My name is Leyu Wang and I am a Mechanical Engineering Graduate from UCD (2014-2016). My parents are both mechanical engineers, which imperceptibly influenced my own professional choice. It was so lucky that I did a five-month premaster in UCD where I found the campus was filled with amazing facilities and fabulous people. This led me on to undertake my Master in the School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering.
(opens in a new window)Mechanical Engineering Masters is a two-year program with excellent work placement, which will provide you with comprehensive understanding towards this area and enable you to master practical skills. The first semester came with six core modules and to tell the truth, I was not ready that time and really struggled at the end of the semester. It seems that Solids, Fluids, CCM and Manufacturing are easy, but they are the fundamental subjects for later in your mechanical life. Therefore, balance your study and your life at the very start of your semester and make a reasonable academic plan. Then, enjoy yourself among the library, gym and pub. This is an essential part of campus life where I have benefited a lot. I met my soul-mate Sia, my mentor-bro Roy and Hengfeng. Thank you all for your time.
In the second semester, I went to Timoney Technology Ltd in Navan for my work placement, where I learned SolidsWorks, LMS virtual lab and SketchUp. It was really amazing to use software to work on vehicle suspension designing and modeling, such as designing vehicle parts and simulating them in practices. Everyone around me helped me a lot in regards to not only work but also becoming a real professional mechanical engineer. On a personal level, it was definitely this experience that made my career take off.
I was back to campus in the second year and devoting myself to study because I was away for a long time. Seven modules and the thesis came in front of me, yet I found it was more comfortable to face the study at this time. I made good plans to balance my experiment, my homework and the fitness. Time went so fast and I miss it so much right now.
I left Dublin after the final exam and now I am a mechanical engineer in Fori Automation, where the work is similar to what I did in Timoney. I designed gauge unit and manipulator for Shanghai Volkswagen, including relay-station, manipulator and preassemble tray. It is lucky for me to do the job I am interested in.
People around me always say international students suffer so much during their overseas experience, such as problem of safety, loneliness, self-motivation etc. As far as I’m concerned, I would like to say that house hunting four times, precious work experience, nice people, rainy and windy days in winter, wonderful sunny days in spring, and all the other incredible Irish things will make it worth it. So enjoy your study and life here, it will be a good time in your life!