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I\u2019m writing this letter on a bus back to Limerick. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve taken this journey countless times, travelling through three counties, staring out the window at the passing countryside before getting off at the Stables.<\/span><\/p>\n Passing under the archway into the courtyard will become so familiar to you during these four years in the University of Limerick.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve roamed every single housing estate surrounding UL over the years, attending house parties, visiting friends.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll find that by the time you graduate you\u2019ll know the area of Castletroy like the back of your hand.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope that you\u2019ll have attended International Night on Friday at least once and danced to the iconic playlist of DJ Ber!<\/span><\/p>\n Take the time to get lost in the ground of the University.<\/span><\/p>\n During my time in UL, I\u2019ve found that any time I felt a bit overwhelmed I\u2019ve been soothed by a walk down by the pontoon or the many ruins that stand on the grounds.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope you\u2019ll find peace there too.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Some graduates I\u2019ve spoken to do not miss the structured days of university, prefer to be out in the working world, their days of education now behind them.<\/span><\/p>\n I do understand that, there were many times when I was swamped under a mountain of assignments, daydreaming about the end of university.<\/span><\/p>\n Glaring out the window of the Glucksman Library at the students below, wishing to be out among my fellow students in the open air. <\/span><\/p>\n Four years has flown by in the blink of an eye, I am now in my twenties. <\/span><\/p>\n To you, the young eighteen and nineteen year olds exploring Limerick for the first time, please don\u2019t wish your teenage years away. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019d give a lot to be sitting in a lecture learning as an undergraduate, instead of feeling so uncertain.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I have to say, I feel the transition a lot stronger than I expected. <\/span><\/p>\n No one is prepared for change, no matter how many times you\u2019ve talked yourself through what\u2019s going to happen. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve stepped foot on the campus since my graduation and I already feel very out of the loop. <\/span><\/p>\n I kind of expected that too. <\/span><\/p>\n Things have always moved very fast at the University of Limerick.<\/span><\/p>\n There is always something exciting taking place on campus, so try and keep an out for that.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n When you\u2019re in university, you\u2019re in a little bubble so to speak. <\/span><\/p>\n In UL, I went to my lectures, attended the Filmmaking Society, went out and wrote articles for An Focal, the very newspaper you\u2019re reading right now. <\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019ll end up being deputy editor for the paper, just like I was, way back in 2016. <\/span><\/p>\n I really do encourage you to get in involved with as many projects as you can while you\u2019re a student. <\/span><\/p>\n So many of the friends I have now are the result of shoving myself out of my comfort zone.<\/span><\/p>\n Thank god for that.<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back on it all now, I urge you to be open minded.<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019ll fall in love while attending the University of Limerick.<\/span><\/p>\n Cheesy ain\u2019t it? <\/span><\/p>\n But it happened to me, TWICE. <\/span><\/p>\n I used to see couples coming back to the University to take wedding photographs. <\/span><\/p>\n But don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t either. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not the be all and end all.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Go to Costellos, or the Icon if that\u2019s your sort of thing. <\/span><\/p>\n If you like fast-paced places, maybe Habitat is your destination. <\/span><\/p>\n There really is something for everyone out there. <\/span><\/p>\n Limerick has such a vibrant arts and culture scene, it\u2019s one of the main reasons why I have chosen to spend at least the following year in this city.<\/span><\/p>\n There are so many art galleries.<\/span><\/p>\n Dolans are always host to amazing gigs, why not go see a band you\u2019ve never heard of before? <\/span><\/p>\n Pharmacia is a venue that hosts music nights catering to those with an eclectic music taste. <\/span><\/p>\n You never know what exactly to expect when you go there, that\u2019s the beauty of nights out in Limerick.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n At the start of this year, I felt a little bit of anxiety beginning to overshadow things, I always thought 2018 was so far away but it had somehow crept up on me. <\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve all seen the films of students throwing up their graduation caps in the air. <\/span><\/p>\n Big smiles, nothing but talks of celebration. <\/span><\/p>\n My graduation was a happy occasion.<\/span><\/p>\n It was so lovely to see everyone on campus again, before we are scattered all over the country.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of my former classmates are living on the other side of the world now, can you believe that?<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t even know what I\u2019ll be doing next month, never mind next year.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s what is exciting about life after graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n It is sort of thrilling not having an exact plan for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s what\u2019s ahead of all of you.<\/span><\/p>\n But first, you\u2019ve to attend your lectures, tutorial and labs.<\/span><\/p>\n I know some graduates that never set foot in the library, you\u2019ll be amazed at what your fellow students will get up to during their years of college.<\/span><\/p>\n I do know for a fact that you don\u2019t need to attend all your lectures to get good grades. <\/span><\/p>\n Have fun, for god\u2019s sake.<\/span><\/p>\n I certainly did.<\/span><\/p>\n I have many memories of dragging my hungover self into lectures for nine o\u2019clock lectures.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s all a rite of passage lads.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The University of Limerick will become home.<\/span><\/p>\n You may not believe it now.<\/span><\/p>\n I know some of you must be terrified of what the next four years has to bring.<\/span><\/p>\n Hang in there.<\/span><\/p>\n I was so scared when I first walked on to the campus.<\/span><\/p>\n I remember hiding in my college bedroom, too shy to talk to my housemates. <\/span><\/p>\n Writing this letter now, some of these housemates have now been my good friends for four years, almost half a decade.<\/span><\/p>\n Your time in UL is genuinely what you make of it.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s up to you to decide what way you\u2019d like to spend the next few years.<\/span><\/p>\n No two journeys through college are the same and that\u2019s great.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n If you ever do need someone to ask about UL, don\u2019t hesitate to ask. <\/span><\/p>\n Contact me @eilis_walsh, or check out my blog www.nocatgotmytongue.blogspot.ie or email me eilismwalsh@gmail.com, I\u2019m always up for a chat.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n BEST OF LUCK,<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Eilis<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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