The 30th volume of the Student Economic Review (SER) was launched in the Dining Hall on Thursday March 24th, 2016. To mark this landmark event committee members from each of the past twenty-nine years were invited to attend. Over 200 guests were present, including current students who had essays accepted in the Review, plus family, returning alumni and current and retired staff.
Continue reading Publication of 30th Student Economic Review Celebrated with Major Reunion of Alumni
Elaine is a student ambassador in her third year. Here she lets us know about her experience of studying Law at Trinity, one of our Top 10 Courses.
Your name: Elaine
Your year of study: 3rd
Your programme of study / course: Law
What made you decide to study your course at Trinity?
I chose law on a bit of a whim, largely because I was interested in social justice but wasn’t sure if I wanted to do just sociology. I picked Trinity because I knew there was a really strong base of societies and activism I could get involved with. With law, there aren’t that many course hours so you’ve a lot of time to explore other projects, which was important to me. Trinity has such huge breadth of extracurriculars so it was ideal.
What aspect / module of your course have you enjoyed studying the most so far and why?
I think my favourite modules were probably the two Constitutional Law modules and Public Interest Law; they were all fairly similar content-wise, but really allowed you to see Irish society and culture change and how the law has played into that. It’s a very unusual perspective that I don’t think you really get in any other discipline and there was also a lot of space for original research which I really liked.
If you had one piece of advice to any other students about to start your course in Trinity what would it be?
The main thing would be get involved in as much stuff as you can. I’m very much of the opinion that the course you study at undergraduate is only half the learning you do, and to leave Trinity without engaging as much as possible with the societies and clubs is a wasted opportunity. As far as academics goes, don’t worry if the reading seems impossible, it becomes much easier as the year goes on and the lecturers are well aware that everyone is very new to it and that’s reflected in how they mark exams and essays. Ask questions too!
What is your favourite thing about Dublin?
I like how small it is, its cool having a capital city where everywhere you’d want to go is within cycling distance. It also means that you very quickly get to know a lot of people.
What three words would you use to describe Trinity to someone who’s never been here?
Community-based, active, innovative
John, one of our student ambassadors, let’s us know what it’s like to study one of our Top 10 Courses, Computer Science.
Your name: John Murray
Your year of study: 3rd
Your programme of study / course: Management Science and Information Systems studies (School of Computer Science and Statistics)
What made you decide to study your course at Trinity?
Trinity has an amazing reputation for academics and great professors. Also, the students in Trinity are all fantastic people (well the ones I have met thus far anyway!)
What, if anything, was the most challenging thing about moving to Ireland to study?
Leaving my Job, my apartment and my friends.
How did you overcome the challenge?
I just weighed the pros and cons and found greater benefits to be had from studying in Trinity. I also immersed myself in college life, got jobs in and around the college and socialised as much as I could.
What aspect / module of your course have you enjoyed studying the most so far and why?
Everything. It was all a new material for me and I loved every second of it. If I had to pick one thing it would be how helpful and involved the professors were. You weren’t just a student ID or a grade to them. They actually cared how you were getting on and went the extra mile to make sure you achieved your potential. Rozenn Dahoyt, Myra O’ Regan, Aideen Keaney, David Abrahamson, and Arthur Hughes to name but a few who have been amazing throughout my college career.
If you had one piece of advice to any other students about to start your course in Trinity what would it be?
Learn as much as you can and be friendly with your class mates. MSISS is a small course of about 30-35 and we are all incredibly helpful to one-another. Every one of us wants to see the others succeed. Also a general tip, find the Global Room and use it! It is a great hub for info and international events. It is by far the best place on campus (I swear I’m not biased!)
What is your favourite thing about Dublin?
It would have to be that, even though you are in the city centre with everything you could need in walking distance, you can still get peace and quiet in trinity where the sounds of the city are dulled out. It is quite the experience.
What three words would you use to describe Trinity to someone who’s never been here?
Social, Accommodating, Friendly.
Jess is a student ambassador and blog manager in her fourth year. Here she lets us know about her experience of studying English at Trinity, one of our Top 10 Courses.
Your name: Jess Purchon
Your year of study: 4th (final) year
Your programme of study / course: English
What made you decide to study your course at Trinity?
I’ve always loved losing myself in a book, so English was the natural choice when it came to picking a university course. Trinity’s English department is very highly ranked and has a fantastic literary history to draw upon.
What, if anything, was the most challenging thing about moving to Ireland to study?
Because I knew no-one in Ireland (let alone Dublin) when I first moved here I was a little scared about establishing myself. However, the welcoming Freshers atmosphere meant I met loads of people in the first few days and made some great friends.
How did you overcome the challenge?
By getting involved in loads of societies and going to as many events as could I met people who shared my interests. Putting yourself out there really pays off at Trinity as everyone is very welcoming.
What aspect / module of your course have you enjoyed studying the most so far and why?
The overall breadth of my course has been my favourite aspect; however the modules which fascinated me the most have connected literature with its cultural and political context. At the moment I’m studying an author-specific course on George Orwell which I love as I am able to really delve deep into the development of a single author across their body of work.
If you had one piece of advice to any other students about to start your course in Trinity what would it be?
Make sure that you engage in tutorial discussion instead of sitting silent. You have the opportunity to engage in detailed discussions about the course texts and delve deep into potential arguments you may wish to explore in an essay or exam. By not letting your opinions be heard you are wasting a great chance to improve your arguments and develop your perspective.
What is your favourite thing about Dublin?
Dublin is a capital city with the atmosphere of a small town. It has everything you would expect from a capital city (great restaurants, cultural attractions, a fun nightlife) along with some extras you wouldn’t expect (like Phoenix park!)
What three words would you use to describe Trinity to someone who’s never been here?
Progressive, historic, community.
Elli, one of our student ambassadors, let’s us know what it’s like to study one of our Top 10 Courses, PPES.
Your name: Elli Brennan
Your year of study: 2nd year
Your programme of study / course: PPES (Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology)
What made you decide to study your course at Trinity?
I chose PPES because I had taken politics, economics, sociology, and philosophy classes in High school and knew those were subjects I wanted to pursue in the future. PPES was a great opportunity to go in depth into all of them at one of the best universities in the world, without having to fulfil unrelated classes requirements in my first two years like in American colleges. Also the size of the course, only 36 people, was very appealing because you get to know everyone really well and become really close. It was all the benefits of a small liberal arts college within a big university. I became very interested in moving to Ireland and studying at Trinity ever since visiting after sophomore year of High School. I saw college as the only opportunity in life to easily live abroad, and didn’t want to waste that by staying close to home.
What, if anything, was the most challenging thing about moving to Ireland to study?
The hardest part about moving to Ireland for me was getting the courage to go 5,000 miles away from my friends and family to a place where I didn’t know anyone.
How did you overcome the challenge?
Skype, long summer and Christmas holidays, loads of fun things going on in college, and living in Trinity Halls surrounded by lots of very friendly people who are all away from home for the first time too made being far not nearly as scary as it sounds. The time has flown by.
What aspect / module of your course have you enjoyed studying the most so far and why?
So far, my favourite part of my course has been statistics and international relations. These were things I had taken in high school as well, but going more in depth in college and getting a more global perspective has been a great experience and really reinforced the idea that I’m definitely in the right place doing what I love.
If you had one piece of advice to any other students about to start your course in Trinity what would it be?
The most important thing you can do is balance school and fun. Especially in your first year there’s fun things to do every day and night and you’ll want to do it all. You should definitely try new things and meet new people, but make sure you don’t forget you’re also here to study! You don’t want to find that out when you get to finals. That being said you can definitely find a good balance between the two.
What is your favourite thing about Dublin?
I think Dublin is the perfect city. With just over a million people it’s big enough that there’s always something going on, loads of great shops and restaurants, and a great buzz in the city centre, but not too big that you feel overwhelmed. It’s very walkable, but also has safe and reliable public transport. Not to mention it’s stunning with beautiful old buildings, parks, churches and even castles around every corner.
What three words would you use to describe Trinity to someone who’s never been here?
Welcoming, Impressive, Hogwarts!
The World of Trinity 