NUI Galway Releases

Pictured manning last years Student Hotline were students Emer Henderson and Rory Gavin.

NUI Galway will once again open its dedicated First Year Student Hotline on Wednesday, 15 August. Now in its third year the hotline will be open to students, their parents and their advisers and will run until Friday, 28 September, 2012.

The initiative, which was launched in summer 2010 and was the first of its kind across the sector, has been specially designed to help incoming first year students make the transition to third level education.

With NUI Galway anticipating an intake of over 3,200 new students in September, a team of specially-trained students will service the hotline Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, and Saturday 18 and 25 August, 10am to 1pm. The availability of the hotline coincides with the period of frantic activity and decision making that immediately follows the release of the Leaving Certificate results.

The hotline will be active throughout first year orientation on 8 and 9 September and will remain in service for two weeks after lectures begin on September 10, providing students with a place to direct any conceivable query they encounter as they embark on their journey to NUI Galway.

The hotline team will provide an efficient, responsive service to callers and are expected to deal with numerous issues that are of concern to incoming first year students. Anticipated queries include: points requirements for courses; first round offers; registering as a student of the University; start dates; fees and accommodation options.

A designated website for first years will also update on a daily basis detailing the information sought and fed through the new hotline. It will be a portal of specific information aimed at demystifying the first few weeks of university life.

Stephen O’Dea, Admissions Officer at NUI Galway, says: “For every young person, the transition from second-level to third-level education represents a significant life-change, and whilst this is an exciting time, navigating your way through the change can sometimes be daunting. The First Year Student Hotline has been set up therefore to provide information, guidance and support to all individuals involved in the transition process and we invite students, parents and advisors to avail of this service to make the passage to NUI Galway as smooth as possible.”

Students, parents and advisers can contact the First Year Student Hotline at 091 493999 or visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/new-students/.

Sheila Gorham

Administration Assistant/Cúntóir Riaracháin

Marketing & Communications Office/Oifig Margaíochta & Cumarsáide

NUI Galway/OÉ Gaillimh

T: +353 91 493543

E: sheila.gorham@nuigalway.ie