10 Things New Trinity College Students Should Know

The day is nearly here. Your long-awaited induction to Trinity College Dublin is fast approaching and you want some info that will make you seem more fourth year than first year! Whether you’re staying off-campus or in Trinity College accommodation, we understand you want to make it seem like you know the campus and local area inside-out. Well worry not, we have laid out a list of trivia and tidbits that will make you more knowledgeable than The Long Room!

1. Finding Your Way Around is Less Complicated Than It Seems!

The Trinity College campus is pretty vast with plenty of twists, turns, entrances and exits! But luckily you can find printable and interactive maps of the campus here and even timetables for the campus gates here!

2. The Book of Kells is Free to View for Students.

One of the most treasured items on the island is the Book of Kells. It’s housed in the Trinity College library and visited by countless tourists and locals every year. However, if you’re a student of the college you don’t even have to pay to view the cultural treasure!

3. The Trinity Ball is a Brilliant Annual Event!

The Trinity Ball is an on-campus event dating back to 1959. Traditionally a version of a May Ball with dinner, ballroom dancing and music, it’s more recently a black-tie, private festival open to students and alumni. A must-attend event if you get the chance!

…However, tickets for the Trinity Ball are notoriously hard to get! Queues in February are typically huge and if you aren’t queueing early you could miss out on the prestigious event!

4. “Cans on The Pav”

One of the most popular spots on campus is The Pavillion Bar. Or as it’s more commonly known among Trinity students, The Pav. The Pavillion Bar is a great spot with plenty of drinks on draught and even some tasty food. But when the sun shines, students flock to the green space outside and enjoy some cans on The Pav.

5. The Best Study Spots 

One of the things you’re unlikely to realise on your first day is that each of the libraries in Trinity has its own purpose. For end-of-semester study sessions that last for hours, the Berkeley Law Library is the best option. While a more laid-back study environment can be found in the Lecky Library. There’s plenty of buildings (and plenty to know about each one), so you will get more acquainted over time – but you can see everything you need to know here! 

6. The Library Has a Copy of Every Book Printed in Ireland and the UK

With Trinity being a legal deposit library, it is entitled to one copy of every book that is published in the UK and in Ireland, making up some of the 5 million books in Trinity’s collection. However, plenty of these are actually stored off-campus – who has room for 5 million books anyway? 

7. Famous Alumni

As a student of Trinity College, you’re in very good company with a long list of alumni who have gone on to do some pretty impressive things!

Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Samuel Beckett and more recently Niall Horan and Paul Mescal have walked the hallowed halls! The list of names is pretty lengthy and includes everyone from artists and actors to Presidents and Taoisigh. See if there are any more you recognise on Trinity College’s Notable Alumni page.

8. Don’t Walk Under the Campanile!

One of the most iconic spots on campus is the Campanile at the front of Trinity College. While it might be super tempting to pass through and get a photo, the campus tradition is that students steer clear of the underneath of the Campanile to avoid the ‘Campanile Curse’.

There are a few versions of the curse, but basically, any student who passes underneath is destined to fail that year’s exams – spooky!

9. Museum Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate 

Unfortunately not a Museum of tea, coffee and hot chocolate, but instead the hot chocolate of the Museum Building on the southern end of the campus.

Upstairs in the Museum Building through the open arch, a hot drink vending machine serves up tea, soup, hot chocolate, and a variety of coffees – all for just 20 cents! A good one to remember when you’re strapped for cash.

10. Parsons Building Beehives

The Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing & Biomedical Engineering building, more simply referred to as the Parsons Building, is home to a colony of bees as part of a Campus Pollinator Plan.

Trinity College Dublin’s Plant-Animal Interactions Research group, Campus Buzz, even posts regular updates on all things biodiversity at Trinity – definitely one to keep an eye on!

Locally in Dublin City, you will find plenty of residence halls, private housing and private student accommodation like ourselves. With private student accommodation like Point Campus being purpose-built for student life, you will typically enjoy better benefits in your home away from home while still being located minutes away from Trinity College. Something you’re still not sure about? If you’re thinking of staying in Dublin while you attend college, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram and our team will try and help out however we can!