My name is Gavin and here's why I picked UL. To be honest, reasons are countless. From the minute I arrived at UL for a football match back in Transition Year, I knew there and then that I would spend four years of my life here. Even though four years seems like a long time, it isn’t. I am coming to the end of my undergraduate degree at the moment, where I hope to qualify as a P.E and Maths teacher, and I can honestly say it feels like yesterday that I started.

 

Gavin playing for the Kerry team

 

The first day I walked into Kilmurry Village to meet new housemates that would eventually become my best friends for life….the day I walked into my first lecture unaware what I was facing….the day I became a member of the UL family, it only feels like yesterday that it all began. So yes, four years is a long time and yes, it is a difficult decision as to where you will devote four precious years of your life, but UL will certainly not leave you down.  


For me, I had a very different college experience to others. Over the past few years my footballing career was taken to a whole new level. Winning an All-Ireland title with my club in first year would eventually propel me into a Senior intercounty setup with Kerry, where there are no room for mistakes. So I think it is fair to say that my experiences in college are a lot different in comparison to all of my colleagues. But that it didn’t bother me in the slightest.  

Gavin in football training
  During my degree, I was exposed to a lot of what UL has to offer. Sport has been a big passion of mine since I was young and hence my reason for choosing P.E. teacher as a career that I will undertake for the rest of my life. My eyes have been opened to so much more after this course and I cannot wait to use this experience in the real world. The PESS Department (a building where I spent the majority of my time) is one of the most highly regarded buildings for the research it produces and its regard for human evolution in terms of health. I have been able to use every resource on campus for the needs that I had; the library, gym, labs and scholarships. You name it, UL has it. The state-of-the-art library which only opened in recent years, is one that epitomises everything good about UL and relates heavily to what is happening in the real world. It’s nothing like you have seen before, filled with all sorts of technology, that can sort anyone’s needs.   The University Arena and surrounding pitches is the reason why UL is known for being the best sporting campus in the country. Additional resources are constantly being added on a yearly basis and I would certainly love to be starting again in these exciting times. This combined with the most exciting course in the country are the reasons as to why I picked UL, and for me it was a no brainer. Almost six years ago when I first came to UL, I often thought what UL had in store for me; could I manage here? Would it suit my needs? Six years later, and without a doubt, UL has offered me everything if not more.