My entry into Computer Science at Maynooth wasn’t so direct. When I finished my Leaving Cert, I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do, so I completed a two-year course in science, however during that I found that I didn’t enjoy being in the lab and didn’t feel very interested or challenged by my modules. Thankfully, many of the friends I made at that university were studying Computer Science, and I would quite often sneak into their lectures!
Funnily enough, I found myself really engaged in the content. I did more research about it and spent about a year working on some front-end web development courses online, which I had a lot of fun doing. After visiting the open day and speaking to some people at Maynooth, I knew immediately I wanted to transfer to study CSSE. I filled out my CAO application again to transfer after completing the science course.
As a Computer Science student, my week is a mix of lectures, labs, and some extracurricular activities that help balance out my academic schedule.
I typically have four computing labs each week, which are focused on applying what I’ve learned from the theory taught in class. The modules for these labs include Data Structures and Algorithms, Software Testing, Computer Architecture and Databases. I enjoy these sessions because they allow me to get hands-on experience and help me to solidify what I’ve learned in classes whether it's working on a coding problem or querying a database using newly learned operators. I usually have about 2 hours a week of theory based lectures for each of these 4 modules also.
In addition to these core labs, I also have one lab per week dedicated to either Statistics or Calculus, depending on the week. These modules are important for providing context for some computing topics such as optimising algorithms or analysing data. I also attend weekly tutorials for these two modules which alternate biweekly. The tutorials are great for clarifying difficult topics and discussing concepts in more depth. They also give me the chance to ask questions and make sure I’m on track with the course material. The theoretical classes associated with these modules are usually about 2 hours a week each as well.
In terms of clubs/societies, I'm part of the Women in STEM society and am currently the Head Representative. Typically as a committee we hold biweekly meetings to delegate tasks and organise various things for upcoming events as well as plan any future ones. I’m also part of the yoga society and try to go to at least 2-3 weekly classes. Sitting for so long during the day causes a lot of stiffness so I try to make sure I'm taking care of my joints. It's also a great stress reliever for those weeks where you have a lot of assignments and deadlines!
Looking ahead to graduation, I’m interested in exploring a career in software engineering. However, the great thing about computer science is that there's so many different career paths and intersections with other fields,so I’m trying to keep an open mind about the options available to me.