Articles for students and families transitioning into higher education.
Adam Greenan By Adam Greenan
2nd Year in Media Production, Coláiste Dhúlaigh
Whenever I enter a new chapter in life, it becomes quite difficult for me to get to know people I have never spoken with before. This has happened before whenever I transition from primary to secondary school, as well as joining new clubs. I feel this is because there is not a lot of time to communicate with others. For example, I only had a ten-minute break and one hour of lunch during my time in secondary school. I also feel that it is harder to find out the people you tend to fit in with most, as there were five class groups for each year, with around thirty students in each group.
When I first started college, I was not sure if I would be able to make new friends quickly enough. Fortunately, I pretty much got to meet all my classmates throughout the first week of college. Not only that, but one of my classmates is also part of a club I am in. I think it is much easier to get to communicate with them as they are studying the same thing as me and I feel they have similar interests too. I also have much more time to communicate with them than in school, as we tend to get breaks in between modules, as well as a one-hour lunch break. We sometimes get to communicate during class if we want.
I would advise first year students to get to know their classmates as soon as possible. It benefited my social life, as I tend to get along with them really well. I got to hang out in town with them a few times outside of college, and I have experienced nights out in pubs for the first time. I also tend to have good fun with them.
