As I have survived the second week of college fairly successfully, apart from the usual fatigue incurred by lack of sleep - it was freshers week after all - I'm thinking I might just stick this out.

Now I am preparing myself for the start of the serious schedule, full days of lectures, tutorials and - if I have a spare ounce of energy left - the clubs and soc's.

For the first few days, we mainly had introductory classes for the different subjects. Then we began to revise chemistry, physics, applied maths, graphics and computing. Everything seems vaguely familiar, but I wouldn't even look at a Leaving Cert paper now, never mind attempt one. The ability my brain has to forget material I studied for two years in just three months is quite scary.

I won't even try to explain what we are studying now because I know that everyone is sussed on kinematics of motion, vectors, functions and matrices. It really is just old hat (like, I so don't think so). But totally seriously, am I glad I did chemistry and physics for the Leaving - even the technical graphics I studied for the Junior Cert are proving very useful. The recipe for success is: go to the lectures and you're half way there - or so I've heard through the ivy vines.

Leaving the academic aspect aside and focusing on the real reason you come to college - the social scene. It is just so easy-going. Evenings are spent getting to know my fellow students as we congregate around campus, checking out the various street entertainers, bands and DJs that the students union organised for freshers week.

The mix of people is fantastic. With people from all over the country, the range of accents is unreal, though the Castlebar voice seems to be in the majority. We have a theory that they multiply in the heat - every day there appears to be more.

With so many people here, it's a nice surprise to meet someone who you knew from a few years ago, but lost contact with. During the first week finding anybody you knew in the crowd was like mission impossible. Fortunately, after some necessary party attendances, we are getting to know people from all the different faculties - the relief of familiar faces. Now of course you would not attend these parties every night; to do so three or four nights out of the five will suffice.

Last Tuesday was clubs and societies day and I showed great restraint in only joining the athletics club - as the cross-country season is approaching fast - the kayaking club - because it's so much fun - the Gaelic team and cumann na craic, so I don't loose my cupla focal. With so many appealing clubs I had to put on my mental blinkers and go straight to the few I know I really will attend. Although I nearly had a weak moment and joined the mountaineering, scuba diving, judo, hockey and swimming clubs, thankfully I remembered that I had will power and that there are only 24 hours in a day.

With so much to see and do fitting in time for beauty sleep is proving difficult, but hey, you only have freshers' week once.