Bloganuary Day 3 (2024)

What colleges have you attended?

I think in America, colleges mean universities. Back in Northern Ireland a college is an academic school that you can attend from 11 years old until you’re 18, or in my case, from 15 – 18 years. However, I will write about the university that I attended as I think that is what this prompt is referring to.

I attended Queen’s University Belfast, not once but twice. I feel extremely blessed to have studied here (especially on 2 occasions) as it is the most prestigious university in the country, has a great reputation in the UK and is ranked within the top 200 universities in the world.

It is a very historic building with fantastic architecture and you can’t help but feel like you’re studying at Hogwarts. It is situated in a beautiful part of Belfast with lots of bars, restaurants and a botanical garden nearby.

I lived in Belfast whilst studying, pretty close to the university (as many students do) and was fortunate enough to be able to work in the students’ union. You really have a sense of belonging to part of the university here and it provided me with the best opportunity for making the most amazing life long friends.

I studied a geography degree firstly as I had no idea what I wanted to study and this seemed like the perfect fit. Although enjoyable, it was extremely difficult to find a job relevant to my degree. After a few years of working in minimum wage jobs, I decided to return to university to study nursing. I was thrilled to return to Queens’s and thoroughly enjoyed my nursing degree. The teaching and clinical skills learned here were fantastic and I have nothing but good things to say. If you study nursing you do not have to pay any fees and they pay you a small subsidy to help with your everyday living costs (as you have 9 placements to carry out as well as studying). The course was full on with a lot of assignments, clinical hours, studying to do etc., however, when you enjoy the course, that is half the battle.

If you are ever in Belfast, this has to be on your list of places to visit!

Have you attended any colleges / universities? I appreciate they aren’t for everyone and there are so many amazing careers that can be achieved without needing to attend university. The other thing is that they can be extremely pricey. I was looking at studying in Australia before and the fees were extortionate. Even in America, I don’t know how people can afford university. There are extremely expensive to attend. Maybe some of you can enlighten me, I would be intrigued to know your thoughts.

Wayne