The First Day
By Claire Watson
The Express team reminisce on their first days at UCC, and how they overcame their fears.
It’s daunting. The entirety of your education has led you to this. Everyone tells you that these years are the most important years of your life. There’s so much pressure to have a good time, get good grades, and not have a breakdown weekly, that college becomes some juggling act. Everyone goes through their first year differently, so I decided to reach out to members of the Express, and get an idea of what their first days at UCC were like.
“I remember the anticipation,” says Atakan, our Deputy News Editor. “After being diagnosed with Addison’s Disease in 2017, the reality of going directly onto third level education seemed impossible. Walking into the classroom, the amount of people was overwhelming. I started to question whether I was making the right decision by embarking on this third level journey. At that moment, I was ready to walk away and avoid facing my fears. But I stayed and I refused to quit; I survived my worst day in college. My advice to the incoming first years is to take it one day at a one time. My first day was my worst day in college. Every day after that was better.”
Béline, our Opinions Editor, says “I remember how lively and the atmosphere was, watching all the students signing up for activities, queuing for freebies and heading to lectures. There was so much excitement as I was attending my classes for the first time. From getting lost on campus in the mirror-like building of the ORB, meeting new people, and the beginning of my studies, all of these memories contribute to a whirlwind of a first day.”
She adds, “I hope all the new students get the chance to make great memories from their first day and that many great opportunities come their way!”
Gaming Editor Luke describes his first day as being “pretty surreal.” He says, “My first day at UCC wasn’t actually at UCC; it was 2020, so I spent it watching an online lecture at my house with a friend who was doing the same course. I don’t think I set foot on campus after collecting my ID card. A year later, I ended up dropping out and switching courses. But we celebrated our first day ‘at’ college with a glass of whiskey afterwards.”
I was in the same boat as Luke. My first day of college was a blur in a whirlwind of days spent staring at a laptop screen. Panopto crashed my very first day, and there was nothing I could do. All my life, I had dreamt of college, and here I was stuck at home and feeling bitter.
Despite that, I was lucky to have met some other students online. At the end of semester one, we met in person for the first time, and we’ve all been best friends ever since. I couldn’t prepare for this disastrous first year, but I made it through, and that’s what counts.
At the end of the day, it’s not about grades, or about getting as plastered as you can possibly get, or about being the most loved person on campus. If you’re a first year, then just getting here is an incredible feat, and you should be proud of yourself. Look after yourself, and that way you can truly enjoy college, for all its ups and downs.