Making the library a second home can pay dividends when exams and assignments fall dueCaitríona Redmond's biggest piece of advice for mature third-level students is 'to embrace every single opportunity'. Thu Aug 20 2026 - 05:31 • 3 MIN READNo matter the institution, course, or stage of life you’re at, college life involves a transition of sorts. There’s lots to learn, beyond just the academics. So how can incoming students get the best out of their first year at college? We asked some existing students for advice for this year’s, soon to be, freshers.Dublin-based freelance writer, digital consultant, and mature student Caitríona Redmond has three children – one daughter and two sons. Both boys are neurodivergent “with lots of challenges”, she explains. When her husband took redundancy in 2023 to care for them, it presented her with the freedom to finally undertake a degree. She’s finishing an MSc in Climate Change and plans another course after this. Redmond, who is in her 40s, says her biggest piece of advice for mature third-level students is “to embrace every single opportunity. Take advantage of every tutorial, every supervisor opportunity. Meet with people, read as much as you can and take advantage of the advice that’s out there.“Try not to approach education from the point of view of someone who may have been educated in the ’80s, maybe even the ’70s, and might be intimidated by the teacher-student role. These people are here to help you ... There’s so much help out there for mature students.”Redmond advises mature students not to be put off by the age of other students and says “don’t be afraid to sit in with all the 18 and 19 year olds. Everybody really couldn’t care less. Everybody is on the same track. You’re doing the same degree, or the same postgrad”.For mature students starting college with a family, she recommends “talking to your family about it. Explain to your kids, explain to your partner, explain to your wider extended family what you’re doing, because their support is going to be what gets you through it.”Friends also have a role to play, she says. “Ask for advice, ask for help ... it’s very unusual for somebody in their 40s to be going to third level for the first time, and most people in my circle would have. So to have that support and advice from them is really, really great.”Going to college has been “one of the most fulfilling things I have done in my life, bar having kids”, Redmond says. “Make the library your second home,” says 20-year-old Jamie Green, an Irish and History student at UCC. “Even if you don’t have lectures, go in and catch up on notes. Get assignments started, or sit somewhere that helps you focus. It’s so much easier to stay on top of your work if you try to do a little every day, instead of trying to cram everything into the week before exams,” he says.Jamie Green. For students who are commuting, Green advises getting a Leap card. “It sounds like a small thing, but you’ll use it constantly and it’ll save you both money, and a tonne of hassle” he adds.The social side of college is where students can often find their tribe. “Join as many clubs and societies as you can at the start,” he says. “It can feel a bit awkward walking into something on your own, but everyone is in the same boat. It’s honestly one of the quickest ways to make friends, because you’re meeting people who already have similar interests, whether that’s sport, music, gaming, photography, or anything else.”Without teachers to keep a watchful eye on attendance, the temptation to skip lectures is real, especially “after a late night, if the weather is nice, or you just couldn’t be bothered going to it”.But, as Green notes, this is not without consequence. “It catches up with you. Lectures often explain things that aren’t on the slides, give hints about assignments, or mention something that could come up in exams. Missing one lecture doesn’t seem like much, but by the end of the semester, that gap really starts to add up.”The newfound freedom that comes with college “is brilliant”, Green says. “But that comes with responsibility. If you stay organised, put yourself out there, and keep on top of the work from the beginning, you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more. And save yourself a huge amount of stress later on.” IN THIS SECTION