A 5-part documentary series by RTÉ and the Irish Universities Association which shines a light on seven university students helping to change the face of higher education. 

The Irish Universities Association has partnered with RTÉ to create My Uni Life, a five-part series which follows the lives of seven students at various stages of their university journey. Whether it’s overcoming the challenges of having a disability, the stereotypes associated with socially disadvantaged backgrounds or having the courage to go to university at a later stage in life, these students represent just 7 out of more than 5000 students each year whose desire to succeed at third level education is facilitated and supported by the Access and Disability programmes run by Irish Universities.

Each student comes from a different background, accessing university through a variety of routes, but with determination that is key to the personal difficulties they have overcome.

Filmed over the past 12 months, the series provides a unique and authentic insight into the lives of seven students across the country, as they navigate through personal challenges and the current Covid-19 pandemic while trying to grapple with the move to remote learning.

Speaking about her success in higher education, despite being the first in her family to attend University and having a difficult childhood, Róisín Farragher a doctoral student from NUI Galway stated: “I hope that people watching the documentary will feel motivated. I hope that when they watch it, they see me, but do not pity me. Rather they think about pushing themselves further and challenging themselves. I hope people take every opportunity offered to them and never let a horrible or tough childhood or any other challenges stand in their way. I hope they see that they have a right to everything good that comes to them and so they take those opportunities and be grateful.” 

For Shaun Fogarty from Tipperary and studying at the University of Limerick, his life and university experience transformed overnight when he was severely injured in a road traffic accident. Despite a long recovery in hospital and the need for full time care assistance, Shaun was determined to complete his education: “I enjoyed filming the documentary and I feel it allowed me to demonstrate my ability to take part in a wide range of activities. I hope it shows that it’s possible to achieve your goals with hard work and perseverance.” 

Commenting on the role Irish universities play, Jim Miley, Director General of the IUA said: “Irish universities play a crucial and growing role in fostering and enabling social inclusion and mobility. The many access routes the universities support are key to building a long-term inclusive society in Ireland. As a result of the work done by the Access and Disability programmes run by Irish Universities the student body is becoming a more and more diverse group. It is incredibly positive to see that in the 2017/18 academic year 15% of entrants were from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, while almost 10% of new entrants had some form of disability and 6.6% were mature students. But, we have much more to do. It is paramount that we do everything possible to support increased access for all students who need it.”

Beginning on Friday November 6^th at 7.30pm, the series will run for five weeks across RTÉ One featuring seven different students and their own personal journeys to higher education. The students are: Adam Freegrove from Dublin studying at UCD; Cathal Blake from Meath studying at DCU; Alpha Ike from Cavan studying at MU; Courtney McGrath from Cavan studying at TCD; Chrisdina O’Neill from Cork studying at UCC; Shaun Fogarty from Tipperary studying at UL, and Róisín Farragher from Galway studying at NUI Galway.

Here is what some of the students said:

Alpha Ike, Computer Science Student, Maynooth University. Born in Nigeria and in Ireland since he was 8 and living in Cavan, Alpha entered university through the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR Scheme). 

“I think that an interesting aspect of the documentary is the way it transitioned from being about college life to capturing a piece of history for people involved. I was a different person at the start of the process in a very different world and I appreciated being part of the story of how people coped in this new world.”  

Dubliner Adam Freegrove, Medical Student at University College Dublin. Adam entered university through the HEAR Scheme. A carer for his disabled mother, Adam felt compelled to study medicine because of the experience of losing his 69yr old grandfather to cancer.  

The documentary has made me realise exactly how lucky I’ve been to come from where I did. It’s just redoubled my resolve to continue doing what I’m doing and do the best I can and be the best I can be. I want to make my family proud of what they’ve helped me become. More than anything though, I hope that people will take away from it that things can and most likely will be horrible, but it doesn’t mean they always will be. That it is never what you’re dealing with, just how you deal with it. When you feel like you’re losing, the act of not giving up is a victory.  

In Academic year 2019/20…. 

2340 students entered first year in the 7 universities through the HEAR scheme

1645 students entered first year in the 7 universities through the DARE scheme

1718 mature students entered the 7 universities