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My college course... (A 3rd-level student's insight)

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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭miss no stars


    Just a brief summary of what you can expect from the general entry to Bolton street, followed by structural engineering. If anyone wants any more info feel free to PM me.

    General engineering in Bolton street (DT025) splits into structural, civil, mechanical, manufacturing and building services engineering. If you want computers/electrical/electronic you'd need to do the Kevin street course.

    the points

    2010 - 350 (median 410)
    2009 - 310 (median 415)

    I've included the medians as I think the minimum points can be slightly misleading. I would caution that if you're barely scraping in, you might struggle to pass.

    the number of students
    Generally around 100-120 or so in DT025, who split into the different areas in second year.
    About the 30-40 mark in DT024 (structural).

    the lectures
    I've included a bit of explanation for what the subjects actually are here, as I know I wouldn't really have understood what they were when I was back doing the LC. Anything underlined is a subject that will tend to be really quite key to the course that will haunt you you really can't get by without - the kinda "hard" subjects (haven't included maths in this as it's pretty much a guaranteed first if you just attend the lectures). There is no options of modules, everyone does all the subjects from 1st year to 4th year.

    First year is quite general. You'll do mostly science based subjects (maths, chemistry, physics, mechanics) along with professional development, technical drawing, computers and some sort of lab based maching class (pneumatics, milling, lathe work. You'll stink of coolant). Chemistry, physics and mechanics (which is basically applied maths) all have labs associated with them. 4 exams (Maths, chemistry, physics and mechanics) at the end of semester 1, 5 at the end of semester 2 (same 4 as semester 1 and also professional development)

    2nd to 4th year sees you gradually increasing the number of structural related subjects you do.

    In second year you get introduced to things like concrete & construction technology, surveying (setting out and mapping a site basically), mechanics of materials and structural analysis. You also do a bit on fluid dynamics, professional development. Maths and statistics is combined with the other streams of engineering. Think there was a bit of computers in 2nd year as well.


    3rd year - structural analysis (very basically - what load is being carried by each part of a structure?), mechanics of materials (again, very basically - how is the stress due to the load distributed throughout a member?), design of concrete members and design of steel members (eg. beams, columns, foundations), environmental engineering (everything from drainage to environmental impact), professional development (a lot to do with project timelines, critial paths etc this year), geotechnical engineering, maths, bit of computing, project (this is not an actual project per say, but the class is called project. It's essentially scheme design. In design of steel & concrete you do a complete design and carry out all the checks for ONE member. In scheme design you come up with a way to make the entire building stand)

    4th year - structural analysis, mechanics of materials, maths, highway engineering, construction management, scheme design, design of steel, design of concrete, final year project (you pick a topic to research, carry out any testing you need to do and then write a dissertation about it).

    hours

    Can't really remember about first year. Probably around 25 hours per week in lectures and tutorials, then a bit of work on top.

    2nd year - averages about 23 hours per week
    3rd year - about 25 a week (you'll spend a LOT more time working than this though)
    4th year - 21 in semester 1 and 18 in semester 2. This does not include time you spend working on your project.

    workload

    first and second year are grand, you'll have a fair bit of time to yourself. Third and 4th year are VERY busy though. The hours are deceptive, you WILL be in from 9-5 at a bare minimum. A LOT more if you want to do well.


    impression of it
    It's a good course. If you're interested in how buildings stand it's a great route to go down. The lecturers are (with the exception of maybe 1 or 2) all very interested in their subject area and are very committed. They all tend to have a lot of experience in their area and delivery of material is good. It's not a course overly reliant on books - I bought 5 books over my entire time in the course. This may not seem like a significant point when you're in the middle of your leaving but in college it becomes one - the lecturers actually TEACH their material - they don't just reference the book.

    The construction sector may have slowed down (read: stopped) but even still I feel it's a good course and in the most part, a very well run and well respected course. It has it's glitches and problems, but so does every course.

    general quality of the course
    Excellent.


  • Registered Users Posts: 717 ✭✭✭Noodleworm


    Hey,
    I've just finished second year of Multimedia in DCU.
    If theirs anything someone wants to know that they can't find online give me a PM.


  • Registered Users Posts: 163 ✭✭markievicz


    Haven't seen my course mentioned so;

    BA Th (Theology) St. Pat's Maynooth/NUIM
    In first year you take two arts subjects alongside Theology which will be your main subject, in second year you drop one of the arts courses and continue until final year with your one arts subject and Theology. I took English and History in first year and dropped History in second year, continuing with English and Theology until I finshed the course.

    Hours p/w (modules)
    Theology was quite heavy going throughout the three years. In first year, I had four 'subjects' under Theology with different modules for each, they were Dogmatic Theology (kinda like the history of religion), Scripture (what it says on the tin really, we studied the some of the Gospels and the Old Testament), Moral Theology (this is actually really interesting, we studied loads of different things like sin & virtue, marriage etc etc basically the moral dilemmas facing Christians today) and the last is Liturgy which you only study in first year (as far as I can recall it was like the study of various Christian feasts etc). For Theology you will basically have 6 or 7 classes a week but you will have lots to do in between lectures. Tutorials are small and you're expected to hand up a summary of the topic every week. I'm kinda glad it was like that because it kept you on top of study etc etc.
    English was similar but I found as much work wasn't required during the year just at exam/essay time. I'll not say too much about my English course because it's changed from when I did it!

    My Opinion
    I found Theology to be a really really tough going subject. I absolutely hated it in first year and contemplated dropping out lots of times but by the time second year came around I started to get more interested (moral theology is a lot better after first year) and by the time I finished I loved it! It's difficult but if you put in the effort you'll be grand!The lecturers are lovely and there's always postgrads knocking around Loftus halls if you really need help!
    I always loved English and I'm teaching English so I may be a bit biased! I wasn't majorly excited by the course in first year but there were a good few modules I was interested in throughout the entire course. I loved the romanticism module and the Shakespeare module. Again, the lecturers in the English dept are lovely and will help you if you need it, so my golden advice for anyone, even if you're not doing this course is to ask for help if you need it!It will make college life a whole lot easier!
    I'm not really sure what else to say, if anyone has any questions feel free to PM!:D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 365 ✭✭dee o gee


    Just finished first year vet nursing at LYIT. If anyone wants any info or has any questions (no matter how silly you feel the question is) just PM me and I'l do my best to answer.


  • Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭PaperArchitect


    Course:
    BArch, Architecture, DIT Bolton st. 5 years

    Points:
    2010: 580

    You must sit a suitability test and if you pass you are invited to an interview. Both elements are marked out of 100, this is then added to your leaving cert results, basically you could get in on 380 leaving cert points if you receive full marks in test and interview although that would be very difficult to achieve. Basically you're safe with around 440.

    Number of students:
    Started off with a class list of 61 and about 55 now

    Hours:
    Lecture hours add up to about 10 a week, studio hours are 9 to 6 minimum every day with lectures in between. You can expect to stay in the studio until 9 coming up to deadlines and you'll be lucky if you can avoid the dreaded 'all-nighters'.

    Course Content:
    The first two to three weeks was all about improving our drawing skills. Although you don't have to fantastic at drawing in the beginning, it is expected that you improve your skills to communicate properly, drawing is seen as the language of architecture. You design with pencil and paper every day so if you work hard you'll see the improvements at the end of the year.

    In DIT, modules consisted of History of Architecture, Physics, Mechanics & Structures, Structural Engineering, Architectural Technology, Theory of Architecture, Computer Applications, Graphics, Environment and Services. Every week we also had a guest lecturer delivering a presentation/lecture on content relevant to our studio work.

    When you study Architecture anywhere, the studio is seen as the most important element of your education. It adds up to 70% of the years mark. Fail the studio and you fail the year. In the studio, projects are assigned by the year head. This year we had to design a small shelter in the first semester and a house and recycling centre in the second semester. Three weeks were also assigned to studying a well known house to accustom us to 'good' architecture.

    In the studio, architects sit with each student two to four times a week to help them with their projects. At the end of each week there is usually a group crit (critique/review) or 'pin-up' crit. This is where architects force you to move on or rethink what you're doing. In the beginning crits are very scary and you just want to leave but as the year progresses you look forward to them and they are really helpful. Usually (in first year anyway) crits are very laid back, the odd time you can come across someone horrible.

    Summary:
    Architecture is a really great subject to study but if you don't think it through properly you could end up running away even before the first crit. As well as designing and drawing, architecture is a very philosophical subject at times, some people enjoy the theoretical aspects to it, others don't. You don't need to be good at maths, contrary to common belief as you're studying to be an architect, not an engineer. You should however, be able to handle ordinary level LC maths for Mechanics, Structural Engineering and Physics. In year 4 and 5, you will also study Law and Professional Studies so that you can run your own firm. Being able to use a computer isn't too important in first year but in the following years, Photoshop and CAD are very important for the presentation stage of a project. Also don't worry about buying a laptop/PC in first year as it is not a necessity. Photography is also something many people use, a good camera is handy, especcially for the yearly trips abroad, this year we went to Porto.

    The course is also meant to be changing the a MArch, Masters in Architecture for incoming first years which means you would qualify with a Level 9. The final two years however, will probably be fee paying.

    Be preapared to put a lot of work in but it is very rewarding and the studio has a great atmosphere. Bolton st. has a good reputation for architecture so I would recommend it to anyone interested in studying the subject.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,220 ✭✭✭20 Times 20 Times


    Mr.Fun wrote: »
    Anybody done an accountancy honours degree? Do you get work experience during the course?

    Any info will be very helpful. Thank You

    Hey there , I have just finished my Ba Hons in Accounting and Finance in DkIT , And have enrolled on the Msc course in DIT. If you have any questions let me know. You can organise your own work experience which would be great to do with a credited training organisation. Many accountancy firms offer Internship during the summer.


  • Registered Users Posts: 222 ✭✭ourtrail


    I've completed my Bachelor of Commerce degree at NUI Galway this year, anyone need any info. just send me a PM and I will be more than glad to fill you in. Points for this course I would expect to remain at a similar level to recent years.


  • Registered Users Posts: 717 ✭✭✭Noodleworm


    I keep adding this in, I do Multimedia in DCU, going into my 3rd year, Ill PM if anyone has a question.

    Also advice to future LCs, go to open days. I can only tell you what college is like from my perspective, go see a college for yourself, meet people and see if you can imagine yourself going to college there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,965 ✭✭✭SarahBeep!


    0987654321 wrote: »
    Going out on a limb but does anybody do PE in UL?

    I do Science Ed in UL and have friends doing PE, what to you wanna know? :)
    0987654321 wrote: »
    Excellent! What the course is like? Content? Timatable/hours per week?
    Thanks so much!

    Tough but if you enjoy it won't seem half as bad, very physics, the lads have gymnastics modules, swimming modules, all sorts of stuff! Pretty full timetable compared to business/arts, 30ish hours a week??
    The education modules can be a bit boring but if you stick with it its really easy to get an A.

    Check out here for all the details, click on the course structure to give you an idea of what modules you'll have. Have you picked your elective yet?

    http://www.ul.ie/courses/PhysicalEducation.shtml


  • Registered Users Posts: 38 itzybitzyfitzy


    I just finished first year studying marketing at DIT if anyone has any qs feel free to PM me.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,068 ✭✭✭Iancar29


    IM studying Maths in DIT if anyone has any questions feel free to pm mise!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 302 ✭✭lallychops


    Law plus UL 2nd year. Pm and I'll tell you all you want to know :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭bscm


    icedtea wrote: »
    Anyone done Science in Trinity/UCD? What are the hours/difficulty like and how would it be for someone who's only studied physics for LC?

    I'm currently a JF in Science in TCD. Hours are a lot less than I expected. I'm doing Maths, Physics and Geography in the 1st Semester, and Geology in the 2nd Semester.

    From now until January, I have 18 hours a week. We have yet to get our tutorials but they will only bump it up to 20-odd hours a week, which still is nowhere near what I was expecting.

    Also, Science students typically have less writing "homework" than Arts students. We have lab reports once a week, essays rarely, and then assignments once or twice a week in some modules.

    The course isn't too difficult yet. If you're worried about Maths, we technically do "Maths for Science" so most of our course will be used, especially in Physics. TCD also offers a Maths Helpdesk where you can drop in during certain hours and get help on anything you're stuck on from more experienced students and whoever else may be around.

    You can start Biology or Chemistry from scratch if you want. TCD runs a preliminary Chemistry course the week before Fresher's Week to help anybody who hasn't studied it or was weak in it. But you do have to bear in mind, 60%+ of the year usually have studied Biology, and Chemistry is known to be challenging, so Geography is a good option if you plan on doing a Physics degree.

    I only did Physics also, as did a few others in my year. You'll be grand :)

    Any other questions PM me


  • Registered Users Posts: 467 ✭✭Dave1711


    Im a 3rd year Microbiology student in UCC.
    PM if interested can tell you al about Biological and Chemical Sciences too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,776 ✭✭✭Big Pussy Bonpensiero


    Froebel student (Primary teaching). PM me if you want info :) Will reply as soon as I see it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 650 ✭✭✭Gordon Gecko


    Dentistry - Trinity. Drop me a PM, especially if you're thinking of putting it down as a back-up for Medicine.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6 sineadx


    im doing general nursing in DCU into 2nd yr now .. anyone with any questions your more then welcome to mail me about it :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 244 ✭✭njd2010


    God I forgot about this thread, I remember thinking last year how cool it would be to finally be able to post in it.... anyway:

    First year Law Plus in UL :D There's already a second year up there but sure throw me a PM too if you fancy a chat!

    Oh, and feel free to throw me a PM about what it's like to move away from home to go to college if you want!
    Best thing you could do, college life is far more amazing when you're living with other students!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭norwegianwood


    Could any body tell me about the following courses please!

    Midwifery - UCC
    Arts --> History, Irish, French (UCC, UCD, NUIG, Mary I, NUIM, TCD)
    Food / Nutritional Sciences (UCC, UCD)
    Primary Teaching (Mary I)
    Home Ec teaching (St. Angela's)

    :):):)

    Hi! I'm in first year nutritional science in UCC. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, its a very difficult course, and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if I'd still choose it now. For first year anyway, its basically a general science degree, with a fairly disappointing amount of nutrition. If you do chemistry though, you should be fine. If not I'd strongly advise against it as chemistry makes up a very large part of the course and they teach it assuming that everyone's done it for leaving cert. I didnt do chem and I'm struggling, even those that did do it find it very difficult. And I should probably warn you that it's not that easy to get into dietetics if that's what youre interested in, there are a lot of dieticians out there with very few jobs, and you'd want a first class honours to even stand a chance. I originally wanted to be a dietician but seeing how difficult it is I'm gearing towards something in food science now. Sorry if this all sounds really pessimistic, I have heard the course gets more interesting in 3rd and 4th year..there is the 6 months paid work experience in 3rd year which is a big benefit obviously. Hope this helped, if you have any more questions feel free to pm me :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 105 ✭✭happyfish


    Anyone do OT or Speech and Languge therapy In NUIG or primary teaching in Mary I? :)
    I'm doing clinical speech and language studies in Trinity:) PM me if you want advice.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 40 Rahc


    In Final Year of Event Management in DIT - I've been offered a job with one of the Big 4 so it's not just for people with an interest in events. It's primarily a business degree with lots of management, marketing and accounting subjects. Feel free to PM me if you want more details on the course


  • Registered Users Posts: 24 C_S_OBrien


    Doing French and Spanish in TCD - in first year- if anyone wants info on that


  • Registered Users Posts: 16 RarestSolanum


    If anybody is considering doing Video Games Dev in Carlow IT shoot me a pm with any questions.

    I'm only in first year, but I can probably answer most queries.


  • Registered Users Posts: 527 ✭✭✭wayhey


    Can someone please tell me about either of these courses if you have done one of them?

    Course: Medicine

    University: Trinity College Dublin

    Duration: 5 Years

    Current Year:: 1st Year

    So.. where to start? Medicine is not like other courses. Generally my days are 9 to 5. In my first semester I had one afternoon off or one late start (11am) so it wasn't too bad. I have 3 modules: Human Form and Function, Evolution of Life and Human Development & Behavioural Science. There's nothing like writing essays regularly and handing them up. We do some small group work twice a week where we meet up and discuss what we've looked up. Otherwise we're just expected to study on our own time.

    Trinity is a little different to other Irish medical schools in that each module is taught independently of the other. For example, we started out doing central nervous system physiology but we were doing the arm in anatomy. I've heard that other colleges have more overlap, but to be honest I haven't found that it makes a huge difference and if anything I like that you can switch over to something else if you're getting bored of reading about one thing. Apparently it ties together better next semester anyway.

    I chose Trinity because of its course content, location, affiliated hospitals and good reputation internationally. I also did not want to do Pre Med. The size of the student body means that there is always something on if you do decide to take a night off :) I'm glad that I go to a place with such a mix of students. I cannot imagine now being somewhere like RCSI with only health science students - it's great to meet people with interests different to your own and forget about your course for a while. The new Biomedical building on Pearse St. is amazing, the labs are second to none.

    We get no "practical" clinical experience really until 3rd Year. The closest we've had has been a visit with a family of a newborn baby, something I've really enjoyed doing. We'll have some lectures in James' from next year.

    Our main subjects are Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry. It's nice to have some practical classes that break up being at the books.

    I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that the material we cover in Medicine is not hard. It's just the sheer volume of it, there is so so much. Regular study has pretty much become part of our lives. I think that you could do very well in exams if you consistently did 2-3 hours every day. It is a big transition and I am sure that the exams I just did have been the worst I have ever sat in my life! (EDIT: The Leaving Cert can be a lot more stressful, I mean that it's my worst exam performance ever, overall the exams we have are very fair) It's just a very different style of learning where you have to take more personal responsibility, find what works for you and try to cut out irrelevant material yourself. I worked hard and still did badly - I've learned an awful lot about effective studying in college though, what works and what doesn't :)

    Regardless of what course you do, I think you have to like what you are studying. I absolutely love my course - no matter how stressful it gets learning off so much information, I just absolutely love it. It's always interesting and you can just keep reading about some topics forever and ever when you go to Google them :) I love learning about the body and how it works, and what happens when things go wrong, essentially. I love that I will be able to use my degree to help people and know that I'll have made a difference to somebody (assuming I pass exams.... :P )

    If you can say you like your course, whatever the course, that's all that matters, especially with such an intensive course as Medicine.


  • Registered Users Posts: 41 FeckinUsername


    I am currently studying Veterinary Medicine in UCD (3rd year), if anyone has any questions or queries PM me!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,901 ✭✭✭Gunslinger92


    First year Law and Society in DCU :D Any questions welcome :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 747 ✭✭✭Aragneer


    I'm doing Languages, Literature and Film in UL, first year. It's similar to all the other language courses, including the language aspects of Arts and applied languages so if you wish to learn more then feel free to PM me.

    I do English and German :)

    Hope I can help some of you!


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Appartently the RCSI and UCC courses are much more modern and updated than the Trinity one. I'm in your boots tbh:') Look at the UCC forum where I posted about Pharmacy and the replies I got. It may help your decisions. Good luck btw:D
    I'm currently a first year student Pharmacist in TCD. I don't know much about how RCSI and UCC handle things but as far as i'm concerned the course is pretty good.

    TCD itself is a great University. The facilities are modern, the campus has a certain charm to it and the lecturers are by and large brilliant.

    As for the course content, there's very little there that you could call "not updated" or irrelevant to the course.

    In first year you do

    Biochemistry - Taken with JF Medicine. You cover protein structure and function, enzymology, membranes and transporters, carbohydrate metabolism, cell division and the cell cycle and bioenergetics. All with a focus on the chemistry of what's going on and with a focus on the clinical relevance of everything involved. A pretty difficult module but thankfully there's a proteomics project worth 25%. The other 75% is examined in a end of year exam.

    Cellular & Molecular Biology
    - Taken with JF Science. A fairly broad module with a lot of content. It's more or less LC Biology in quite a bit more detail. Not that difficult though. In the lectures, you cover the cell and the molecular/chemical basis of life, genetics, embryology and microbiology. In the practicals, you learn about experimental error, how to use a spectrophotometer, protein purification/separation and analysis and microscopy. There are no lab reports required but there is a practical multiple choice question exam worth 22% and two in-term practical assessments worth 11%. The other 67% is examined in May where you write two 3-4 page essays and answer short questions.

    Physiology
    - Taken with JF Radiation Therapy. You cover all the different systems of the human body and how they interact with each other. Quite an interesting and detailed module but the exam is notoriously difficult. You do an online multiple choice test (Nowhere near as easy as it sounds) at the end of every system worth 10% overall and the other 90% is examined in May.

    Sources & Characteristics of substances used in medicinal products
    - A very interesting module. You cover some basics of organic chemistry like stereochemistry as well as many other topics such as the reaction mechanisms of relatively simple drugs like Aspirin or Acetaminophen. At the end of the module you're given a brief taster of what's in store in later years with a lecture on Paracetamol toxicity and treatment. The practicals almost directly relate to what's covered in the lectures and are almost all related to synthesis and purification. It's examined with 15% going on your lab reports, 5% on a fairly tough practical MCQ test, 10% on a (Minimum 15 page) report on a particular drug and the other 70% in the final exam.

    Physical Pharmacy
    - The physics of Pharmacy if you will. You start with learning about different physical phases, solubility (More complicated than you'd imagine and very useful for later practicals), stability of systems (Chemical kinetics essentially), thermodynamics, ionisation and partitioning, drug absorption and distribution, interfaces and surfaces (What happens at the boundary between a drug particle and a liquid e.t.c.), adsorption and surface films and surfactants. The practicals are very simple to carry out but very challenging when it comes to the lab reports. It is examined through 15% lab reports and 85% final exam.

    Discovery, Separation & Isolation of substances used in medicinal products
    - I only started this module last week so I'll have to rely on what i've been told to expect. We'll cover Pharmaceutical analysis, spectroscopy (IR/UV Spectroscopy in particular) and all the different types of chromatography for Unit A. For Unit B, we cover drug discovery, introduction to pharmacognosy, classification of drugs, pharmacophores and receptor interactions, structure/activity relationships, inorganic medicinal compounds, transition and heavy metals in medicines and organisms. The practicals look interesting, they're mostly assays of drugs like aspirin or boric acid eye lotion with introductory practicals on the different types of chromatography. The exam looks like it involve chromatographic analysis of an alkaloid drug (Alkaloids are drugs like caffeine, morphine, cocaine, nicotine...). Examined with 10% lab reports, 10% lab exam and 80% written exam.

    Pharmaceutics
    - Quite an important module. The lectures and practicals all relate to compounding and making formulations such as solutions, suspensions, capsules, linctuses e.t.c. The lectures really only serve as a guide to the practical classes which are really the main focus of this module. You cover different dosage forms such as solutions, suspensions, capsules and so on in the lectures and you then prepare them in the practicals. The practical exam in this module has "Historically had a fail rate of around 50%" according to our lecturer. This is one of the modules that you can't compensate for and need to pass to move on to 2nd year. That said, it's probably going to be one of your more engaging modules. Essentially all you're told is "Make a formulation of drug X in form Y. Label it for use Z." and the rest is up to you. The practical exam is worth 40% and the written exam is worth 60% and both must be passed independent of each other. There is also 1 of 2 Pharmaceutical calculations exam that you need to get over 70% in to pass.

    Pharmaceutical calculations and mathematics
    - Taught by two schools. The school of Maths covers functions, differential/integral calculus, differential equations and linear algebra. The school of Pharmacy covers pharmaceutical statistics, derivations of rate laws related to chemical kinetics and prescription compounding calculations. There's a simple Excel exercise worth 4% and the other 96% is examined in a written exam. The second Pharmaceutical calculations test is in this module. The first part of this module is probably the only "irrelevant" section of the TCD course and even at that it's not exceedingly difficult.

    Practice of Pharmacy
    - Probably the most interesting module of them all. You start the year with ethics, the structure and laws of healthcare and the Pharmacist's place in Primary Care. Next up in the lectures is an introduction to Pharmaceutical care where you're introduced to topics like Pharmacology and Pathology. You then move on to practical classes (Which I enjoy) where you cover topics like communication skills (You're put in an observation room and have to do mock consultations) and clinical skills where you cover topics such as responding to requests for medicines and diagnosing common illnesses. There are also dispensing classes but they're only introductory for first year. There's also a 3000 word dissertation on a particular Pharmacy related topic every year. The module is examined with 80% written exam, 10% dissertation and other 10% practical exam. You need to pass each section of this module independent of the other to progress to 2nd year.

    Integrated Pharmacy studies
    - A problem-based learning module that I haven't started yet. Your group is assigned a problem related to Pharmacy and you have to solve it and present your solution to the rest of your class. You're only graded satisfactory or not satisfactory and you need to pass this module to move on to second year.

    As you can see, it's a fairly challenging but very rewarding course. You'll be in 9-5 before Christmas and 9-6 after Christmas with at least 9 hours of practicals every week. There are many assignments dotted throughout the year that you'll also need to work on. That said, it's an incredibly good course and i'd recommend it without hesitation. You'll love it. If you've any questions about the course just ask :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 478 ✭✭revz


    To follow on with the pharmacy post above, I can give an account of RCSI pharmacy, so people can compare them and see what the differences are in each course!

    I'm currently in 2nd year. RCSI is the newest school of pharmacy in the country, the course is really interesting and I've really enjoyed my time in the college. (I'm gonna keep this post to info on the course, if you have any questions about the college itself PM me. I remember I was kinda nervous about coming to RCSI, it's a small college but I've loved it! Also it is not a private college :p)

    The course is still undergoing some minor changes each year they bring in due to feedback on how the course can be improved, so I'm basing this on 2010. The year before us had a statistics module, but some of this was felt to be unnecessary for pharmacy students, so the important parts were condensed into our pharmaceutics module.

    In first year you do:

    Intro to General, Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry - Done with both foundation year med & physio students. As it is intended as only an introduction, this starts off being very similar to LC chemistry, but ends up being a step above that level. You have a general introduction, and then apply what you've learned to medicinal cases, e.g. lectures on the structure & bonding of anti-cancer drugs, learning about covalent bonding in physiologically important compounds. You finish with some in detail lectures on organic chemstry.

    Pharmaceutics - You learn about factors affecting why drugs (the chemicals) are formulated into their dosage form (i.e. why they're a tablet or why they're a solution). It's quite introductory, but you learn some important things which help later on, like how you can increase solubility of certain compounds etc. 3-4 lectures are on pharmaceutical calculations, and some statistics which are thought to be useful, e.g. how to use median & standard deviation values in interpreting a group of patients blood results etc.

    Anatomy - I think we're the only school of pharmacy that does this. I thought I'd hate it, but I ended up loving it! You learn about the different organs and blood & nerve supplies in certain parts of the body. The reasoning behind us doing this is if we are later working in a group with doctors/nurses in a hospital setting and anatomical structures are being discussed we'd have an idea of what they're on about....or so I think. (They emphasise teamwork between the different healthcare professionals a lot in college!).
    This also involves 3-4 labs in the anatomy room! :D I thought I'd absolutely hate being in with the cadavers, but ended up thinking it was a great experience. You don't dissect anything, but rather have a demonstrator show you what you've learned in the lectures. You can still feel/inspect the organs if that what you'd like! (Not for the weak-stomached!)

    Physiology I - Cellular physiology. You learn about differing cell structures and processes in the body linked to this. From a little bit about the immune system, to the different types of muscle cells, to electrolyte absorption in the gut.

    Physiology II - More like Biophysics. You learn about how gases are exchanged in the body, the forces exerted by the heart in cardiac output and electrolyte + pH balance systems in the body.

    Professional Skills - A module on an introduction to certain skills & various information you will need as a pharmacist. You learn about things like ethics, health & safety, and various information sources you will need about drugs & drug interactions. Involves a project you present to the class on something pharmacy-related.

    Semester 2:

    Chemical Processes Involved in Biological System, Metabolism & in Behaviour of Drugs - Mainly organic chemistry, you learn about different organic molecules, and focus on things like carbohydrate structure & metabolism. Also includes lectures on amino acids, hormones & neurotransmitters & a case on aspirin and how it works in the body.

    Factors Controlling Biological Phenomena - They gave this module a misleadingly awesome name. It's mainly physical chemistry applied to systems in the body, such as rates of reactions & chemical kinetics! You learn about osmosis & others processes which occur in the body. There's also lectures on calorimetry and electrochemistry.

    Microbiology Theory - This was a big module! You learn about the physiology of different microbes, moving on to antibiotic resistance, and learning about the different infections caused by microbes, CNS infections, UTIs, RTIs, and a delightfully graphic lecture on STIs :pac:
    It also includes a group project on a Microbiology-related topic. (Mine was on HIV)

    Microbiology Practice - The practical side, you have a lab each week & must type up a lab report. After the lecture-heavy theory side, it comes as a bit of a welcome break. You learn more about analytical assay techniques, and how important a sterile lab is, and ways of achieving sterility.

    Disperse Systems - This is the follow on module from the first Pharmaceutics module. You learn about surface tension and how drugs are incorporated into systems with surfactants etc. You learn about suspensions & emulsions, and the reasons why these are made for different drugs. You finish learning about rheology, which is the physics behind how these systems flow.

    Medicines from Concept to Patient - Follow on from Professional Skills. You get an introduction to drug discovery, and learn a bit about pharmacognosy, pharmacology & then finish with an introduction to pharmacist prescribing, and see examples of prescriptions and the legal requirements they must have to be valid. We also did a project with medical students on a cystic fibrosis case.

    I can't remember the lab/exam marking breakdown, and I know some of it has changed for each module this year. A general guide is that the Chemistry-type modules have chemistry labs, i.e. getting % yields of chemicals etc., and the pharmaceutics modules have labs that involve making the dosage forms you learn about, including valid labels (Often the lab involves a prescription being presented to you, you fill the prescription and attach the label with the information a label needs to be valid).
    For most modules there is some continuous assessment, generally the labs count for 10%, and most modules have an MCQ worth 10% a month or so before your exams. Christmas exams are after xmas, usually consisting of a 30 minute MCQ and then an hour and a half of written questions.
    The projects count for between 20-40% I think. Exams must be passed independent of your continuous assessment grade. And the pass mark for pharmacy is 50% in every college I believe!

    Second year has been even better I think! A lot of hours, and it was quite hard, but the course content was very interesting, particularly the "Professional Skills"-type module we've done. I'll just do a quick summary of it since 1st year would be more important to people looking at this (I think).
    Biochemistry - Covered immunology, metabolism (Including the liver & drug metabolim) & clinical chemistry.
    Pharmacology - Covered drug targets, receptor interactions & pharmacokinetics
    Oral Solid Dose Forms - Pharmaceutics module, covers oral powders, tablets & capsules.
    Topical, Transdermal & Suppository Formulations - Another pharmaceutics module, covers creams/pastes/lotions & transdermal patches + new technologies, & suppository + pessary formulations.
    Analysis of Drugs - Analytical chemistry, covers IR spectra, UV-Vis spectra, NMR techniques and how they can be used to identify drugs.
    Patient Care & Medicines Management - Professional module, covers what modern pharmacy is like & what the future holds for pharmacy. Learn about the various services pharmacies provide, such as contraception (Including morning after pill in quite some detail due to it being available without prescription now), the season flu vaccine, smoking cessation, blood glucose monitoring etc. We did one lab in this where I got my blood-glucose level taken, my blood cholesterol level taken, my blood pressure taken and did a glucose tolerance test. Thankfully I'm OK. :)

    Think I've covered most of what the course is like so far (I'm currently on my break after xmas exams!) If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,116 ✭✭✭Professional Griefer


    Doing Computer Science in UCC, only first year at the moment, but if any one has any questions about it feel free to pm me for more information.


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