Guide to: Choosing the right course

                                   

GUIDE TO: CHOOSING THE RIGHT COURSE:

CAO:

• The Central Applications Office is a government run facility that is the bridge between secondary school and college. 
• Applications open in November and there are several opportunities to make an application and amend it. 
• Students place their course choices in order of preference, split into level 7 and level 8 courses.
• In August then, a week after the Leaving Certificate results are released, the CAO begin making offers to students based on their preference.
•  

Choosing the right course:

• The most important tip is research.
• Websites such as; www.qualifax.ie, www.careersportal.ie are useful for searching, and looking into courses.  
  

  Courses at IT Carlow:

• IT Carlow has a huge variety of courses. 
• They have sports courses, media courses, science, social care, engineering.
• The college also run some niche courses such as Aerospace Engineering and Distillery courses.
• A list can be found at: https://www.itcarlow.ie/courses.htm

Guide to: College Campus

                                        

Guide to: College Campus

Facilities:  

• IT Carlow contains some state-of-the art facilities. This includes a gym, a high performance gym, a three story library, student union, TV and Radio studio, Mac Media labs to name a few. 
• The college itself is bright, spacious and modern. It includes two shops, a bank, two Starbucks coffee stalls. 
• There is a list of facilities at: https://www.itcarlow.ie/student-life/life-at-itcarlow/campus-facilities.htm 

Parking:

• To park you need a permit that can be purchased at the beginning of the year. This will be well advertised.  
• Make sure to purchase a permit if you plan on parking as the college car park attendants are very strict.
• Also, the car park fills up very quickly so make sure to get to college early.

Fees:

• All students are required to pay the €3,000 fee for each year you attend college.
• The only exemption from this is if you recieve a grant, which is outlined in the blog post previous to this.
• More information at https://www.itcarlow.ie/study/admissionssupport/registration-details.htm#fees 

Guide to: Financial Assistance

 
                                        

GUIDE TO: FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

SUSI:

• One of the most popular forms of financial assistance available in Ireland is the government funded SUSI grants.
• There are many factors involved in determining your eligibility for the grant. This mainly involves your combined income from parents and other members of your household.
• Other factors include location, age, previous education etc.
• Keep an eye on the SUSI website throughout the year for the opening date for applications.
• www.susi.ie  

College Assistance Fund:

• Assistance Fund is a means tested fund and is intended to assist full time students who are finding it difficult to meet college expenses as a result of ongoing low income. 
• The Fund provides financial support to students who are in significant financial difficulty and whose participation in college would be at risk without financial support. 
• The purpose of the Fund is to assist by making a contribution to students in meeting some of the day-to-day costs incurred by being in college.
• More information at https://www.itcarlow.ie/student-life/student-services/access-itcarlow/financial-supports.htm 

Loans:

• Students can also avail of loans from their local Credit Unions or banks, to pay fees or rent etc.
• In order to get these loans you must save regularily into your account, provide proof of income and also have a guarantor.
• More information is available on www.creditunion.ie

Guide to: Maintaining Housing

 

 It is important to maintain and keep your student accommodation as safe as possible. 

 This will keep your housemates and your landlord happy, and yourself! Here are some tips:

 

 Cleanliness:

• Organize some sort of system - disperse jobs to each housemate, such as one person washing the dishes, one cleans the bathroom etc
• Keeping the house clean will keep yourself, your housemates and the landlord happy.
• It is important to keep on top of things, as if you slip and don't tidy up after yourself, the house will only get worse.

 Safety:

•  Make sure and keep all doors and windows closed and locked at all times, even when you're there, as attempt thieves would even chance a robbery when you're there!
• Lock individual doors to bedrooms, as it could be a busy house and you may not know who is in the house and who is not.
• On nights out and in particular after parties, make sure all valuables are locked away and make sure bedroom doors are locked.

 Landlords:  

• It is important to keep the house clean and tidy in order not to annoy the landlord. 
• You should also be aware of the rules and regulations surrounding your rights, and your landlords rights. I've included a link to these rights below:

 https://www.her.ie/life/rights-tenant-know-moving-new-place-366578

Guide to: Nightlife

Be aware of your surroundings. 

Make a note of the exits, the cloakroom and the bathrooms for when you get into the pub or club. 

Organise a meeting place.

Make sure and keep all your friends numbers handy, while deciding where to meet at the end of the night.

Have emergency money.

Make sure not to spend all your money foolishly, making sure to keep money aside for the taxi home. Preferably do not bring out your card!

Pace yourself.

Don't get too drunk too quickly

• Have emergency money. ...
• Pace yourself 
• Don't abandon your friends
• Set up MyTaxi. ...
• Never walk home alone

Guide to: Budgeting

For most college students, they will either work a part-time weekend job, or receive the SUSI grant (or maybe both). College is all about balance, and money is no exception. Here are my top tips for budgeting throughout the college year:

1. Pay-day:

Getting a large sum of money in your account, either from the grant or your wages, can entice you to spend it all on shopping or a night out etc.

It is vital that you immediately budget your money and decide how much you will spend weekly on shopping, college expenses, rent, loans etc.

Mint.com is an online money management tool that can be used to disperse your income throughout the month, and allows you to separate your money into different categories.

www.mint.com

2. Save

Throughout the year, various expenses will pop up unexpectedly. It is important to always anticipate this.

Guide to: Clubs & Societies

 

 Guide to: Clubs & Societies:

Where to find them:

• In IT Carlow, there is an extensive amount of clubs and societies to join.
• The Clubs & Societies  open day is usually held at the beginning of the academic year, but you are allowed to join at anytime throughout the year, although it is probably best to join at the beginning to that you maximize your experience.

List of Clubs & Societies:

• African and Carribean	Law Society
  Alpha Society	Labour Party
  Amnesty International	Mature Student Soc
  Anime Manga	Musical Society
  Board Game Soc	Music/Band Society
  Chinese Society	PALS
  Christain Union	Photography Soc
  Cultural Shake-up	Pool Society
  DJ Society	Rover Society
  Engineering Soc	LGBT
  Euroavia	Trading Card Soc
  Fianna Fail	Women in Technology
  Fine Gael	Video Game Soc
  Hill Walking

   Taken from: https://www.itcarlow.ie/student-life/life-at-itcarlow/clubs-and-societies.htm

Guide to: Transport

                                              

 

Guide to: Transport

Trains:

• Carlow Railway Station is located about 20 minutes walk from the college, where most student accommodation is.
• The station is on the Waterford line, and is only 20 minutes from Kildare Station, 40 minutes from Portlaoise, and an hour from Dublin.
• Train times, dates and tickets can be found at www.irishrail.ie

 Bus:

• There are several bus stations around Carlow, with one conveniently located at the entrance to the IT. 
• There is also a bus stop beside Aldi, which is close to student accomodation and the college itself.
• Websites include: www.jjkavanagh.ie, www.buseireann.ie