Your upcoming transition away from secondary school will bring with it a whole glossary of new terms, phrases and acronyms that you will need to become familiar with. These can often be intimidating or confusing for students, so why not take a little time beforehand to get to know the new terminology in order to help you settle in.
Firstly, if you intend starting a Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course, an Apprenticeship or a Traineeship, then you will be entering Further Education & Training (FET). These courses are mostly run by your local Education and Training Boards (ETBs).
On the other hand, if you are looking to begin a course you have applied for through the Central Applications Office (CAO) or the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) to an Institute of Technology (IOT), College or University, then you will be entering Higher Education.
The level of your course will fall somewhere on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) between Level 5 and Level 8. Depending on your chosen course, you may be recognised as a PLC student, an Apprentice, a Trainee, an Undergrad (someone yet to graduate), a Fresher (1st year college student) or perhaps a Mature Student (over 23 years old).
Some of the more common terms that you have been used to in secondary school will change. The college building is known as the Campus. Terms will become referred to as Semesters and subjects will become known as Modules. Your classes can take the form of Lectures (where everyone on your course is in attendance), Tutorials (Smaller groups to discuss lectures/coursework) or, depending on your course, Practicals (e.g. Lab or workshop classes).
The modules that you will HAVE to do are known as Mandatory while you may also have a choice of modules, these are known as Electives. You will often still be required to sit exams at the end of a module, but these may only form a smaller part of your overall grade. The remainder of your marks are often made up of Continuous Assessment (CA) or Practicals. All of your assignments must be your own work. Colleges take this very seriously and even have specialist software designed to scan for copied work or Plagiarism.
Your Higher education course could be a Level 6 Higher Certificate which is two years of full time study, a Level 7 Ordinary Degree which is typically three years of full time study or a Level 8 Honours Degree which mostly takes the form of four years full time study, however, some Level 8s can be completed in three years.
Maybe you have opted for a Common Entry or Undenominated course that allows you to explore different areas of a discipline before committing to a specific area (e.g. Engineering. Alternatively, you may know exactly the pathway you wish to take so you have chosen a Denominated or Ab-Initio option.
Taking part in an Orientation Week is an excellent way to find your way around and get to know your new surroundings. Some of the key places and offices you should get to know quickly include the Library (Where you can work on and get all the information needed for assignments), the Student’s Union (A place devoted to students, to chill out in or seek help) and Admissions (The office responsible for new entrants onto courses).