The Magical Mystery Tour "The One Thing I Love About UL" Super Fun Happy Slide LoveIn

cson

Young cson was trudging home from his cursed Stats exam this morning, it had gone more wrong than the state of the Lodge jacks on a Rag Week Sunday. My treasured QCA was starting to resemble the faecal fun that decorated the aforementioned jacks bowl if first impressions were anything to go by. To cap it all off, the laydee I'd been succintly seducing with 'the eyes' in the library brushed past me with a furrowed brow and a look that had all the smells of 'a that lad is definitely touched or something' knockdown. Not a great day at the office by all accounts.

So there I was feeling throughly sorry for myself when it struck me. A minor road to Damascus moment if you will. I figured out why I love this place. The fact I feel as far from anything urban when I walk across the living bridge yet still get that new-day-in-the-city morning buzz off people strolling across it. The fact that despite being home to almost 13,000 students I know I can still manage to find a quiet spot in one of the buildings. The fact that there are still places I've yet to find or go to despite 2yrs down here. And the fact I know I'm gonna miss this place like crazy when it's over. And why, on the cusp of finishing 2nd year I'm terrified at how fast the time flies down here. Time flies when you're having fun. Or least when you're drunk and sleeping all the time. Describe that to anyone in the street and they'd think you're homeless. Not here though, you're in UL!

Anyway, one thing you love about UL from all of you!

(Mine: The sense of anticipation swanning around as you snake away from your last hour on a Thursday to get home and get ready for the night ahead)

ninty9er

Is that for the freshers week Pulse?:pac:

The words nail ad head spring to mid about the second part....the first part isn't too far from my truth,but there are people uot there who manage the fun/academic divide slightly better.

edit:

I was supposed to provide something I love about the place:pac:

And I'm finding it difficult to find something unexpected I've had a bad experience of, I mean you expect to be scarred by exams, but I think what I really love about the place is that there is ACTUALLY something for everyone.

Whether you're a HPSS student attached to the Glucksman by the frontal lobe or just anybody wanting to get involved in a club or society; a Mossin who lives for the pint and banter in the Stables or a student who never does those things, but spens 4 years making new friends each week. UL has something to offer no matter who you are and my only advice to to the student that does none of those things; pick up that hurley, get off that ditch and pull yourself through the (admittedly uninviting) facade of the Students' Union, nobody expects hours of your week, or even to see you every week, but if you have something to give or see something you want to do, then don't be a stranger.

You only get as much out of UL as you put in, and the satisfaction is all the greater when it's something you WANT to do instead of classes and exams you HAVE to do.

I never imagined when I sat in the Concert Hall as a nervous 1st year in September 05 that I'd get involved in Fianna Fáil in UL, get to know so many people in UL and some on here from UL, miss 12 academic weeks (give or take) over 4 years due to illness, get involved in charity through my co-op with accountants, sleep on countless floors and couches, have ketchup poured in my ear whil asleep during RAG Week, make a fool of myself here there and everywhere, contest national Fianna Fáil elections representing UL, be elected 3 times to steer clubs and societies and that after I'd finished, instead of goin out into the big bad world, I'd give yet 1 more year to the students by becoming a sabattical officer.

UL is a microcosm of the world, get out there and enjoy it.

rororoyourboat

When the sun decides to shine on UL, it is the prettiest, loveliest campus in Ireland!

Oh, and the chicken rolls.

thattequilagirl

Oh God, as I finish fourth year the overwhelming sense of nostalgia makes it nigh on impossible to narrow it down to one thing...

I love that it's pretty much impossible to make my way from home, in the East gate and to a class without meeting 3 or 4 people I know along the way that stop for a chat.

I love sitting outside the library on the grass when it's sunny eating ice cream

I love Javas

I love the pontoon

.... what else?

Clubs and Socs... and all the people I met through them...

And so much more....


When I've been away for a while and I get back to UL, I get a much more significant sort of "I'm home" feeling than I do when I got to the godforsaken part of the West of Ireland I actually come from.

I heart UL!

Zeouterlimits

Favourite thing?

Strolling into the common room to be welcomed with waves and smiles.
And then some chat about those eternal Pocket Monsters.

cson

thattequilagirl wrote: »

I love sitting outside the library on the grass when it's sunny eating ice cream

+1 to that! The serenity of the place despite the smell of education wafting around from nearby.

ninty9er

So essentially, in 6 posts we've brought this thread to a conclusion by effectively saying that why we love UL is because it is quintesentially and uniquely UL.

ImDave

thattequilagirl wrote: »

I love sitting outside the library on the grass when it's sunny eating ice cream drinking beer

thattequilagirl wrote: »

I love the pontoon

What's the pontoon? I'm intrigued?

For me, about to start 4th year in September, it is my uncanny ability to still get lost in the main building at random times of the night, not unlike the time during the Christmas exams of this year, having to 'phone a friend' to seek advise on how to exit the building.

An Fear Aniar

I went to UL in 87-91. It was smaller then, but I loved it there, we all did. Glad to see that people are still enjoying the campus - it's a beautiful place.

.

klong

ImDave wrote: »

What's the pontoon? I'm intrigued?

For me, about to start 4th year in September, it is my uncanny ability to still get lost in the main building at random times of the night, not unlike the time during the Christmas exams of this year, having to 'phone a friend' to seek advise on how to exit the building.

The pontoon, I'm guessing, is down at the river beside the boathouse.

Peteee

Reading this thread makes me excited and nostalgic!

Nostalgic because UL is great and I had a great 4 years there, and excited because I shall be returning in September! Huzzah for the best college in the land!

ninty9er

Peteee wrote: »

Reading this thread makes me excited and nostalgic!

Nostalgic because UL is great and I had a great 4 years there, and excited because I shall be returning in September! Huzzah for the best college in the land!

And most welcome you will be. For the exploits of which programme shalls't thou be in return?

Peteee

ninty9er wrote: »

And most welcome you will be. For the exploits of which programme shalls't thou be in return?

MEng in Information and Network Security.

Just need to figure out how to pay for it now!

Claasman

Peteee wrote: »

Reading this thread makes me excited and nostalgic!

Nostalgic because UL is great and I had a great 4 years there, and excited because I shall be returning in September! Huzzah for the best college in the land!

I wish i was going back, graduated in 08, wish i was still there, cson and ninty9er were spot on about the place...

SmellySockies

I love those really sunny days where you just sit on the grass outside the library, when you go to the lodge you always run into someone you know or end up going to some randomers house for a laugh. Those mornings I have to be up at 7 just to go to the east gate to go horseriding and you see UL when its completely quiet. Running over the wibbly wobbly bridge when you're totally drunk. Labs in the health science building because they are always such a laugh. Taking a swim in the pond in thomond village.
Theres so much more...
I miss UL ;[ bring on september :]

gnr.rigney

rororoyourboat wrote: »

When the sun decides to shine on UL, it is the prettiest, loveliest campus in Ireland!

Oh, and the chicken rolls.

best chicken rolls in the world !!

gnr.rigney

SmellySockies wrote: »

I love those really sunny days where you just sit on the grass outside the library, when you go to the lodge you always run into someone you know or end up going to some randomers house for a laugh. Those mornings I have to be up at 7 just to go to the east gate to go horseriding and you see UL when its completely quiet. Running over the wibbly wobbly bridge when you're totally drunk. Labs in the health science building because they are always such a laugh. Taking a swim in the pond in thomond village.
Theres so much more...
I miss UL ;[ bring on september :]

i took a FORCED swim in the pond in thomond...not the nicest experience ! however the raft race along the river during rag week was quite epic ! i miss UL, im sick of being at home ! kilmurry here i come !

mooly

It's quite simply the happiest place I know.:)

SmellySockies

gnr.rigney wrote: »

i took a FORCED swim in the pond in thomond...not the nicest experience ! however the raft race along the river during rag week was quite epic ! i miss UL, im sick of being at home ! kilmurry here i come !

Hahaha me too me and my friend got thrown into the pond It wasnt that bad water was warm at least :]


Cant wait to be back in UL! Staying in thomond again this year!

KnifeWRENCH

I don't go to UL, but I'm just posting in this thread because it has an awesome title!

cson

Washing detergent in the fountains never fails to crack me up :pac:

bluedolphin

Now that I'm out of the place for good, I can reflect with a happy rose-tinted view.

Best memories of UL...
- Scholars...the original one...and the sense of satisfaction if you managed to dodge the lunchtime queue
- Laughing Soc's comedy gigs in An Phluais
- Reading the messages on the desks in the Swift before they renovated it
- Christmas Days...before it became all commericialised. Back in the day when you raced between the Stables and the (original) Scholars and dropped a few cent into the charity buckets on the door...proper Christmas dinner with mates, yum!
- the walk down by the river behind the PESS (think the bridge is still closed?)
- the uniform of O'Neill's and a hoodie for the most part...one of the most laid-back campuses going! \o/
- Meeting at least one new person every single week for five years and being unable to walk from the library to the shop without stopping at least once or twice to say hello to someone
- Related to the above: making friends in the Lodge
- the Lodge...love it or loath it, it is distinctively UL.
- Clubs & Socs ball: the social event of the year...and all the other balls; great excuses to buy a new dress
- The integrated nature of students in most faculties and the value that the university puts on student input and opinion which doesn't exist at all in a lot of other colleges
- the very, very, very distinctive smell of the Schrodinger building (prob some sorta chemical...but I is only an Arts graduate!)
- the way it always manages to rain when you've something on in the Schuman (not necessarily a good thing, but distinctively UL, nonetheless)
- the sense of comradeship that we had in our class and how, no matter what, a HPSS gathering always reverts to discussing political issues at some point in the conversation, even briefly...

Thank you, UL, for five great years...but now...Adios.

1huge1

Ya what is up with that smell in Schrodinger, I was in their for German of all things. We felt so out of place

rmacm

Had DSP lectures in there....whenever I did DSP possibly 3rd year. Smelled like glue from what I remember.

cson

1huge1 wrote: »

Ya what is up with that smell in Schrodinger, I was in their for German of all things. We felt so out of place

Its the smell of education...