Join UCC Peer Support!
By Opinion Editor Baneen Talpur
When I first started college, I was very overwhelmed by this whole new world. Everything was bigger, classrooms were now lecture halls, there was an endless swarm of people everywhere and I didn’t know where I fit. Getting into UCC was a miracle. I remember getting my Leaving Cert results and looking at other options, feeling like UCC was now out of my reach, but fate decided that I did deserve to be here, securing my place in my course by only 2 points.
I chose to study Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), hoping to choose the science education option and become a teacher. Emphasis on the Biological. When I walked into my first lecture, my lecturer was talking about the Earth, its core, and Earthquakes, I felt more out of place than ever. All my peers were listening eagerly, hanging onto the lecturer’s every word, taking notes, and paying attention. I thought I chose the wrong course. I did not want to learn about rocks at all, I wanted to learn about plants and animals, DNA, the cell, hardcore biology. I felt very out of place.
I remember running to email my peer support leader after she gave us a campus tour, showing us the trek that is the walk to BEES campus and her telling us that she would be there if we needed anything. I told her my dilemma, that I do not like my course and wanted to switch. She advised me to try going to different lectures, referred me to the admissions office and guided me every step of the way. As I experimented by trying politics and English lectures (as you can see, I love to write), those fields did not necessarily suit me either. The English was too old and the politics, while interesting, I could not tell what the future would hold for me if I took it. I contemplated dropping out, nothing suited me here. On the day of the deadline to switch courses, I made the final decision to stay in BEES, lectures were getting more interesting, and I was making some incredible friends. Since then, I have never looked back. I have even taken a liking for rocks. My first year in BEES, ended up being one of my best experiences. It allowed me to look at our world in a whole new way and to truly marvel at how our planet functions.
Had it not been for my peer support leader, I probably would have chosen the wrong course or dropped out of college. The leaving cert caused me immense stress and going back to repeat was simply not an option. I am indebted for the programme so in my final year, I decided to give back by becoming a peer support leader. I gave campus tours, I have made great friends from the programme and act as a source of information for my group, as well as a familiar face. I also got to interact with mature students through the programme, something which was new to me as there are very few opportunities for younger and mature students to meet and interact with each other. These people have been great to be around with me, gaining a new perspective on university life from them. Peer support has been a very rewarding experience and I have learned so much about UCC from the programme.
I would highly recommend taking part in the programme. Since peer support is currently recruiting, I sat down with fellow peer support leaders who I become friends with through the peer support programme: our own arts and lit editor, Luca Cavallo, World languages student Sadbh Dee, and Dentistry student Asma Zulfiqar, to discuss their experience as peer support leaders.
Where did you first hear about peer support?
Asma: I first heard of it through the university email in 1st year, when they were recruiting PEER Support leaders.
Luca: I first heard about Peer Support through a friend when she told us she couldn't hang out with us one day because she was doing a Training Day. I was intrigued, and asked her all about what Peer Support involved (she was mostly interested in talking to good looking boys at the training days, but that's not important right now I'm sure)
Sadbh: I heard about it through my student email.
Why did you join the peer support programme?
Asma: I joined the programme for the leadership experience. As well as that I joined because I felt the absence of support systems in my own first year, so I wanted to become the PEER support leader that I didn’t have but would’ve benefited from.
Sadbh: I didn't have a peer support leader and wanted to give some of the guidance and help I never got. Also, it leads to amazing paid jobs within UCC, that's why I joined.
What kind of things have you done as part of the programme?
Asma: As part of the program I have led orientation tours, sent monthly emails to my student group, and also taken part in development group sessions for the PEER leaders.
Luca: I have Delivered tours to first years and international students which has really developed my intrapersonal skills. I also got involved in the Le Cheile programme, which was an excellent resource for learning about things like active listening and Bystander Intervention. Peer Support (and Le Cheile) have been really helpful for me to understand how to talk with people about anything, be it simple mundane icebreakers to tougher topics like mental wellbeing or social anxiety. It has really helped me to get out of my shell.
Sadbh: I have sent emails, worked at UCC open days, I’ve ran around the campus like a mad man trying to help a student find his module codes and make his timetable, I also had to work a stand outside Boole with my girl. (It’s me, I am that girl, her girl, if you will)
What have you learned about yourself from engaging with the programme?
Asma: I have learnt that I quite enjoy giving tours and passing on my knowledge and experience to others. I have learnt that I have come a long way from 1st year to now.
Luca: I have learned that I am a good listener. I welcome the responsibility I have to keep my group of First Years in the loop, checking in on them every month. I've juggled the idea of a career in teaching for some time, but Peer Support has helped me to gain confidence about this career path.
Sadbh: I learned how much I liked being in a position of power! Just kidding… I learned how much I loved helping people and how to deal with issues in a professional manner and how to be flexible with my time management.
What is the best/worst part of being a peer support leader?
Asma: The best part is the people you get to meet that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet otherwise. I have made some wonderful connections through the programme that I will keep going into the future. The worst part is that it isn’t very interactive and engaging once the tours are over. It feels like a remote job you do for free and with the monthly emails being repetitive, it can get boring. I suppose that all depends on the student group you are assigned, but from hearing other PEER support leader’s experience, most 1st years don’t engage with you as much nor do they show gratitude for the time you volunteer towards them.
Luca: The best part about being a peer support leader is that you can put your own problems aside for a moment at a time and help someone else. I find this really good for your mental health and self-confidence.
The worst part is that I got a t-shirt that really suited me, but I can't wear it again without looking like a dork
Sadbh: The best part of being a support leader is the amount of friends you make... I can't walk on to UCC campus without saying hi to 50 people, and meeting new people you normally wouldn't meet in your course. The worst part is forgetting to go to meetings every month.
Would you recommend becoming a peer support leader?
Asma: Definitely would recommend. Especially as a dental student it allows you to leave your bubble to meet new people. Also, for people that are shy/reserved this provides you with a wonderful opportunity to get out of your shell and expand your comfort-zone.
Luca: I would definitely recommend becoming a peer support leader. It is great on the CV, no matter how much effort you put into it!
Sadbh: I 100000000% would recommend I have never had so much fun and opportunity as I have had with peer support.
UCC Peer Support is really a worthwhile programme and the feeling you get volunteering in supporting new UCC entrants is a great one. It looks fantastic on a CV and shows recruiters you are willing to engage with people and volunteer to help others.
Peer Support are currently recruiting for 2024/2025 with the deadline being midnight, Wednesday, February 21. The application form can be found here.
