Nurturing Bright Futures is a six module online course that has been designed to equip you with the information you need as you prepare to transition into third level education. We hope it will be especially helpful for those of you who cannot access our campus easily, for a range of different reasons. It is designed to be interactive and for you to engage with the material. It will create spaces for you to undertake self-reflective  exercises and will stimulate conversations - with your friends, family, teachers and Guidance Counsellors - to optimise your university-readiness.

The Nurturing Bright Futures space will provide you with the opportunity to engage with the topic of your future, a potential college experience and many related themes and it will equip you with skills and tools that you can carry into your chosen degree when you start college. It will also help you to make the most of the resources around you such as your friends, family, Guidance Counsellors and teachers.

Through the use of video lessons, podcasts, articles, exercises, quizzes and other helpful resources, these six modules will give you the opportunity to engage with a variety of resources and introduce you to ways and approaches to college life and college degrees

By taking this course, you will increase your self-awareness, knowledge and skills, which will help you make informed choices about what courses to choose. It will also help you prepare for the transition by giving you a better idea of what to expect in the next chapter of your story. This course has been designed to help you to better understand yourself, so that you can make the best choices possible for your future.

In the course of this programme, you will learn the following skills and you will be introduced to the following topics:

• You will learn skills to help you pick the course that is right for you
• You will explore how your degree choices relate to career options
• You will engage with information on different decision-making styles
• You will learn practical tips on how to prepare for the transition to third-level education
• You will receive information on the 'Realities of University Life'
• You will get an insight into UCC's Graduate Attributes Programme and what it means for you

This course is for all students who are transitioning in to university. Through the use of video, articles, interactive worksheets, reflective exercises and other helpful resources, this course will give you the opportunity to understand more about yourself and to get to know more about higher education and more about UCC. It will also provide a forum for you to engage with UCC on a variety of levels, and will help prepare you for the journey ahead. 

This course is also a resource for your Guidance Counsellor, teachers and your parents/guardians, to help them to help you with this transition. It is designed to provide information and stimulate conversations with these key people in your life, and to get you thinking in a structured way so that you can consult and make informed decisions about your post-secondary school options. Regardless of whether you are considering coming to UCC or elsewhere, Nurturing Bright Futures will give you insights, skills and knowledge that you can apply in any third level context.

At school:

You can complete the modules in a 1:1 or group session with your Guidance Counsellor/Teacher.

Outside of school:

You complete the modules at home in your own time, either on your own or with your parents/guardians.

How long does it take?

Each of the modules take between 50 to 80 minutes to complete (this includes reading, activities and reflection). But go at your own pace and take as long as you need.

Suggestions:

• Ideally, you will complete each section in the running order to build on the knowledge, but feel free to dip in and out as you wish!
• Do one section at a time, don’t rush through them all together in one sitting. We recommend one module per week to allow time for reflection on the topics.
• Do the exercises when you are relaxed, alert and clear-headed, perhaps over a weekend when you have a bit of free time.
• Think about doing modules in tandem with a few friends so you can have a chat about your findings and compare notes.
• Download the interactive Nurturing Bright Futures Organiser and add notes as you go along. This will enable you to own and manage and reflect on your own learning journey. You can also discuss your notes with your parents/guardians and/or Guidance Counsellor/Teacher. (Note: This is an interactive worksheet so you can type your notes into the text fields).