![\"ULSU](\"http:\/\/www.anfocal.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/ULSU-Academic-Officer1.jpg\")
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By Marian O\u2019Donnell<\/p>\n
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Hello everyone and welcome to UL, if you\u2019re in first year, and welcome back if you\u2019re returning for what promises to be another fantastic year! To our fresher\u2019s, you are about to start a life changing experience and to our fourth years, this is your final year so make it count!<\/p>\n
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My Name is Marian O\u2019Donnell and I\u2019m your VP Academic Officer. My role is to advise, assist and represent students on all academic issues. My door is always open so if you just have a question, want to double check something or you have a more serious problem such as issues with lecturers or tutors, exams, repeats, course work, modules or you want to change course – there is no such thing as a stupid question, call in and ask! I know that it\u2019s only the start of the year and we shouldn\u2019t be talking about problems yet but that\u2019s what I\u2019m here for, to ensure that your journey through this year is as smooth as possible. There is no question to big or small so call in at any time and ask me anything.<\/p>\n
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As part of my role I also work with Liz (our Democracy and Development manager) to develop and facilitate Class Reps and Student Council. They are our eyes and ears on the ground and are an essential part of the work we do here in the Union. SO if you are interested in being a class rep make sure that you pick up a form and get involved, whether you\u2019re in first year or fourth year.<\/p>\n
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Everyone who attends UL has one thing in common: you are all here to get a degree. Over the next year you will stumble across some books, write thousands of words, stray into the library and hopefully be a little bit wiser.<\/p>\n
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Make the most out of your year so you can look back in a few years time and start every sentence with \u201cRemember that time we\u2026\u201d Try everything, do everything, and experience all UL has to offer such as Clubs and Societies, Class Reps, the President\u2019s Volunteer Award, the list is endless!<\/p>\n
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Don\u2019t cut corners. Procrastination will be your constant companion for the next year, that and the constant battle between a glorious sleep in and a 9am lecture.\u00a0 You will skip lectures, miss tutorials and hand up essays late. You will struggle to balance the social life with the academic life, unless you\u2019re some kind of super-human \u2013 Go you! But for the rest of us mere mortals, it\u2019s OK to slip up now and then, but at the end of the day don\u2019t forget that you are in UL to get an education, to learn, to become infinitely or marginally wiser!<\/p>\n
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