“You will not be able for it”. “You will be confused”. “You will just drop out”. “You will fail”. “Aim low”. “Do not try to apply for university, it’s not for you”.
This is the advice that a lot of disadvantaged students hear at school. Again and again they are discouraged. They are told not ‘to reach for the stars’, but to just not be a burden to society.
The other day, I was shocked to hear my brother was given the same terrible advice. He asked his career guidance teacher about studying psychology at NUI Maynooth. The guidance counsellor did not see this as an option for him. She just gave him a brochure for Carlow IT and told him to do a PLC course instead.
I also received similar advice at the same school. I was even told that maybe I should not visit UCD, as it would be a waste of my time. Now, in my final year at the same college that I was told was pointless for me to even look at, I am on track for a 1st in politics and a 2: 1 in economics and have an academic award to boot.
I have heard similar stories from people with similar backgrounds. We are discouraged, especially when we need help the most.
Ireland is facing a huge crisis when it comes to inequality. One in five people own 75 per cent of all the wealth in Ireland. If you are born into a lower socioeconomic environment, you are less likely to make it to university.
We should not make this worse by telling our young people, their dreams of being doctors or lawyers are ridiculous.
Some people will not take the advice of their schools but others will.
At this crossroads in his life, my brother does not know which way he supposed to turn. He is worried he will not be able to live on the meagre grant offered by the Government.
He also worries about how he will find affordable accommodation. He knows that it was difficult at times for me even to just find a place to sleep. He also knows that I was at breaking point on several occasions.
No one else in our family has gone to university and at the moment I am unsure of what my future holds.
However I am hopeful, I am glad I have had this opportunity and I hope the government continues to make education somewhat affordable for everyone.
There is more that could be done. The Government should launch partnerships between universities and under-performing schools.
It ought to develop mentoring schemes between young people and third-level institutions.
Most of all, there really needs to be more support in schools telling those about to sit the Leaving Certificate that university is an option for them.
All is not lost if you have not received encouragement in school. There are some steps you can take to reach your goals.
APPLY. Maybe you are not going to get into your top choice but you never know. You might, there is no harm putting Trinity at the top of your CAO. Nothing bad will happen.
HEAR (Higher Education Access Route). Make sure you apply for this along with the CAO. Your points will be boosted, if you come from a disadvantaged school or background. Similarly, there is DEAR (Disability Access Route to Education) for disabled students. Contact accesscollege.ie to learn more.
GOOGLE. And then maybe google again. Look up as many courses as possible, contact the university, talk to current students and see what all your options are.
ASK ADVICE. Want to be lawyer? Contact a lawyer and just ask them how they became a lawyer. There is no harm in it. You might even get experience in their law office, which will look great on your CV.
UNIVERSITY IS NOT SCHOOL. This is my most important advice. When I was at school, I was not a very good student and I often found it very difficult to actually go every day and pay attention. University is not like this because you can choose to study a subject you enjoy.
DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO? Study Arts, you can pick a punch of random courses and make a decision later. Also good if you do not have enough points to get into something like Economics. UCD offers you the ability to apply at the end of first year for the full degree programme.
I know it is not easy to succeed in such a crowded market place, which is full of so many talented and bright people but I believe I can. This year I will graduate, knowing I have worked hard at university and done everything I can to make my CV look good. I have applied for every job and internship that I can find. I will succeed and there is no reason you cannot as well.
