First Year Orientation

A very warm welcome to the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies at University of Galway. We wish you every success in your studies and are delighted that you have chosen to study a course in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies.

Below you will find details of your full orientation schedule, which includes online and on-campus activities. Attendance is essential as you will get lots of important information on your academic program, introduced to new friends and experience the fun side of university. 

First Year Orientation will take place from Tuesday 12th September 2023 to Saturday 16th September 2023. There will be an Online Orientation on Tuesday 12th to Thursday 14th September followed by an On Campus Orientation on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th September 2023.

HEAR and DARE eligible applicants will be notified by email of their orientation programme. Please note you need to attend both.

 

ONLINE ORIENTATION - 12th, 13th & 14th September 2023

The College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies will be hosting an Online Academic Orientation on 12, 13 & 14 September 2023 to introduce you to the academic side of your university experience.

Have you completed Tús Maith? This self-paced and interactive online resource is designed to help you prepare for the transition to university. Click here to complete.

ON-CAMPUS ORIENTATION - 15th & 16th September 2023

The College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies will be hosting an On-Campus Academic Orientation on 15 and 16 September 2023.

Freshers’ Fest starts on Friday (15 September) evening with some chilled out introductory events, to prepare you for the big Freshers party on Saturday! 

Settling in Weeks

At University of Galway we know it can take some time to settle in and orientation is more than just a weekend. Check out events and activities for the next 4 weeks, to help get settled in to university life.

James Hardiman Library 

Library Tours: These short tours will help you find your way around the Library and will introduce you to the Academic Skills Desk, MakerSpace, study rooms, and PC Suites among other locations in the Library. 

FYI: First Year In Workshops: Throughout September and October the Library will hold "FYI: First Year In" - a workshop aimed at first year students. The workshops will be available online and in-person and will introduce you to the Library website, explain key services and show you how to find and borrow books from the Library catalogue. View the timetable here.

Meet Your MakerSpace: These short sessions will introduce you to the MakerSpace in the Library. Here you can use a laser cutter, learn to 3D print, and borrow equipment like drones and VR headsets. 

CÉIM Peer Learning

CÉIM is an academic peer learning programme for 1st year students in specific courses and is a joint initiative of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies and the Students’ Union. CÉIM is currently available to 1st year Arts students studying:
- Geography
- Law
- Political Science and Sociology
- Psychology
- Spanish
Designed to complement your lectures and tutorials, CÉIM helps you gain a better understanding of your coursework in a relaxed atmosphere, adjust quickly to life at University of Galway, become a successful higher education learner and get to know other students in your course. Research shows that students who attend CÉIM regularly achieve higher grades on average than those who do not.

CÉIM sessions are welcoming and friendly, yet purposeful, with the emphasis on everyone in the group working together. CÉIM is for all students – those who are performing well academically, those who are struggling and everyone in between.

How to take part
A few days before your CÉIM sessions are due to start, log into YourSpace and click on CÉIM in the left menu to see all relevant information about your CÉIM group.

Start Dates
CÉIM sessions start:
- Week of 25 September: Political Science and Sociology
- Week of 2 October: Geography, Law, Psychology, Spanish

‌CÉIM Peer Learning Programme Information 23/24‌‌

 

Career Development Centre

The Career Development Centre provides students with a quality career guidance and information service focused on facilitating and empowering you to manage your own career development and make effective career transitions. You can find more information including careers resources exclusive to our students on the Career Development Centre Student Sharepoint, or read and download this useful guide: Introduction to your Careers Service

Find out more

The Help Hub has all the orientation information you need. If you have questions about university life you can ask Cara, the university virtual assistant. Contact our Accommodation Advisory team if you need advice about finding accommodation.