My name is Chelsea and I am a first year sports science student here in UL. With first year coming to an end i’ve started to look back and reflect on my first year here in UL and all the amazing memories i’ve made while studying here.
Choosing to study sports science here is without a doubt the best decision I’ve ever made. From the lifelong friends I’ve made to the love for sports science I’ve gained it’s been an absolutely amazing year. I’ve studied a wide range of modules across both the semesters and gained interest in new areas of sports science that I didn’t even know existed such as biomechanics and exercise to music instruction.
So what made me make the brilliant decision of choosing to study sports science in UL?
When I was in school I absolutely loved the STEM subjects with biology and physics being my two favorite subjects both in junior cycle and senior cycle. Along with a love for science I always had a love for sport, I’ve played both soccer and basketball all my life and have always been interested in the science behind improving at the sport. With both these things in mind I decided to put sports science in UL as my number one CAO choice and it’s safe to say I haven’t looked back since.
Coming into the course I had a great interest in the areas of both biology and physics and in school I was fascinated by how the body moves and the forces that cause it to move. This interest was heightened even further through studying Biomechanics taught by Dr. Evan Crotty. Every lecture was incredibly interesting and I always left the classroom having learnt something new and excited to learn more the next week. Biological and chemical sciences is by far my favorite module which is a tough title to win given the modules offered here in UL. Areas like sports psychology were something I knew very little about by after studying the module both in the immersion and in the sports psych module taught by Dr. John Perry I have a new found interest in the field. I’ve learned loads about how important things like pre match routines are for sport and have been able to apply these things to my own games This is probably the best thing about the course – not only am I getting a qualification in Sports Science but I have also gained knowledge that helps my own training allowing me to progress both as a student and as an athlete.
As well as being academically fascinating Sports Science is also a very social and fun course. The emphasis on practical classes and group work made it very easy to make friends and get to know people who share a love for both sport and science. In semester one we did a bonding session where we played games in the PESS sports hall and it’s one of my favorite memories from my first year. It allowed us all to get to know each other and helped break the ice by playing games and doing challenges together. Modules like exercise to music also helped with this. The craic that was had in each practical class whilst learning new dance moves and teaching them to each other was brilliant and these are memories I’ll look back on in years to come.
Overall I would 100% recommend this course to anyone with a love of both sport and sciences. Choosing UL is by far the best decision I’ve ever made and one I’ll thank myself for in years to come.
Chelsea Canny is a first year student in the BSc Sports and Exercise Sciences, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, in the University of Limerick.
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