'From science, to business and producing work of a high quality, the BSc. in Agriculture course ticks all the boxes', says 3rd year student Emma
Past pupil of Moate Community School, Co.Westmeath, Emma McCormack went back to the drawing board after dropping out of her initial course. She now says choosing to study in SETU has been a great decision.
Time at WIT
September 2015 - Present
On which SETU campus are you based?
Main Campus on the Cork Road as well as Teagasc Kildalton Agricultural College
Why did you choose your course in SETU?
I have loved the agricultural sector and the farming lifestyle since I was a child. I feel the opportunities within the sector are ever-growing and expanding.
Having studied horticulture for one year, I knew it was not my future and so went back to the drawing board.
Choosing to study here at SETU has been a great decision. Being a country girl, I was not compelled to study in Dublin as used to be the norm for student of agricultural science. I thoroughly enjoy the balance between practical and theory work in my course.
What has your experience been like so far?
I have learned a huge amount since leaving school, especially thanks to my 12 week work placement, when I travelled to a hugely intensive dairy farm on the Scottish border.
I have since begun writing a weekly column for well-known Agri-media publication, That's Farming.
Joining the WIT debating team in my final year has been an excellent decision and not only has it pushed me thoroughly out of my comfort zone but my confidence in public speaking has been hugely boosted.
Can you recall your feeling when finding out you were offered a place in WIT
Upon opening the CAO letter of acceptance to study at SETU, I was delighted. After a long, tough path both financially and mentally, I had gotten what I really wanted.
It is easy to get consumed by what others are doing in the great rat race of academic life, and in dropping out of my initial course, I did feel like I had failed, let my parents down and that I was being left behind everyone else.
However, now that I am reflecting, I can honestly say I am a better person for my experiences and I am confident in reaching success regardless of the path I choose.
College has given me independence and a belief in myself which I hope I will never lose sight of.
What advice would you give to students considering your course?
As a teenager finishing school, with no real experience of any occupation, it is incredibly difficult to pinpoint where you wish to study or what you'd like to do.
However, if farming and agriculture are your true passion, as volatile as the sector is, I would encourage you to place it at your number one choice and grab the opportunity. I cannot fault the practical elements of the course - I have had the chance to travel abroad and see a whole other side to farming that I knew nothing about.
From science, to business and producing work of a high quality, the BSc. in Agriculture course ticks the box for me. A step on the ladder in between a course full of science and the Green cert, I can say that my course gives you a taste of everything. I can farm afterwards if I desire, yet I have many opportunities when it comes to business and industry also, if I choose to pursue them.
It is not always easy, but it is a very good path into the Ag sector, if you put in the work. At the end of the day, it’s up to yourself. The limit is only where you place it yourself.
Living arrangements
Given that SETU is a 2 hour drive from my home, I have been living down here and travelling home at weekends, ever since I started here. It has worked out perfectly.
What is Waterford like as a city for college social life?
It is as good as you and your friends make it, I suppose.
I have quietened down a great deal since my fresher days, but there's no doubt that wild nights will always happen here in Waterford and the best ones are when the Ag’s are out! There are plenty of good places to go out, if that is what you are looking for.