By Aileen O’Leary
Hi, I’m Aileen, I’m a fourth year here in NUI Galway and these are my final year diaries.
I’m not a big fan of formal introductions so in the spirit of fresher’s here are a few facts about me:
- I’m 20.
- I’m a Scorpio.
- I spent last year working as a communications intern for Cycling Ireland.
- I’m a dog person.
- I love binge watching bad reality shows.
- I love food, my favourite spots in Galway are Biteclub, Dough Bros, and Tribeton.
- I’m obsessed with Polaroids; I bring my camera everywhere with me.
- My playlist can include anything from Sinatra to Kanye to Oasis and more.
- I’m not a morning person.
- I watch way too many crime series on Netflix.
Now that we’ve gotten to know each other a little better, welcome to the first (of many) final year diaries! Throughout this year I will be documenting my experience of final year here in NUI Galway. Written from my perspective, in every issue of SIN I will be filling you in on all the highs and lows of college life. I’ll also be talking about life after graduating and looking into what options are available to you once you leave these hallowed halls. I will be giving you a heads up about events like career days, how to get help with your C.V., interview preparation, and other services that are on campus.
I’ll also be looking back at my time in NUI Galway and what would I tell myself as a fresher; any advice I have I will give you. Any final years out there consider these diaries a sure sign that we’re all in the same boat. These diaries will be candid.
For my fellow final years these next few months will be tough, in the space of a year you will be facing final year projects, some of you will be applying for Masters, others will be applying for jobs, and some will be getting visas to go abroad. There will also be the bitter sweet moment when you’ve finished your exams but also finished your days as a student.
So grab some tissues, brace yourself, because this is it, this is the final countdown. A year from now we will all be graduating, and we all know that what you do in final year has a huge role to play in your overall degree. So enjoy it but don’t forget why you’re here.
College flies by and won’t slow down for anyone so a bit of advice from a final year, try to show up to as much as you can but don’t beat yourself up if you miss a lecture or a tutorial here and there. Whatever you do, don’t use sitting at home watching Tipping Point as an excuse for why you weren’t in college, try to show up.
That’s it for this week but check back for our next final year diaries entry. Enjoy fresher’s and let us know what your thoughts on final year are, you can tweet us at @NuigSin.