Hi! My name is Dearbhla and I’m a student here in UCD. I’m from Dublin and I have just starting stage 3 of Social Sciences, majoring in sociology and social justice. I absolutely love studying social science in UCD and can’t recommend it enough to prospective students!
Choosing UCD
I chose to study in UCD for a number of reasons. I had been on campus for sporting events, campus tours and attended open days, all of which made me fall in love with our amazing campus!
UCD has fantastic facilities and through meeting staff and students during open days, I really felt at home on the campus as everyone is so friendly and really passionate about their course and the university. For me, it was a no-brainer, UCD was the place for me. The past two years that I have spent in UCD have been the best of two years of my life and I simply couldn’t be happier studying social science in UCD!
Choosing Social Sciences
I chose to study Social Sciences in UCD for a number of reasons. The UCD Social Sciences programme offers students the most diverse range of subject combinations in Ireland, to study over the four years. Social Sciences has given me the opportunity to develop countless transferable skills such as critical thinking, academic writing, public speaking, research and communication skills. I love studying social science and can’t recommend it enough!
Why I chose my Majors
Choosing a major was a difficult decision for me as there were so many great options to study subjects that you are passionate about. I chose a joint major in sociology and social justice, and I couldn’t be happier with my choices.
Sociology
I chose Sociology as I did LCVP, home economics and Religion for the Leaving Cert and realised that I was really interested in how people interact with each other and society around them. I really love studying sociology as it has really changed my perspective of the world around me, the society I am living in and why society today is the way it is. Another reason that I love studying sociology in UCD is due to the option, that from second year onwards, students can pick specific modules relating to topics they are interested in. I chose sociology and gender, which I found to be extremely interesting as well as linking in well with my social justice studies. I have also gotten the opportunity to develop research skills, such as qualitative and quantitative sociology, which have been extremely interesting as well as being fantastic transferable skills and of course a great addition to the CV!
Social justice
I chose Social Justice as I have always been passionate about social justice and why, despite huge worldwide efforts to end injustices, they continue to persist. I have always had an interest in issues of injustice such as gender inequality and being part of a human rights organisation, I knew social justice was for me. Studying social justice has had a huge impact on me and my understanding of the world. This degree has addressed a number of injustices in society, improved my knowledge of global issues and how these issues intersect to create a web of injustices. I can honestly say I’ve never attended a social justice lecture that wasn’t extremely interesting and insightful.
My Favourite College Experience
It’s really difficult to choose my favourite college experience, as I have had so many fantastic experiences since starting in UCD in 2018. However, I think for me, making new friends would definitely be the highlight of my time in UCD. Through my course, societies and clubs and the ambassador programme, I have met so many new people and made many new friends. The Student Ambassador programme is another of my favourite college experiences as I love representing UCD during tours and events and I couldn’t be happier to share my amazing experience of UCD with prospective students.
If you would like to find out more about studying Social Sciences in UCD visit the myUCD website here.
