Jamie completed his BCL in Law and Society at DCU in 2017. His story represents the journey of many of our 1,285 Access students currently enrolled at the University.
“Growing up as the eldest of six siblings in Ballymun, I wasn’t sure that law would be within my reach. But thankfully I got to experience the Shadow a Student Day through the Access service. Through this, I got to experience the course that I am in now and I also learnt about the reduced points entry that Access offers.
Thankfully, I only needed a 15 point reduction to get into my course and it let me become the first person in my family to go to university. At first though I doubted myself, I thought that I might be at a disadvantage coming in on the reduced points entry, that I might not be able to compete. I was determined to prove that I deserved to be there and within my first year I came tenth in my class in the exams.
From the support that I got from Access, I was able to afford a Law of Torts book which cost €180 but I’ve used it for about 10 assignments throughout my time here and it’s the practitioners’ guide so it’s always going to be useful. I was also able to get my laptop which I’ve been able to do all of my assignments on and it’s been invaluable to me for my whole education.
The Access Programme has given me so many opportunities. I made so many friends through the orientation programme that once I came in, I never felt alone. There was always someone I could meet for coffee, or just to get food. It added a different dimension to my college life. I really enjoyed it and I don’t know where I’d be without it now.”
