Outdoor education and leisure - Castlebar

Gman21

Hi, I got offered this course but I don't really know to much about it. Can anyone that did the course give me any info on the subjects you do and the career prospects? Also whats the castlebar campus like?

Any info would be appreciated I seems to be impossible to find anything online. Thanks

dor83

I'm starting this course myself, I have a pdf that I got around xmas with some info in it about the course. From what I was told before and at the interview it is usually one full day per week of activities and the other four are classes, mostly half days. I still haven't received anything from the college but I know that induction starts on the 6th. Hope this helps a bit.

Gman21

Thanks for that there is a lot of info on the attachment. I got a letter from gmit today about fees. You will prob get yours in the post in the next day or two.

dor83

Yeah, my post is slow here so it will probably be Monday before I get it. I was just worried they would send it too late because I'm moving down next weekend so I'd rather have it before then. Good luck with everything, I'll probably see you at induction anyway.

Gman21

Just accepted the course today. Can't wait for it to start now.

dor83

Congrats mate, you won't feel the time go because it's only 2 weeks now. I can't wait myself, still waiting on the grant and a couple of other things but everything else is sorted now and I'm moving down next weekend. Do you have much to sort out yourself?

Gman21

Ya a few bits. Looking at accommodation now. Trying to figure out if student accommodation is the best way to go. What did you do yourself?

dor83

I didn't want to go with the student accommodation myself, just prefer to be somewhere a little quieter and I found it to be quite expensive too. I'm renting an apartment down by where Dunnes is, so it's not too far from the college, found it on daft.ie I think. I was lucky enough that I got my offer in July(mature student) so I had plenty of time to find a place, I can imagine how hard it is to sort out with only a couple of weeks to go. If you are really stuck for somewhere to stay at the start give me a shout, if I have enough room you can always kip in mine for a couple of days if you don't have anywhere at all.

Diabhal Beag

If you intend on walking from Cúirt na Rasaí it's a long walk. If you're cycling/getting a bus/driving it's in a good spot. When my friends lived there last year they loved it because it was relaxed.

Gman21

Ya I was looking at hawthorn student village on google maps and to be honest it looks pretty crap. expensive too. I'm sure il find an apartment close to the college there are a good few up on daft and donedeal.

dor83

Yeah neither Hawthorn or Nephins look great, Nephins is at least close to the college whereas Hawthorn is a good 20-25 min walk and outside the town. The other thing that doesn't appeal to me about them is that you have to pay in lump sums, I prefer to pay my rent monthly. Don't get me wrong, the place I got isn't amazing or anything but it's cheap and I have a 2 bed apartment to myself right in the town, which suits me better.

personaltrainer

my friend just moved into hawthorn village...apartments are nice...you can also pay monthly and also there is a free shuttle bus to the college every day!

dor83

Yeah they don't look bad, like standard student apartments, and they do look better than Nephins. I just didn't want to live in student accommodation and prefer to live on my own, plus I got a 2 bed apartment right in the center of the town for only a little more than what the student places were looking for for a room.

Got my stuff with the registration details in the post this morning, was lucky because it came just before I left to move down.

dor83

So did you find a place Gman?

Gman21

No, I decided to drive up and down every day instead. Live only 35 minutes from Cbar. So it'll prob work out cheaper.

dor83

Yeah probably, I lived in Meath so 2 1/2 hours each way isn't exactly feasible. I suppose I'll see you on Thursday the mate.

Gman21

Ya c ya 2mrw..Just wondering do we have to get a Garda clearance form?Just after reading it there on the gmit website. First I heard of it.

dor83

Yeah, the letter I got about registration says we need to bring the form in tomorrow. I couldn't find the form on the website so I just printed out pages 10 and 11 of this document and am hoping it will do. As far as I can tell all we have to do is fill in all our previous addresses and the other info, the college then take it, sign it and send it off, so it only takes a couple of mins to fill out.

Gman21

Cheers I was wondering where to get the form. They don't exactly make it easy to get a hold of.

dor83

No worries. You would think that they would send the forms out with the registration stuff, or at least have a link to it in the course description, it took me ages to find that and I'm not even sure if it is right because I think that document is from a couple of years ago.