Social Studies

My time at CSN has given me a brilliant start to my adult life; I grew both academically and as a person this year.

When I left secondary school, I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do for the next few years, I didn't get the points that I wanted from my Leaving Certificate and I was at a loss.

Somebody suggested having a look at CSN's website and explained what qualifications I could get from doing a year there, and so I did. The course I chose was Social Studies 1. I chose this because every component in the course appealed to me, especially the psychology and legal practice and procedures component.

My year at CSN helped me so much, the teachers were so supportive, the encouragement from teachers really helped when the work got hard and they were always open to helping me when completing assignments and answering any questions I had.

The Communications, Word Processing, and Work Experience components were very beneficial to me, I did practice interviews, presentations and I did 60 hours of work experience which has prepared me for my future career. My teachers explored different career options and further education options with me and gave me a lot of guidance, next year I plan to do social science in UCC.

Ciara Dennehy

Tramore Road Campus is a wonderful college & the ethos is to support and help students to achieve their goals

Ursula Butler

For four years I worked four years in retail, sales, and a deli. In 2017 I completed a QQI Level 5 Social Studies course. I began the Level 6 course at CSN in 2017.

This course has built confidence, ability to present, become more articulate and improve my interview skills. I gained more insights into social sector but this course also broadened my mind.

The mature student here can access 1-1 teaching, workshops, and acquire assignment writing skills.

My experience was one of being able to get great support and assistance. This course also enabled me to participate in valuable work experience on a SHEP programme. This course allowed me to achieve my aim of securing a place on the Social Work course in UCC. 

Amanda Coleman

Before I had started at CSN, I didn’t have much direction. I had finished my leaving cert badly as I had issues at secondary school. I didn’t have any plans for my future and ended up not knowing what to do.

I chose the Social Studies course at CSN as I enjoyed working with people. Despite this, I didn’t know how to make this a feasible route for my future. However, once I started the course, the lecturers gave me lots of guidance to assist me to get where I wanted. The course expanded my views by opening my eyes to new ways of thinking. The endless possibilities helped me focus and make goals. I then definitely knew what I wanted to do and the amazing lecturers showed me what I needed to do to accomplish this.

My favorite part of the course was my social studies project. We were given room to dive into an area we wanted to research. I chose to do mine on Cork prison. My lecturer put me in contact with a rehabilitation coordinator who invited me up for a tour of the prison. I got to interview him and other members of staff. I was delighted for this fantastic opportunity I now wish to work as a rehabilitation service worker. The college helped me achieve this. After I finished my project I went on to volunteer at the prison in the hopes to learn as much as possible.

I loved the practical aspect of the course where the theories and topics were brought to light by seeing them practiced during work placement. I was very lucky to do this at the Lios na nOg CSN crèche. At first I was scared as I had never worked with babies, but I quickly overcame the shock and loved every minute of it. I was confident due to how the course had prepared me for knowing how to care. The crèche showed me how to apply this knowledge in a range of different tasks.

 It was difficult moving to a new area as I came from Kerry, but it soon became home with all the great friends I made along the way. I benefited massively from my time here; although it was short it has hugely bettered my life. Overall I can say that I am extremely grateful to have done the course. I feel as though I grew as a person and I now look forward to what next year will bring!

Mary Taylor

The Social Studies in CSN was a wonderful course and great learning experience for me.
I chose this course as I have a great interest in Sociology along with helping others in care settings. I enjoyed every aspect about the course and I found the components very interesting.

While I found elements of components difficult the teachers at the college were fantastic and helped me immensely giving me as much support as possible in order for me to succeed at my studies this year. The college has been a great help in helping me to achieve my goal of a place in higher education. Next year I hope to go on to CIT and study Social Care.

Reece Hawkins