School pupils get a taste of college life

THE University of Limerick (UL) is embarking on a new initiative in Irish education with a one-week summer programme designed to give secondary school students a unique insight into life in college.

Most colleges operate open days for secondary schools but the UL move will enable students to totally immerse themselves in campus routine for a week.

The Introduction to University Programme (IUP) will be open to third, fourth and fifth-year secondary students and is designed to help them decide between the often-bewildering range of career and third-level course options and at the same time gain first-hand experience of university life.

The IUP is set up as a week of interactive learning which allows the student gain practical experience of different career options available in college.

The only programme of its kind in the country, IUP encourages students to gain an understanding of key third-level disciplines and to become better equipped to take the important career decisions they face.

IUP administrator Bernie Fitzgerald said: “There has been some tendency for students to choose their third-level options on the basis of the number of points they expect to achieve in the Leaving Certificate, rather than on their particular aptitudes and interests.

“The summer course is a valuable experience to successful studying at a university and addresses the difficulties associated with the transition from second to third-level education.”

She said many young people were unprepared for, and unaware of, the implications of choosing a particular course of study.

“The result is that a considerable number of students discover that they are not suited to, or interested in, the course that have embarked on.”

At the IUP, students experience all aspects of third-level life.

As well as looking at academic areas, the programme also links the students to the social and cultural aspects of a university and also includes discussion sessions with current students

Two one-week IUP programmes are being offered, from June 12 to 16 and June 19 to 23.

A maximum of 150 students are enrolled in each programme. It costs €350 for a residential student and €220 for a non-residential student.