Graduating with Gold

Starting college can be pretty nerve-racking! Meeting new people, no one to wake you up in the morning and no one to cook your dinner. But college is also a great opportunity to make life long friends, take part in new activities and gain some independence. A great way to do all this and more is to take part in Gaisce – The President’s Award!

Are you thinking about continuing or even starting your Gaisce journey in college? Or maybe you’re not sure why you should? We here at Gaisce have compiled a list of reasons for why you should continue (or start) the Gaisce challenge in third level!

First of all…

Plenty of third level Universities and Institute of Technologies have both PALs (President’s Award Leader) as well as Gaisce societies. If you’re not sure whether your College or University have a Gaisce or PALs\’ society, get in touch with your Student Union to find out!

If your college doesn’t have a Gaisce society or PAL you could ask your old PAL from school if they would continue as your PAL in college, or get in touch with us here at Gaisce – The President’s Award at info@gaisce.ie and we can help you get started on your Gaisce journey!

 

Start at Gold!

If you haven’t completed your Bronze or Silver Gaisce, don’t worry; you can go for Gold without already having your Bronze or Silver Award. If you think you won’t have enough time to complete your Gold Gaisce, don’t panic! You can take as long as you need to finish each award, so definitely no pressure!

Or, if you want, you can always start with your Bronze or Silver Award and work your way to Gold.

 

 

Great way to make new friends.

Starting college is a bit scary, especially if you are starting at a different college to your friends. If you start your Gaisce Award however, it gives you an incentive to join new clubs and societies in the college as part of your different challenge areas. As well as this, taking part in the Gaisce challenge gives you a break from the more academic side of college!

 

 

Boost your confidence!

Your confidence will most definitely be at an all – time high by the end of your Gaisce journey. You will have made new friends, tried new things and would have taken part in new adventures along the way.

Looking to your future?

Part of college is focusing on the future, and on what you are going to do next. Having any Gaisce Award on your CV is certainly a plus, but having a Gold Gaisce Award really helps you stand out from the crowd. It shows employers that you have motivation, confidence and determination. Having a Gaisce Award definitely helps in interviews, as, without doubt, it gives you something to talk about! You can discuss where you volunteered, what skills you gained from that, as well as the exciting Residential Project…

Life changing opportunities.

One of the highlights of the Gold Gaisce journey is undoubtedly the Residential Project. This gives you a unique opportunity to broaden your life experience. Maybe volunteer somewhere where you never thought you would have the chance to? It will definitely give you plenty of memories to share, and look back over, in years to come.

 

 

How about a ‘selfie’ with the President?

The Gold Award ceremony is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. It is absolutely a day you will never forget, and one where the number of photos taken will rival your Debs! And who would pass up an opportunity to meet the President of Ireland?

 

So, if you’ve just started college, and want to achieve more than just a degree when you’ve finished, Gaisce – The President’s Award is definitely for you!

 

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