My TY

Michael Fogarty of Marian College in Ballsbridge, Dublin, describes the high points of transition year so far

So far this year I have learned to sail, helped raise more than €2,000 for Concern, starred in a musical, learned to rock-climb and learned to fight with the help of a world-class judo master - and it's only January.

But the most enjoyable experience of the year by far was an introductory physics course at Trinity College in Dublin. It was the first time Trinity had run such a course, and it was eager to find transition-year students with a strong interest in science. My maths teacher signed up the whole class, however. According to him, even if we didn't learn anything it would still be a week off school.

I'm not very interested in science, nor am I thinking of taking physics as a subject next year, never mind choosing it as a career. But I still found ways to entertain myself, and the course was a great opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of a college campus. Transition-year students with dreams of becoming renowned physicists said it was a brilliant experience as well.

I met loads of new people from the schools involved, which included Coláiste Íosagáin and Skerries Community College, and it helped a bit that the male-to-female ratio was slightly unbalanced.

The week-long course consisted of "lectures" on what was, apparently, very basic physics by what were, to say the least, flamboyant professors. It was still way out of my league. The lectures were introductions to the various parts of Trinity's physics course. We had a lecture on nanotechnology one day, for

example, followed by one on the physics of foam - that old classic - the next.

We spent the rest of the week on research projects that had been randomly chosen for us and on tours of the campus by students.

My project was on the physics of breathing, which I didn't think was the most interesting project on the list. Nor was I the most interested kid on the course, so the project was something of a Titanic, but it did offer a chance to get better acquainted with my fellow scientists.

After all my belly-aching about physics, you may get the impression that I didn't enjoy myself. You'd be wrong, though: I had the most craic I've had in school since . . . since . . . well, since ever.

I think transition year is a great experience that everyone should take part in. You'll have a great time.