you choose, DCU won’t disappoint! For more information on this exciting university, please visit www.dcu.ie.