Athlone Institute of Technology opens up its campus to the general public and anyone interested in attending third level this weekend. Two days of exhibitions, talks and campus tours will take place this weekend on Friday November 13 and Saturday November 14.
Proceedings start at 9.30am on both mornings and continue until 2pm on Friday and 1pm on Saturday. The main activity takes place in the John Count McCormack Centre, where the exhibition stands will be housed, while a series of talks and presentations take place in the institute’s Douglas Hyde and Earl of Rosse lecture theatres.
Open days provide an ideal opportunity for prospective students to discover what college life is really like, according to AIT’s communications and marketing manager, Brian Lynch. “Visitors will have an opportunity to speak directly with lecturers and other students who are undertaking the courses they are interested in. That first-hand information can be very valuable when it comes to making your programme choices. You will get to discover what the modules are like, how placements operate and how to make the transition to third level,” he said.
“In addition to the throngs of Leaving Certs and guidance counsellors who will attend this weekend, we are welcoming an increasing number of parents and mature students, particularly to the Saturday offering. Our experience is that they have particular questions that they want answered and they enjoy the opportunity of speaking one-to-one with academics and support staff. This is also a valuable learning opportunity for us in AIT to respond to these issues and it enables us to become more student-centred,” Mr Lynch added.
Eight talks are scheduled for Friday morning, with each presentation lasting 25 minutes. The themes relate to new degree programmes at the institute, including arts, game and web development, green technology, law with business and accounting, hospitality and nursing, as well as examining why science is critical to the knowledge economy. The full schedule is available on AIT’s website www.ait.ie
AIT increased its intake of first years to 1,400 students in September, the largest number ever registered at the institute. The student body numbers in excess of 6,000, including 400 international learners.
