The University

Observer- UCD

Aoife Hardesty is proof that many different doors can open for you at third-level. She is editor of one of University College Dublin’s newspapers, the University Observer, for the coming academic year. Aoife has just finished a degree in neuroscience. After her year as editor, she will go on and do a master’s in science communication and then hopefully go into science journalism, something she had not always intended doing.

“In second year I was the science editor of the paper. Then last year, while I was doing my thesis, I moved into a staff writer role in the paper, so I branched out into other areas. That’s why when it came to the end of the year, I was selected to be the next editor.”

“Repeal the eighth has been huge within the paper – and how it is affecting UCD. The Students’ Union (SU) is mandated to repeal the eighth. One of the candidates running for SU president this year had previously run a campaign for the SU to remain neutral on the topic. She is a prominent pro-life student and is now the president of the SU, so that was quite a large topic we had to cover.”

Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge the Waterford woman faced when she came to live in Dublin four years ago was finding accommodation.

“I moved up to Dublin and I didn’t have somewhere to live. I stayed with my cousin for nearly a month and every night she would drive me to house viewings. Some of them were very far from UCD, I was fairly desperate. In the end I found a very lovely place, but it took weeks. I was incredibly lucky that I had someone I could stay with during that time.

“Every year since then has been an incredible challenge to find somewhere to live. For me, I didn’t want to be in digs, I wanted to be able to have friends visit, I wanted to be able to stay up on weekends – a lot of places don’t let you do that. Looking for somewhere that is preferably less than €500 a month is basically non-existent in Dublin.”

The UCC Express

Robert O’Sullivan is going into fourth year in University College Cork (UCC) and is editor of the UCC Express student newspaper for the second year in a row.

For Robert, the best advice he could give incoming first-year students is to never be afraid of asking for help, whether it be academic or otherwise.

“I would say to people not to be afraid to ask for help. I’m doing an arts degree, so when I came in at first, lecturers were like: ‘Oh, you should use this referencing style.’ And I was like; ‘Oh God, I don’t know what that means, should I know what that means?’

“If you are really stressed, depressed or anxious, sometimes you can be afraid to say I need help. This needs to stop and you need to take care of yourself, as opposed to really over stressing and not getting stuff done. I would say to first years, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.”

From Cork city, Robert is studying history and the classics. He feels one of the biggest issues facing incoming university students in Cork is accommodation; the lack of accommodation, price of accommodation and the condition accommodation is in.

“At the moment, we are being hit really hard by a lack of accommodation. There are landlords down in Cork asking for three months’ rent as a deposit. What is happening with a lot of places is they are increasing the rent or they have a ten- or 12-bed house going, there are bunk beds in each room and they want something like €500 a month, it’s crazy. It’s putting pressure on students and it’s harder for them to find places to live.”

Despite the stress associated with student accommodation, Robert says the UCC campus can be a very tranquil place: “The UCC campus itself is really beautiful, it’s a really relaxing place to be at times. College can be stressful and the library can be an anxious place, but there really is a place for everybody. I don’t like studying in the library, I find it a bit quiet, so I study in the main restaurant. There are little noises in the background and that works for me.”

An Focal– UL

Loneliness is to be expected when starting college and is something many incoming first-year students experience, so don’t feel like you are the only one. That is the message from Paul Saunders, editor of the University of Limerick (UL’s) student newspaper, An Focal, for the 2016/2017 academic year.

“The first time away from parents, studying a subject you don’t know a lot about, looking after your daily life for the first time; it’s daunting and if you don’t have the same structure that you used to have, friends and family, it can be overwhelming. You don’t see the same faces you used to, so it can be quite isolating and lonely.”

The Clare man, who graduated last year from UL with a master’s in journalism, explains that loneliness is temporary and college does open up a new world of opportunities, one that students should avail of.

“Dive on into everything, get out of your comfort zone, talk to everyone, join a few clubs, hang out in the Students’ Union. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, read the college newspaper, focus on your studies, but make room for fun too.

“UL is a very multicultural campus and you can learn about anything you want there. Learn Chinese, how to play African drums, become a Jiu-Jitsu black belt, get a good degree, access a world-class library – I could go on forever. UL feels like it has so much to offer and the opportunities are endless.

“Making friends in my first semester was quite the memory. I had very few friends during my first year and then my circle of friends sort of exploded late in the semester and I became good friends with so many people, it was a fantastic time.

“My first impressions were that this is a scary place and that it was overwhelming, but also I felt that it was the best place for me. My impression of UL has only gone up since I studied and worked there. I would happily work in that place forever, but times change and I am forever grateful for the time I spent there.”

The Edition– DIT

For Matthew Colfer, attending Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) not only benefited him academically, but also socially and physically. Editor of DIT’s the Edition newspaper for the 2016/2017 academic year, Matthew says that joining the ultimate frisbee club was the best thing he did while at college and he would encourage all students to join a club or society.

“Something that I took up as a hobby, to keep fit, to keep active and to get to know other people, it is something that has stuck with me. It has given me the opportunity to visit other countries and play in tournaments.

“If I could offer advice to anyone, going into any college, anywhere, it would be to get involved in clubs and societies, because you meet so many people from different backgrounds, from different courses. You can end up working together on personal projects, college projects, anything. You’ll make friends and have the opportunity to socialise.

“Don’t be discouraged from taking up what might seem like an odd hobby or activity in college. They are the ones you could have a natural talent for or enjoy the most. You see people that look down on certain societies and clubs, but go for it and give it a try. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it, but if you do like it, you might have a new hobby or interest that you are deeply involved in.”

The Wexford native graduated from DIT with a BA in journalism in 2016. He is now looking at pursuing a career in journalism, content creation or social media management. Attending DIT was definitely a positive experience for Matthew. He says the smaller class sizes and the more intimate education environment allowed him to prosper.

“What I loved about DIT was how small the lectures were. In DIT you could have lectures where there are only 30 or 40 people. It is much easier to engage with the lecturer and get to know the people around you. The faces are easier to recognise, as opposed to when there is a huge crowd.” CL