Big Yellow Taxi

It’s been a year since I last blogged anything, which is absolutely terrible. However, I have an excuse. Sort of. With just three weeks remaining of my final year, things have calmed down enough that I finally have time to blog again. The last few months have been hectic; my focus was entirely on writing my final year project (FYP), which I will hopefully upload as soon as I get graded for it. Exactly 13,264 words, around 60 Mochas and quite a few tears later, the end of my degree is finally in sight. It’s a terrifying and exciting fact.

As the wise Joni Mitchell once said, “don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone”. While a poignant line, it’s not exactly my reality. From the moment, I set foot in UL, I’ve known it was right for me and I knew I’d be missing it long after I eventually left. It’s the first home that I chose for myself, every aspect of my life in Limerick was something I chose. At the risk of sounding disgustingly cheesy, the people I got to know, the last-minute BBQs, the “one-too-many” kind of nights, and the adventures that ended up in goat attacks- they were all a part of this life that I built in Limerick, my home away from home.

Now that the end of my degree is very, very close, I don’t really know what to do with myself. There’s a kind of buzz around that’s contagious, everyone seems to have a different plan and a path that they want to take and I feel like I’m not ready to decide which way I want to go. While that does scare me, I’m trying to remember that I’m still young and decisions don’t have to be made hastily.

Despite not knowing exactly what my next step is, I’ve never felt more confident and happy about where I am and what the future might hold. Studying in Limerick has helped me to grow in a way that I never expected, I am so grateful for this experience and I’m excited to work out the next step.

Final Year Project

Now that I’m in my third year of a four year course, it’s time to start thinking about my Final Year Project (FYP). An FYP is the opportunity to study a topic of interest that is related to my studies. As it’s defined on the University of Limerick’s website; “It is probably the longest and most focused piece of research that you will undertake in your degree, and it plays an important part in determining the final award classification.” Nothing major, right?

Preparations have begun and to say that it’s a little frightening is an understatement. Luckily for me, I’m not alone. Everyone undertaking an FYP has the chance to find a supervisor. A supervisor is someone who helps you along the way by reviewing your drafts, pointing you towards helpful research and answers any questions you may have.

The next step now is trying to work out a more detailed idea from the one that I have. This is proving to be a little more difficult than I had thought it would be. My mind keeps firing off in every direction, there are so many topics that interest me, now I just want to pick one that I’ll really enjoy researching. Apparently for the next year I will eat, sleep and breathe my FYP topic.

Although I am apprehensive about this seemingly momentous task I’m also excited too. The chance to have full control over the topic I research is a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to the information that I may unearth along the way.

Photograph courtesy of  Unsplash on Pixabay