Brought to you by Iarnród Éireann. 

Ah first year, we miss you.

There are certain things about college that school just doesn't prepare you for. Sure, the work is pretty different, and a lot of the classes are much bigger, but ultimately that part is easily transferrable from school. However, there are some things that you just don't experience in school that will become staple parts of your college life, and first year is the wonderful year where you get to experience it all of the first time. Oh, to be young again. Here's a list of just some of the exciting things that you'll definitely experience in your first year of college.

1. Fresher's week.

This is a completely jam-packed week where you meet some of the people who are going to be your best friends for life, it's a week where you will go out possibly every single night to all of the first-year events, and it's a week where you will eat a LOT of free pizza. Freshers' week is the time to join all the college societies that sound interesting. And a lot of the time what sounds interesting about them is that they are offering free pizza for anyone who signs up. We'll take that, please. Certainly, we recommend attending a few of the themed nights out, but don't feel like you have to go to EVERY one. There will be many more to come and the Freshers nights out are often way more crowded than they are fun.

2. Your first non-Golden Week.

In other words, the first time you skip a college lecture. It's possible that you'll feel like you've let yourself down when this happens first, but what's much more likely is that you'll feel a sense of relief. This is college, not school. You don't have teachers to bite the head off you if you miss a lecture. This is the first time in life when you realise that you don't have to learn absolutely EVERYTHING and the subject you're studying. Now we're not saying you should start skipping all of your lectures, but a missed lecture here or there is certainly not the end of the world. Go on. Hit that snooze button.

3. The crack-of-dawn train journey to make your 9am lecture.

This comes when you've skipped one too many lectures and you absolutely CANNOT miss this 9am class. But your bed at home was SO nice and comfy and you just wanted to sleep in it for that one extra night. So the result is that you are up at some ungodly hour to try and catch the early train and make it into college in time for that (honestly cruel) 9am start-time. For this journey, we recommend getting yourself a window seat and bringing a blanket so you can catch some extra Z's. Also, make sure you have enough money to grab yourself a coffee and a pastry from the trolley. Crucial.

4. The disappearance of any coherent sleep schedule.

Yeah, this one is neither pleasant nor avoidable. What with all the student nights out during the week, and the uneven layout of lectures, you'll end up have some days when you go to sleep at 5am and wake up at 2pm and then go back to sleep at 6pm and wake up at 3am. Really, there's nothing you can do to prevent this; better to just let it happen. It'll right itself eventually. We think.

5. Meeting some of the best people in the world.

The friends you make in college are some of the friends you will keep for the rest of your life. You chose your college course yourself because it was something that appealed to you, so it makes sense that a lot of the people in your class will have similar interests to you. Same with societies. That's why it's so easy to click with the people you meet there. Also, college is such a new dynamic. In first year, you get to experience more independence with your new friends and you all really start becoming adults together during those years. The bonds you make during college are honestly some of the best ever. Brought to you by Iarnród Éireann. No matter where you want to get to in Ireland, Iarnród Éireann is there to help you on your way. They offer student discounts on all journeys, so you can explore the country in comfort and without breaking the bank. Follow Iarnród Éireann on Facebook and Twitter for all their latest news.