‘My PLC course was applicable to the law degree’

I did my Leaving Cert in 2018 and I didn’t get enough points to get into college. At the start I was going to do a business course but when I didn’t get the points, I had to look at different options.

At the time, I was aiming for DCU, or my local college in Dundalk, but I didn't get that offer. I didn't know what I was going to do or what was going to happen. The whole process of studying all over again was just too much to go through twice.

My favourite thing was assignments, I always preferred them over exams. You have more time to do some research and do things your way, rather than just learning things off for an exam. It puts a lot of pressure on students.

I decided to do a PLC course because I didn’t want to repeat my Leaving Cert, because it was just too much stress.

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I did my PLC course in Dundalk, I completed a business and computing course. I received a level 5 certificate with all distinctions and I also received student of the year from that course.

When I finished, I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to do. I had to do a bit of research, and law just kind of attracted me to Trinity. I was trying to research how many distinctions I needed, and it was only five. My PLC course was applicable to the law degree and so I applied on the CAO and was very happy to get the course.

That’s what I found very good about the PLC course; a lot of it was assignment focused, which you learn what you couldn’t learn in the Leaving Cert.

You wouldn’t have done essays in school, in the style that is required for college. So it’s a year to develop how to focus more on how to do college work and actually learn something from it. It’s a step-up. It’s a beginner year on how to do essays, how to do things on time, to learn about referencing and what colleges are looking for.

More options

The fact I was doing business and computing and then went into law gave me more options and I could see what I was actually looking for. At the time I was so focused on business and I was doing really well, but then I had way more options.

It also gave me another year to think about things, to read about the modules, their descriptions. Especially when you have friends who went straight to college, they can give feedback and advice as to whether you should go.

I’ve always liked helping people, so I’m really enjoying the course. I’m going into my third year now; I’m doing my legal and tax internship at the moment and I’m loving it.

I’m still figuring out what I want to do after the degree, but I think my path will probably end up going into commercial law and doing a masters degree in that area, or maybe I might go straight into it and get a trainee contract.

I never imagined myself in Trinity doing a law degree; it’s just something that came out of it all and something I took on and I’m really glad I did.

My advice would really be to look at all the options and to not be disappointed by your Leaving Cert results. I think a lot of pressure goes into it. A lot of students stress out because they don’t know what else is out there, I didn’t even know I could do a PLC course, I never knew there was another pathway. It’s something to definitely consider.

- Shauna Bowers