Heritage Studies and GMIT.

xomary

Hi everyone,
I got offered a place in GMIT for Heritage Studies this year, I decided it'd be best for me to defer it until next year though.
I'm 19 years old now and I've finished school since 2011, I did two years of a PLC starting that summer after my results. I did the PLC because I didn't know what I wanted when I left school and I thought it might help me figure it out. I did a broad range of modules things like internet modules, art, work experience etc. I enjoyed it mostly, and I finished up in April. I chose Heritage Studies as my first choice because I thought it'd be a very interesting course and it'd suit me but now the past few weeks I've been thinking over it a lot and now I'm not so sure. I don't know if it's something I want to do for three years of my life. I'm just unsure. I don't know what I'll do with myself if I don't go ahead to do this course.

So, a few questions.
1. What is Heritage Studies really like to study in college?
2. In your experience, what is GMIT like to be a student there?
3. What do you think I should be doing in this year before I go to college(hopefully) Do you have any advice on how to prepare etc?

Thank you.

burglecutt

Having recently finished the course it is safe to say it is great fun to do. I didn't find it massively difficult and with a wide range of modules there is generally something that everyone has an interest in. The lecturers are very friendly and helpful and with a number of trips away each year it gives a chance to build relationships within your class, good if you're moving to Galway and don't know many people.

With all this positive stuff said though, unfortunately the course doesn't lead brilliantly into employment. Previously there was lots of work for people with this degree but since the recession the ass has fell out of the industry, with little or no funding available, curtailing the opportunities for graduates.

What it does allow for is that gaining the degree through heritage can allow you to progress onto a diverse range of follow on courses, meaning that if you don't know now what you want to do as a career, it can give you the time and experience to decide. Some past graduates that I know have moved into fields such as language teaching, marketing, travel etc.

In summary its a great thing to do while at college, and gmit and great place to go, but be aware you're probably not going to walk straight into a job when you're finished.

xo.mary

Jesus Christ, my heart actually jumped when I saw this post! I just finished 4 years of heritage studies last year!

I was pretty much like you, I was 19 when I started and only chose it because it seemed interesting. It was! There were a few modules that I absolutely detested and found really hard, but other than that, the majority of them were pretty interesting and not too difficult. It's such a unique course - such a wide variety of modules, so many fieldtrips, and the lecturers are great!

GMIT is a pretty small college, and it's an IT so you're not gonna have as a wide of range of people as you would in a bigger college. There's a good few active societies and there's links with societies in NUIG as well. Being in Galway is great as well if you're not from the area.

If you wanna see if you'll like heritage studies, try and volunteer in a museum or something so you get a feel of things, although you're more than likely not going to get work straight away after you finish. As the other commenter said, people do a wide range of further study, but the good thing about heritage studies is it gives you a taste of a lot of subjects - history, folklore, archaeology, art history, languages, business, tourism, IT, etc that you can go on and study whatever you were interested in.

I definitely don't regret doing it!