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Gif Essay: The Road To College

Gif Essay: The Road To College

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So you’ve gotten your CAO results back and now you’re (hopefully) preparing to start your first year in your number one choice of college. Even if you didn’t get that number one option, rest assured that you’ve got one hell of a year ahead of you; a year of little structure and free of supervision, a year of more frequent nights out and a time to discover the true meaning of the word ‘hangover’.

The first year away from home can be a massive culture shock, but here at The Arcade we’ve got a short list of things to prepare for to help set you up for the year.

Your First Taste of Freedom

You’ll be captain of your own ship from here on out! You’ll get to all the important classes, get your assignments in on time and still have plenty left for a social life.

braveheartFreedom

And then there’s the tearful goodbyes from your parents. They’ll be sad to see their little chick leaving the nest to spread their wings. There’s not even the slightest chance that your room will be the new home office/man cave/rec room by the time registration is finished.

missyou

A Whole New Way To Learn

Once you get in the door, one of the first faces you’ll learn to recognise is that one professor who has long since tired of the teaching shtick and is just here because teaching these classes gives him tenure for his research.

HaveAPlan

You’ll have papers that aren’t due in for months. Pfft! Easy! That’s loads of time. You used to get this junk done every night and it was due the next day. This one will be no sweat.

In fact, this is gonna be so easy, that you’re gonna make sure that the finished product is an immaculately formatted essay.

Fonts

…then it’ll come down to crunch time.
robotFingers

And even then, after slaving away for hours, spending a small fortune in the coffee bar and staying up for nigh on 24 hours, the person marking it will completely misunderstand your vision.

NotWrong

You’ll come to learn that, in a way, those far off deadlines can be a double edged sword.

happyAboutIt

Interdepartmental Projects

Another fun new experience will be the dreaded group project that’s gonna see you randomly thrown together with a group of your peers. Including that one weirdly quiet guy that no one in the class really knows.

OneMore

And that person that works really hard… but has totally misunderstood the plan.

pinkPanther

And the worry wart whose fear of everything falling apart will be the glue that holds your shambles of a submission together.

Paranoia

And finally, there will be the ever present mature student.

fellowkids

Exams… Again

At the very end, there are the exams. Exams are nothing new to you by now; you’ve already left the Leaving Cert far behind and with it the most painful set of exams you’ll ever have to sit. However, despite all that, college exams do present their own fresh and intuitive ways to make the end of your year pure hell.

One example is the open book exam, for which you’re sure to spot one poor sod who has left that book that they’re meant to open all the way back at their apartment.
runningHome

Even the normal exams can throw you for a ringer; hundreds of pages of notes, most of which is useless information and the rest of which is gibberish.
understandNothing

The one solace you’ll have is the group of compatriots suffering along with you in the lab, pouring over those notes like they’ve got the secret to eternal life… or, at least, that’s why you suspect they’re reading so intensely.

reading

Finally, the chosen one among you will have the best idea you’ve ever laid your ears upon.

OutOfIdeas

Eventually, after many battles won, you’ll come full circle. You’ll submit that final thesis and experience a whole new variety of freedom.

genieFreedom

Then, at the end of year party, you might even spot a few of those professors that made life so awkward for you during the last nine months. You might even realise that, hey, these are all just people too!

The Return of Kings

And, of course, as you wander across the threshold of your new campus, you’ll likely spot a few other, more haggard looking students, their youthful features wizened by semesters long past and knowledge long forgotten.

These are the post graduate students and their journey is just beginning again.

ItBegins

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