In this Studying at Trinity blog, Tami Adeleke writes a letter to her younger self and offers some advice on what to expect as an undergraduate student.

As I reminisce on the years that have passed in this letter to myself, I hope that you, the reader, can gain some insight on how to make the most out of college no matter what stage you are at.

Dear…

1st year

The year it all began, when you walked onto campus everyday with carpe diem on the brain, a charged laptop in hand and a hop in your step. 

What you did well:

I’d like to applaud you for joining a modest amount of societies, six to be exact. This prepared us for the years to come as I knew which societies I liked and which I could do without. I don’t remember much about first year academically, which must mean something (memory loss or easier classes, take your pick).

What you should do:

I would encourage you to take advantage of “all college has to offer” here’s a few examples and a link to access them Supports & services – Current Students – Trinity College Dublin:

Health: On campus physiotherapists, nurses, GP’s, and psychiatrists for a fee you couldn’t dream of finding elsewhere. 

Finance: Don’t be afraid to use coupons offered by societies, for some reason you felt more strongly about being a good patron of certain restaurants than saving a few bob. There’s also the Buttery, a student budget friendly cafeteria with a casual setting that you should take advantage of..

Careers service: Mentoring, CV clinics, career advice, job opportunities on the MyCareer website, need I say more?

And finally I would whisper one word to my first year self, ‘Schols’ something you were made aware of a bit later than I would’ve liked.

What you shouldn’t do:

Nothing of note for this year if I’m honest. I came, I saw, I conquered.

2nd Year!

In my memory, for a reason I can’t quite put my finger on, this year feels as if it lasted a lifetime.

What you did well:

Bolstered by the previous year’s discoveries, you upgraded from six societies to a whopping fifteen! I don’t regret a thing. For one, you loved seeing the looks on people’s faces when you told them and choosing which events to go to from the weekly emails was fun too.

This was the year you joined our first and only sport, archery, and successfully lived out our Katniss Everdeen fantasy.

You also got a college summer job as a Student Caller, which I highly recommend. And finally, spending as much time as you did, deciding where to go on Erasmus was also worthy of a pat on the back.

What you should do:

I wish we had known people do internships in college, it’s more common in some disciplines than others so some departments may speak to students directly, otherwise it’s up to you to find some (try using MyCareer!).

Internships usually take place over the summer and are a good way to dip your toe into the area you would like to work in and build up your network, so keep an eye out for them!

What you shouldn’t do!

Don’t (and thankfully you didn’t) listen to people who tell you ‘Second year doesn’t count towards your final degree, do whatever, it’s fine!’ Although this is half correct ‘For students on Trinity Joint Honours programmes, the final degree award will be calculated on their final two years’ results – Year 3 be will weighted at 30% and Year 4 will be weighted at 70% of the overall degree award’(Assessment and Progression – Trinity Joint Honours), it’s a good idea to consistently strive for your best and through doing so develop good study and work habits. 

Instead of going from 0 to 100 in terms of effort it’s better to continuously work hard and improve each year so that you can thrive rather than survive in 3rd and 4th year.

3rd Year!

One word, Erasmus. Two more words, Paris, France. I loved our Erasmus experience, truly. 

What you did well:

You told yourself you were there to improve your French and improve it, you did. The second you left your accommodation each morning, not a word of English escaped from your lips. You also continued taking ballet classes which were provided free of charge by our receiving university, Sorbonne Université IV.

What you should do:

Pay special attention to your subject handbook, specifically to the part where it talks about capstone/dissertation and exchanges, you’ll thank me later…

What you shouldn’t do:

Don’t think you’ll have as much time as you do to complete data collection for your capstone project, if anything, trick yourself into thinking you have less time. Apart from that, your year abroad in third year is a time for pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and I think you did that enough to reach the growth zone unscathed.

4th Year!

The year in which I write this, first year seems like a dot on the horizon. I know it was there but I can’t quite make it out, second year lasted ages, third year lasted a lifetime but is somehow already over and now we’re here. Final year, the final sprint. Yay.

What you did well:

Despite the obstacles of out-of-date or non-existent handbooks you managed to pick out classes that you liked to get the credits that you needed. Here’s hoping this will still be the case come second semester.

You joined fewer societies due to the final year workload which was a good call too (check out Trinity societies 101 for Freshers – The Trinity Experience for more information on choosing societies).

What you should do: 

Network, go to career events, get a mentor, think about next steps, huddle up in a ball to cry, prepare to leave the nest that is college, or consider staying in the nest and doing a masters or postgraduate degree. Oh, and remember those Health Services in college? Book yourself an appointment. 

What you shouldn’t do: 

Don’t think it’s too late, no matter how many deadlines and assignments are looming over you. Being behind means being in the running, which means still being in the race, which means still being in with a chance to win (aka finish the academic year strong without having a nervous breakdown!). 

That brings us to the end, I hope you were able to glean some sage advice from my reflections on these past years. No matter where you are on this college journey, remember you’ve come this far, what’s a little bit more?