Third Level Education and CF
I really enjoyed my college experience, although I still had those nerves of moving away and going somewhere new. I started college in September of 2020, with my entire first year experience existing through a little computer screen. At times, I felt this made my transition a little more difficult in terms of making new friends, getting settled in and gaining some independence by moving away from home, which I didn’t get to do until my second year. However, we made it work. We were there for every class.
All of us students had zoom meetings after class, had presentation nights, Netflix parties, and some of the best chats. We knew to get to know each other because we were aware that everyone was in the same boat. We were in a new place, didn’t know anyone and wanted to make the most of the college life in any way we could.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being away from home, figuring things out and being responsible for myself and learning how to live in a city. And now that I’ve finished college, looking back, if I had to give myself any advice, I would want to tell myself the following tips;
Engage with Support Services
If you have gotten into college through DARE, make an appointment to visit the DARE office within your college and discuss your needs. The disability access offices are a wonderful support system, but as a student, you need to engage with them in order to avail fully of all their supports. So don’t be shy, they want to help to make college experience easier for you!
Figure out your time table
Figure out your time table. From this, you could speak to your CF Centre with regards to arranging clinic dates that would suit you as much as possible. By doing this, you can avoid them clashing with exam season or around the times you know you may have multiple assignments due.
Be organised. Get up early enough to ensure you get your treatments done, have a good breakfast and have a route to college already figured out in your head, which can often be weather dependent. Eg, you may love walking to college, however if it’s raining you may need to take a bus or some other form of public transport. (A good raincoat and/or a comfy warm coat is a must. Have that stylish one packed and ready to throw on). Pack your bag for the college day ahead of time, lunch prepped, or even prepared some overnight oats the previous night to give myself that extra few minutes of sleep.
Take care of yourself. In all aspects, physically and mentally. Always try to eat well. Go home from your night out or from your late night study session in the library to get your good nights sleep. Try not to allow yourself to stress too much with your workload. Maybe allow yourself to get ahead of the game. If you know you have an assignment due in a month, make a start on it. Take ten minutes out of the day and take away the potential stress you could have the day before it’s due. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your fellow students or tutors!
Don’t Panic if You Miss a Day
If you are unwell and need to take a day off, don’t panic! You will catch up. That’s one or two days you’ve missed out of your entire four or more years at college. And if you are a DARE student, your college will possibly have the service where someone may come in and take notes for you, or you can receive assignment extensions.
Most importantly, enjoy your time in college. Whilst remembering to work hard to get to the end of your course and earn your degree, make sure to meet new people and make friends, have the nights out, join clubs and societies and make the most of this time in your life. It will fly by. It definitely has for me!
