What years did you attend St Dominic’s College?
2015-2020
What did you do straight after your time in St Dominic’s College?
Third level study
What are you doing now?
I completed a QQI level 5 in Animal Care at Dunboyne College and now I hope to attend UCD for veterinary nursing
If you went on to third level education, where did you study? Please name the college, university or institution.
Dunboyne college of further education
What subject(s) did you study and what was your qualification (i.e. Diploma, BA, etc)?
I studied a level 5 qqi course in animal care and the subjects that I studied was biology, maths, animal welfare, animal behaviour, animal anatomy & physiology, work experience, communications, word processing, small animal husbandry and housing, safety and health at work.
Can you describe your course in a little detail? How many years did it take? Was it difficult? Were you able to work while you studied? Were there placements?
My course took 1 year and there is an option to do another year in a level 6 course studying animal science. My course is difficult in some aspects but if you are willing to put hard work and effort into learning the topics being taught and to complete the assignments to the best of your ability you will do great. The course consists of a mixture of theory and skills demonstrations which I found good as I don’t enjoy learning all theory and enjoy learning through doing practical activities as working with animals is a very hands on job. I did not work while I studied but some students in my class did and it worked out great for them to balance study time and work time.
Did you enjoy college and would you recommend it to others? What were the pros and cons of your course?
Yes I did enjoy college and I would 100% recommend doing a PLC course to others as it got me prepared to move onto level 8 and brought me out of shell. It is completely different to secondary school as you are learning subjects about something you are interested in, which means you will enjoy your time more. The pros of my course was I got to meet new people that had the same interests and love for animals as me and I got to learn all about animals and how to understand and care for them better.
The cons of my course was the majority of the course was online via moodle and teams which meant I didn’t get to be on campus the whole year and my course was split into two groups which meant I was unable to meet the other half of my class which was upsetting. Another con was all the trips we were supposed to go on were cancelled because of covid.
Do you have advice for any of our students who might be interested in your subject or course?
The advice I have for students who might be interested in an animal care course is just do it ! If you have a passion and a real love for animals this course could be for you as to work with animals you have to be a caring person. I was nervous starting as college is so different from secondary school but my experience was really enjoyable and I would definitely recommend anyone interested to do a level 5. Even if throughout the year you feel as if the course isn’t for you and not what you would like to do in the future you can always do another PLC course the next year as they are only a year long.
What are your achievements, prizes or high points since you’ve left school.
I have received all distinctions in all of my assignments and my overall course totals, which will allow me to hopefully proceed onto level 7 or 8 veterinary nurse courses. I hope to become a veterinary nurse in the future as I love animals and would love to work with them.