Hundreds of secondary students across the Midlands and Midwest visited the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) this week to get a taste of third level as part of College Awareness Week.
The event, which runs annually, is designed to help students learn about the experiences they could have at university and the subjects they may want to study.
While all students can benefit from the week, College Awareness Week is particularly important for those who may not previously have considered third-level education or who may not know many people who have been to university.
Fifth-and sixth-year students from Tullamore College, Offaly; Coláiste Chiaráin, Roscommon; St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge, Westmeath; Mercy Ballymahon, Longford, and Portumna Community College, Galway, enjoyed a wide-range of fun, interactive activities at TUS Midlands designed to pique their interest in the subject areas of their choice and also got a chance to explore the university’s state-of-the-art academic and sporting facilities.
Interactive workshops included a demo of a Meta Quest VR headset, green screens and branding for those interested in studying digital marketing, while those interested in engineering got to see robotics and automation in action.
Elsewhere, future nursing students attended a cannulation demo in the university’s Nightingale training ward, while other students headed up to the campus’s kitchen training facilities to learn about food sustainability and pastry-making.
Throughout the week, TUS Midlands also visited schools and attended an array of career expos in the wider region.
TUS Student Recruitment Officer Claire Connor called the week “a resounding success”.
“College Awareness Week is a crucial time for second-level students to explore their educational possibilities and has the potential to be truly transformative; it can open the door to higher education and help students envision a future they might never have considered before,” she explained.
“Through interactive workshops and demos, we showcased the diverse opportunities awaiting future students who choose to study at TUS and reinforced the belief that higher education should be easily accessible to all.”
Over the last number of years, TUS Midwest has developed a College Awareness Week programme that involves attendance at an extensive number of student career fairs and exhibitions, continuous school visits in the regions and on-campus events that introduce fifth and sixth-year students to student life and learning.
A wide number of guidance counsellor and student expos were attended this week from Kilkenny to Kerry, Limerick to Laois and Clare to Tipperary.
With the support of faculty, staff school visits were organised for more than 20 schools in the region.
TUS School Liaison Officer Ann McBride explained that engaging directly with students and meeting them face to face has proven to be one of the most effective ways to ensure students have a clear idea of what TUS has to offer and to help them find the best fit for each individual.
“Over the years, College Awareness Week has grown to become a focal point for students investigating higher education options and for the career guidance counsellors who support them.
“Similar to the cross university third-level open days in Limerick, the students and their families have a clear purpose this week, to find out as much information as possible about courses and programmes that might best suit them after school.
“Our job is to ensure they are well informed with the correct information whether they travel to us with questions or we travel to meet them at expos or in their schools,” she said.
On Friday, students from Tipperary will visit the Thurles Campus in Tipperary and hundreds more will come to Moylish for specialised sports workshops, while in the Midlands more school visits will be taking place.