Geraldine McKenna

Geraldine McKenna, Final Year Student at NUI Maynooth, discusses the Maynooth Access Programme and her time at university.
Hi, my name is Geraldine and Im just after completing a three year degree course in English and Geography.

For me the Access Programme was a chance for me to get financial aid and also emotional support; every type of support there for me. Its a place that if you have any issues at all, even if its not directly involved with the Access Office, you can still go in and have a chat with them about it and theyll give out the appropriate advice to you for it. Its a place that you can just go in and have a chat with any of the staff that are there; theyre all very, very friendly, and very open to seeing you.

Just before I came to College I participated in an orientation day in which all of the Access students came to Maynooth for a day. We did lots of activities throughout our time here. They showed us different lectures, different activities that we would be doing while at our College. It was brilliant because it gave us a chance to actually make new friends before the hundreds of students came in on the first day. So I made loads of friends on that day that we kept in contact with so on the first week of actual College, I had friends made already so it made it much, much easier.

While I was here at College it wasnt just academic life I participated in, I had many hobbies and clubs and societies here also. I did kick boxing club for three years and I also did debating society. In the literary and debating society not only did we actually debate, we produced a literary magazine that I actually co-wrote in the final year. It was kind of tough doing that in the final year as well but it was good, it was very, very good. You make an awful lot of friends by joining the clubs and societies while youre here.

I definitely recommend Maynooth to other students. It is a College that isnt too big and its not too small. It is the perfect size to actually get to know an awful lot of people and you will see them throughout your day; youll actually begin to recognise people in your lectures, even though theres like 300 people in your lectures. You will see them throughout the College. It is so close to the village as well and there is a bit of a social aspect to it. As well you get to know more people and there is very much an open door policy with many of the departments. If you have any issues academically you can go and talk to them about it.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Access
• Geraldine
• Maynooth
• McKenna
• NUIM
• Programme