Amy O'Brien, is a 19-year-old from Mitchelstown, Cork who has just started her student life as a Law BCL student at University College Cork. She lives in student accommodation in Cork City and she is here with tips and advice for new students and anyone thinking of going to 3rd level in 2025.
It has been a busy month since receiving my CAO offer on 28 August. My days have been filled with planning, shopping, moving, finding classes, navigating the library, making friends and generally adjusting to college life. Thankfully, I’ve gotten off on a great start and here’s my advice, tips and tricks to help young people settle into college.
Registration
Your email to register for college comes into your email quite quickly after you accept your course offer. Only a couple days after I got my first choice, an email with the gleaming letters 'UCC’ was sitting in my inbox. It was time to register! This involved filling in a lot of personal information ie your address, contact information, where you're staying and so on. It also meant paying the required fees. Above all though, I was surprised at how quickly you must choose your modules. Thankfully, I had scrolled through the entire breakdown of the course the previous Autumn.
Over the Summer, I had thought thoroughly about the specific modules I would pick. Even so, making the final decisions and clicking on my module codes was quite stressful. Therefore, I would recommend being as prepared for registration as possible by keeping time in your day’s schedules following the offers. Furthermore, check to see if you will have a choice in the first year and if so, consider what modules you might want to pick.
Shopping
As I was moving out of home into student accommodation, there were a lot of bits I had to buy for the move. I wasn’t too sure at the time what I needed which was a little overwhelming. I was worried I had missed something important and that there was more I needed. My advice would be that once you have got the basics, you’ll have enough stuff to settle into a new place and if you need to buy more, then you can. My top priorities were a duvet, pillows, covers and sheets. I then got the toiletries I needed. I moved my clothes, makeup, jackets and shoes up from home but I did purchase a few new hangers.
In terms of the kitchen, I needed a pot, a pan, a sieve and a couple utensils but rather than buy entirely new sets of everything, I brought a plate, mug, bowl and cutlery from home. I forgot to get cupboard staples before moving up and some handy ones are pasta, rice, cereals, beans, sauces and snacks. Furthermore, I also had to invest in a new laptop for college work. You may have one already or likewise, a device like an ipad or tablet but if you are shopping for a laptop, I’d advise doing so in person. I spent months looking at them online but because I knew I wanted a sleek, small, light laptop, I needed to be able to pick it up and feel it to decide. I would say these are the main things to get for college but I wouldn’t panic about getting everything at once either.
Time Management
After only having completed a couple weeks of college, it is clear how vital time management skills are. You have a unique calendar with your assigned tutorial times and specific lectures. You can’t rely on the other people in your class to tell you which room or nowadays, which lecture theatre to be in, because everyone’s schedule is slightly different. You will have much more free time and less supervision. I’ve been loving this space and increased autonomy over my days. However, it does mean you have to build sustainable habits and a solid routine yourself.
Particularly in a Law Degree, I’ve noticed that a significant amount of the learning I'll be doing is independent. Therefore, you need to keep on track of readings, tutorial work to prepare and assignments. All of this is why I would really recommend getting used to having a calendar before college. I’ve always used Google calendar and find it really handy. I now I have my personal and college calendars separate on my laptop but combined on my phone, it means I can very clearly keep an eye on where I’m supposed to be at all times.
Making friends
I was unimaginably excited to meet new people in college, but I was also very nervous that I would struggle to make friends. However, everyone I’ve come across has been unbelievably friendly and as long as you're willing to chat, you will meet people. My advice would be that most people are a little nervous and are trying to start conversations too, so just put yourself forward and start introducing yourself.
If anything, college has been one of the easiest places to make friends because so many of the people there are like minded and there will be peers, naturally, who share your interests. I would say that going to events like orientation and meet and greets can be a great way to get to know people. I also met a lot of friends at society meetings, on nights out, at socials and so on. So, as a general rule of thumb, the next time you're sitting beside someone new in a lecture - say hi!
Look up the societies
One of the aspects of student life I was personally ecstatic for was being part of societies. Even so, I had no idea that the college had so many of them! For example, UCC has over 117 societies listed and 56 different clubs available. Society day took place during Freshers Week and was a great way to get familiar with the various groups at their stalls.
Yet, it does get very busy precisely because there are so many. So, if you get a chance, I would also recommend researching the societies in your university online beforehand too. What is especially helpful, is that you can also sign up to your chosen societies entirely online with your email. I found this was a handy thing to have done before college started and got me really excited about the upcoming years on campus!
These are 5 things to know before starting college and I hope they help you adjust to the next step in your education!
