I remember my first freshers week really vividly – I felt a strong mixture of emotions, from anxiety to hope. I think the strongest feeling I felt was the sense of possibility, that my life would finally begin in college – I envisioned myself living the ‘perfect’ student life. In my mind, this included a wardrobe of trendy clothes, an instant friend group full of cool and intellectual people from all around the world, endless parties and social events, and...
Sometimes I worry that I’m a quitter. When I was 16, I went to the Gaeltacht for the first time. It was just 3 weeks long, I spoke decent Irish, and I went with friends. Somehow, my friends all took to it, and I just didn’t. It wasn’t so much that I was home-sick, I’d been away from home plenty before, but I just really strongly didn’t want to be there. And when my parents came to visit at the...
My first year of college was pretty terrible. Looking back, I can see that there were good moments as well as the bad, but at the time everything was just a blur of anxiety. I was obsessed with having the stereotypical, wild time that first years are supposed to experience – getting blindly drunk every night, having questionable one night stands, and throwing myself at any interesting opportunity that came my way. And in many ways I did have that...
College can be tough. I think that a lot of people feel that ‘goes without saying’, but I feel it’s important to recognise that out loud every now and then. College can be tough, it can be stressful, upsetting, and a harsh environment to be in day-to-day. Often, the people around you don’t understand fully the impact third level education can have on your health, mentally and physically. Family, friends, co-workers. We all have our own issues in the lives...
