Record numbers have applied to Trinity College this year, following the success of Normal People.
According to The Irish Times, Trinity College has received over 40,000 applications through the CAO system – an 11 per cent increase on last year.
The series, which followed lead characters Marianne and Connell as they attended Trinity College, aired in May and June – during the CAO’s “change of mind” window.
And according to CAO figures, over half of the students who applied through the CAO this year adjusted their course choices in May and June.
A spokesman for Trinity said although it’s difficult to prove whether the increase was linked to Normal People, the series definitely boosted interest in the university.
“We had expected interest in Trinity programmes to be high – as it always is – and are greatly looking forward to welcoming a new cohort of undergraduates in September,” they said.
“It’s hard to quantify what exactly influenced students’ decisions, but it seems likely that all the exposure may well have played a role.”
Meanwhile the Dean of undergraduate studies, Professor Kevin Mitchell, said he believes the show “painted a really positive picture” of the college.
”It was such a wonderfully made series from a fantastic novel from Sally Rooney who’s one of our alumni, and directed by Lenny Abrahamson who’s also one of our alumni,” he said.
”So it painted a really positive picture of what being at Trinity is like, and gave a chance for students to see themselves there.”
On the latest episode of Goss Chats, Ali Ryan sits down with Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn, who reveals the real drama between the women on the show, and how she battled coronavirus on her wedding day.
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