by Dillon Rosenkranz

My niece has just received her Leaving Certificate results like thousands of others around the country. Sadly, she has not taken the option of going to college or university. That's a travesty. The transition from the institutionalised confines of school to the vast openness of college is a real leap of faith and should be enjoyed by everyone. It allows for personal development, social awareness and, of course, academic prowess. I respect my niece's decision to forgo all this, but I am sure that she has missed out on a world of opportunities.

The desire to go to college is not just prevalent after your leaving. It can descend upon you at any time of your life and later in life can be just as enjoyable as in your youth. But to let this amazing experience slip past could leave you with the eternal maxim of "What if?"

My own personal experience at the College of Commerce in Rathmines, Dublin set me up in life as far as interpersonal experience was concerned. Beforehand, I was quite arrogant and convinced that I was always right. The conglomeration of characters and personalities from all over the country lent the course that I did variety, spice and a mish-mash of opinions that made debate inevitable and refreshing. As a result, I realised my own weaknesses, but also identified my strengths.

A lot of potential students convince themselves that college life is just a never ending barrage of lectures, dissertations, exams, reading.... In other words, a carbon copy of what they were doing at school. True, a certain amount of study is inevitably involved, but also a great social life can develop.

I have met adults younger than myself who have not made the foray into third level education: some regretted it, some couldn't care less, but the majority sat on the fence with the melancholic retort: "yeah, it would have been nice". Those I've met who did jump onto the educational bandwagon seem more knowledgeable, more outgoing and have a better social life and this was irrespective of how they had succeeded professionally.

I am one of the lucky ones who, although ten years out of college, can count at least half of my classmates as close friends and it is because of the strange dichotomy of sociability and study that this is the case. This cannot be said of my time in school and I think that this is the case for most people.

If you are considering getting back into education, don't be fooled into thinking that it just involves hard work. The friends you may meet during your study may well be friends for life and the educational improvements you make may transform your life. Don't miss the boat!

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