This article is in collaboration with Day Translations, providing certified academic evaluation translations.

Universities and employers may require from you a certified academic evaluation to check that your coursework and exams are compatible with those of your new host country.

It is essential to rely on a professional translation to ensure accuracy and avoid unnecessary delays in processing your further education or job application. In this article we look at Athlone’s TUS, a popular university among foreign students.

Studying in Athlone, Ireland: Are You the Next Jacksepticeye?

Athlone is positioned in the middle of Ireland (the Midlands) and is well serviced by public transport with regular trains from Dublin and coaches from Dublin Airport.

Formerly called Athlone Institute of Technology, the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) is located in Athlone and has been welcoming foreign students for several years. The campuses receive 14,000 students and train them up so that they can provide fresh thinking in emerging and established industries.

The TUS is educating the next generation of CEOs, entrepreneurs and consultants: one of its most famous alumni is Jacksepticeye, the global celebrity and Irish YouTuber with more than 28 million subscribers. Born Seán William McLoughlin in Athlone, Jacksepticeye has amassed more than 15 billion (yes you read that right, billion) views on YouTube for his videos ranging from gaming to comedy. He is also an extremely successful entrepreneur running businesses in clothing and coffee, but alongside that he is committed to raise money for charity working towards eradicating world hunger. In 2019 he received the Save the Children Humanitarian Stream Team Award in acknowledgement of his fundraising efforts.

You can watch an interview that Jacksepticeye did for Wired as part of their popular series “Answers the Web’s Most Searched Questions/Autocomplete Interview” which only features high profile celebrities so this is a sign he has made it big:

Inspired by Jacksepticeye: Dara Linehan’s Story

Here are some words by Dara Linehan, TUS student and ambassador (Dara’s YouTube channel).

“I was inspired by global and Irish YouTubers alike to spread messages of inspiration to people like me who came from rural Ireland to college and realised there’s so much for us out here in the real world!

I come from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere in Offaly so we only got a stable internet connection in like 2015 so I immediately fell in love with the idea of creating content that not only inspires others but also pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Going to college to study digital marketing became a thrilling next step that I couldn’t say no to!

When I got to Athlone and people found out about my ideas and dreams I was told that Jacksepticeye also came to our Athlone campus here in TUS and I was overwhelmingly inspired to leave my mark on TUS too.

I studied subjects from Marketing to Economics to Content writing and Finance as well as my favourite: Video and Animation!

I was in awe about how well I fit my course and even when I was struggling I was still enjoying the subjects! Each day is a learning day at TUS that’s what I love about it. You get to meet so many new people all the time and the atmosphere at the college really helps to mould people into who they want to be!

So after finding my feet I made the decision to really get involved in the college! This idea was inspired by our incredible Students Union and so I started saying yes to every opportunity thrown my way! Now I’m a proud class rep, department rep and student ambassador. I also run the content creators society.

TUS has really changed my life, it’s all about getting involved here!”

So, if you are planning your academic and career journey, and want to move to a different country (wink wink nudge nudge please choose Ireland!), include certifying your existing qualifications on your to-do list to ensure your studies are recognised in the country you elect to be your place of residence for the foreseeable future (and by that of course that country is Ireland!).