As I walked through the front Arch of Trinity College in September 2011 I will admit I was very nervous. It was the beginning of another long journey in which I had spent the past three years preparing for. I had always wanted to read History, especially at Trinity. However my life circumstances did not allow for me to go to university at 18. Instead I emigrated and worked successfully in publishing abroad for almost 12 years. My journey towards my degree began three years before I entered Trinity. I decided I would need the appropriate skills in I.T and applied for a distance learning course which ran for two years. The great opportunity here was that I was able to work my study time around the care of my young son. From here I then entered full time education the year before coming to University at Drogheda Institute of Further Education. It was during this year that I applied to Trinity for my degree. Suffice to say I was overwhelmed when I got my offer in 2011.
What was unique from the day I started at Trinity was the amount of support that was offered to mature students. We had our very own orientation programme and were brought to lunch in order for us to meet some of the other people on our degree. Many of the people I met that day are the friends I meet now for coffee and a chat throughout the year on campus. During first term especially the first 6 weeks I found there was a lot to take in. Not only are you constantly meeting new people and making new friends but you have to get to grips with how everything works pretty quickly. It was because of this I became involved in Student2Student which is one of the many societies Trinity has to offer. Student2Student is a society on campus which is student lead but affiliated to the Senior Tutors office and Student Counselling Services. They run our university Peer Mentoring and Peer Support Programme. In fact our 2013 Student Union Welfare officer Stephen Garry, is the former president of Student2Student 2012.
What was unique from the day I started at Trinity was the amount of support that was offered to mature students
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I became a Peer Mentor in March of 2012 and after receiving my training spent 2012/2013 as the Peer Mentor for Single Hons History in my second year. This really was a great way to get involved in College and help others who like me were nervous starting off in their first term. I was elected PRO for the society and Head Mentor for mature students 2013/2014 which I am really looking forward to. What’s really great about S2S, from a mature student’s point of view is that the moment you enter College this September you will have a peer mentor for the whole of your first year at Uni. The mature student peer mentors have been through the first year process and have a great deal of knowledge of how everything works a University which will help everyone to get off to a flying start. This year’s mature student first year initiative is already kicked off and a whole series of events are being arranged to give everyone the opportunity to get to know each other from day one.
It’s like anything new it takes a bit of time to get your rhythm but after a short while everything falls into place
Studying for a degree as a mature student takes a good deal of commitment. There are a number of concerns that life is going to throw at you. However from day one, I have found the university, my department (History) and especially my tutor to be very helpful and supportive. I found that being organised, flexible but also planning as much as I could in advance really helped me through my first year. To be fair it’s like anything new it takes a bit of time to get your rhythm but after a short while everything falls into place. Self-motivation is another attribute you will come to master after a couple of weeks, as much of the work we do at university is independent learning. In my case, I realised I needed to put at least six hours a day studying together in order to achieve my goals.
I’m entering my third year in September 2013 and although the last two years have been a challenge. I can safely say it has been one of the most satisfying things I have done with my life…so far!
