Tishé attended St Dominic’s College between 2014-2020. She went straight into third level study after sixth year. She was awarded a prestigious Ad Astra Performing Arts Scholarship to University College Dublin, where she has just completed her first year in Psychology.
Congratulations to Tishé for achieving her Ad Astra Scholarship. It is the first time one of our students has achieved this award.
We asked Tishé about her high points and achievements since she left school last year, and this is what she said:
I am currently working as a research assistant in a UCD Psychology lab for the summer. I study Psychology in UCD and I love it so being able to actually use it in a hands on way has been great for me. As I was awarded the Ad Astra Performing Arts scholarship, I am lucky enough to get to work in theatre on a weekly basis. I have been encouraged to write my own work recently. I was part of Fishamble Theatre Company’s Writing Workshops where I got the opportunity to expand my knowledge of theatre and writing in general.
We asked Tishé some questions about her degree in Psychology for our current pupils who might be thinking about taking this path.
Can you describe your course in a little detail?
I study Psychology, which can be defined as the study of the mind, it’s functions and how that affects behaviour. It is a broad topic so my classes can be quite different from one another. From Statistical analysis to some neuroscience, it really is broad. One thing that surprised me was the amount of maths in the course, but you learn to live with it.
How many years will it take?
My degree will be completed in three years. This is unique to UCD as they know most people need to go on to do a Masters.
Are you able to work while you studied?
Because I was awarded the Ad Astra Performing Arts Scholarship in 2020 I did not need to work during the academic year, though I know many of my peers who did and though it was difficult at times they did find it manageable with proper planning.
Are there placements?
There is no built in placement to this course which is not ideal. I have been lucky enough to be given an internship in the UCD labs this summer, as a research assistant. Students are encouraged to find their own work opportunities independently.
Do you enjoy college and would you recommend it to others?
I love college. I love my course so that helps. I didn’t get to experience all of college life this year of course due to the pandemic. But from a purely academic point of view, I loved it. Learning about people, their inner workings and also the history of psychology as a discipline has been very enjoyable for me.
What are the pros and cons of your course?
I love that most of what I study is relevant to the world around me. For example I had to write an essay on how models of social psychology encourage or discourage people from following pandemic guidelines.
On the other hand, some of the statistics classes can get quite difficult but there are so much support in place at the university so it is very easy to get help.
What else should we know?
As I am a performing arts scholar through theatre, I do performance work with my group once a week. WE prepare shows that we will hopefully get to perform next year and work on theatre technique in general. It’s lovely to have my academic and also my artistic self be able to co-exist through the scholarship. Of course, you don’t need a scholarship for that! Joining the Drama Society would give you the exact same feeling.
Do you have advice for any of our students who might be interested in your subject or course?
It’s not as fun as you think it is! It’s also not as absolute. There are still so many questions we don’t have answers for and you’re not going to understand everything about humans because you studied this. There is a lot more maths than people expect.
Don’t be afraid of research articles. I was very afraid of them because all the words were so big and complicated but by the first mid-term break you’ll learn how to understand all the research. Always ask for help and don’t expect yourself to know everything.
Don’t be intimidated by other people in the class who’re using words you’ve never heard before. Some people did PLC’s, some are mature students and some are even repeating the class so take your time and learn at your own pace.
Also pay attention during Leaving Cert statistics!
Tishé is happy to answer questions from current St Dominic’s College students. If you would like to be put in contact with her, please get in touch with info ( at ) stdominics (dot) ie and we will forward on your details.
We are very grateful to Tishé for answering these questions for us. A number of other past pupils have also taken part in a Past Pupils Questionnaire. If you would like to join them and add your own experiences and details, the link is here. Please forward this on to anyone you know who might be interested in taking part.