DCU Computer Applications!! Any1 doing it?

Sarunas

VinnyL wrote:

and you get a cool t-shirt. :rolleyes:

very nerdy society from what i see... like TOO nerdy!

A friend of mine said that the people in comp department are strange, to strange. Guess we will have to wait and see.

BlackWizard

Hey Sarunas your not gonna be that easy to spot cause im 6ft3inc also and athletic(skinny) so.......Your not alone. I also heard the social side is not quite as obvious in DCU as in most colleges but if we make friends it will turn out to be great! Does anyone live as far away as Palmerstown or am i gonna be the only one gettin TWO! buses every morning??

Draupnir

The people in CA arent strange at all, its pretty much run of the mill, ordinary joes. You wont see a lot of oddballs or nerdy types, and these guys tend to be sound. There arent any assholes around, everyone just has a great bit of laugh with their own mates. I personally love the craic in DCU, its what you make of it as others have said. Join a club or something to make friends if you have to.

as for the two bus thing, that shouldnt be a big problem, loads of guys I know come from blanchardstown and dont find it too bad

BlackWizard

oh and unlike L.C maths the C.A maths actually means something to us. So we will hopefully be interested in everything we come accross. Thats how im looking at it and if it turns out to be pointless maths like in the L.C, well im gonna find it tedious and boring.........Party time soon YES!

BlackWizard

Yeah the soccer club and Basketball and Paintball if u have one. They are the ones im interested in at the moment

Draupnir

its pretty much higher level LC maths in first year, they just wanna get everyone to the same level. its not to hard to pass though.

halenger

Repli wrote:

Thats bull. Most of the maths they teach in comp science is nothing like leaving cert. (Graph theory, logic, number systems, relations, modelling software, etc) I sure dont remember learning any of that stuff in the leaving cert.

Well the maths we did was very leaving cert like. Set theory was easy alright but there was differentiation, a whole module on Linear Algebra and Vectors. Logic is a module in itself but first year maths is quite like leaving cert maths, unless I'm remembering someone elses life. :P

BlackWizard

Are the teachers good? easy to talk to and ask questions? I dont mind if some are **** cause im come from one of the worst schools in Dublin

Sarunas

mise_me_fein wrote:

the whole atmosphere in the place is cráp.

I could sence that on the open day, and didnt really like the head of the computer department (prof. joe morris). Uctually i nearly dicided not to go because the place was crap until i went to look around once more. There was a lecturer ( Dr John McKenna) whom i have met before in higher option in september in RDS. He remember me. I had a chat with him for some time, and i changed my mind about dcu.

Some lectures are boring (i was told by a 4th (or 3rd) year student the prof. joe's java lectures are boring, and he was actually afraid to say it, but in the end he said they were still good), but there job is to teach and not to be interesting, but some have these qualities naturaly, its upto one to decide how he/she will reach to the information presented to him/her. Also its upto one to find activities/fun outside of learning, the uni can't bring all the fun to you and serve it on a plate, its up to yourself.

So what am basically saying, if one finds lecturers and the place boring, its mostly ones fault (uni is partially responsible to make sure that students are interested, but their power is limited).

Its up to one to decide how he will react to the college. Just my two cents .

halenger

It's not that hard though. Maybe I'm making it sound harder than it is.

They're very lenient. Continuous Assessment during the semester is great and they don't make things to hard in the exam which is only work about 55%. The other 45% is from 3 continuous assessments.

Enjoy when you get here anyhow!

No free t-shirt though with Redbrick. Buy your own!!

BlackWizard

I totally appreciate your two cents and thank you. Im off to get drunk..doesnt happen often9or often enough) so im gonna make sure i enjoy tonight Bye and thanks ya'll ill write here tomorrow letting u know exactly how many of my mates are going. 3 so far but more on their way i think, so we can compile a list of the entire class who surf boards

Sarunas

BlackWizard wrote:

Are the teachers good? easy to talk to and ask questions?

I found head of computer department prof. joe morris( http://www.computing.dcu.ie/~jmorris/) very hard to talk to, i found him very against the values that i believe in.

On the other hand (sorry but im still in the english comparative mode) Dr. John McKenna (http://www.computing.dcu.ie/~john/john.html) i found very easy to talk to, he accepted the hackerish values that i have, and i saw that he shares many of them. I hope that there are more lecturers in dcu like him.

Someone in dcu should know better which lecturers are kewl and sound. Once again, just my two cents .

CuLT

I live in Dublin, I'll get away with a 15 min walk to the 16 bus stop and then about an hour in. Still, a long haul, might try for res if I can.

You'll spot me easily enough, there's numerous photos of me online and I'm 6ft, skinneh and have a mop of curly brown hair. Unmissable.

Ciaran500

Sarunas wrote:

Right guys, how are we gonna know who is who? I can be easilly spotted, just look for a skinny guy who is 6' 3"...

Blackwizard is a skinny 6'3" guy with glasses and Smellyirishman is an even skinier 6'2" guy.

StickyMcGinty

Ciaran500 wrote:

Blackwizard is a skinny 6'3" guy with glasses and Smellyirishman is an even skinier 6'2" guy.

i'm glad thats cleared up so

trust me, you'll have a blast! i made so many friends last year and i was only in till crimbo.

i'll introduce ye!


seriousley though, you'll have a blast!

Smellyirishman

OK just got back.

Firstly the maths thing is bull, I did honours till x-mas and when I talked to the female head of CA she said "ah you will be perfectly fine so" and she said your OK with pass as long as you knuckle down a bit, I mean im not expecting to just breeze through the first year, but I dont expect to be in my house from 6pm-10pm studying!

Secondly, The points will go no lower than 300, this is a benchmark set so that messers dont get in (as the course is not easy, just unpopular for the last few years and they already have enough drops)

Thirdly , Yep looks like we all 6 foot something skinny fookers! Ill be the one in the leather jacket.

Fourth, Iv heard ill of the social aspect but im sure it is what you make of it, I know Im up for a laugh and aint just gonna drag myself through 4 years of school without talking to anyone!

P.S incase it hasent been noticed, me and wizard are both from palmerstown.

We need a boards meeting in the HUB!!

PPS, Will be PMing some of you veterans sometime im sure

PPPS also anyone going to DCU should meet up too! not just us DC121ers, But remember ALL YOUR POINTS ARE BELONG TO US

BlackWizard

Smelly was drunk when he wrote that. Id to walk him home from my house lol ..........he knows he is screwed for the maths! ha ha. Maths Smaths we will be all fine

Smellyirishman

Go to bed you bum!

Got an A1 in pass so I should be grand for the maths part, and at least we see it being put to use, not like we just plugging away at stupid questions for no end goal.

Now sleep Mr.Wizard, I cant my mam is in m bed reading cause my dad is snoring

Moonbeam

The points will depend on the demand so don't be too disappointed if they go up and you don't get it.

Sarunas

BlackWizard wrote:

Hey Sarunas your not gonna be that easy to spot cause im 6ft3inc also and athletic(skinny) so.......Your not alone. I also heard the social side is not quite as obvious in DCU as in most colleges but if we make friends it will turn out to be great! Does anyone live as far away as Palmerstown or am i gonna be the only one gettin TWO! buses every morning??

Few of my friends are hoping to do go to DCU (a mate of mine wanting to do theoritical physics, then his mate wanting to do genetics, and then few other people who hopefully will get in to comp app). Then few other people who are already in DCU, actually i met him in the early hours of the morning today, while waiting for a taxi, i was heavily drunk, but he said that he will be a mentor .

I live in laytown co. meath (just below drogheda), i will be getting a commuter train from laytown to connoly station(~1 hour), then get the bus(something like 30 min) to dcu, overall its like an hour and a half just to get to dcu. Me will have to travel for 3 hours a day...

mise_me_fein

You'd be better off gettin a bus and get off in Santry. It'd save u having to go into the city centre. If u have a car u'd do it in 30 mins easy.

Sarunas

mise_me_fein wrote:

You'd be better off gettin a bus and get off in Santry. It'd save u having to go into the city centre. If u have a car u'd do it in 30 mins easy.

I dont really like buses, they are slow + uncomphy.

That means i would have to get a train to something like malahide, then get the bus from there, get off at whitehall and walk to dcu, I still dont know, just gonna wait for the offer to come . will see what happens after few weeks.

Draupnir

Sarunas:

Joe Morris is a really nice guy, if you started on about hacker type topics then Im not surprised you didnt get a good reaction. He does a great module in data structures and algorithms aswell. best notes ive ever gotten from a lecturer. Dont know if he still teaches now that he is head of school though. Plus he is very helpful if you screw up and get into some sort of trouble. He is very willing to help.

John McKenna is pretty cool too, he supervised my 3rd year project.

All in all, most of the lecturers are sound, 95% I would say have been very willing to help and talk. Of course, there are always a few bogeys.

Sure if nothing else, you can spend a year surfing the internet for free on a super high speed line.

-oRnein9-

Yeah I'm hoping to get in, top of me cao, I will be fairly pissed off if I don't scrape it with 315points though maybe see some of you's there, I would have to get 2 buses also or maybe a bus and a train,I'm in Leixlip, oh yeah I wouldn't be too concerned about the maths got and A2 in pass and enjoy doing a bit of maths, maybe could have done hons.
All the best
Richy.

Sarunas

Draupnir wrote:

Sarunas:

if you started on about hacker type topics then Im not surprised you didnt get a good reaction.

It depends on what is your definition of a "hacker", i didnt started talking about "cracking" i.e. breaking into computer systems for criminal purposes, but of a playing around hacker who likes to play and explore computers and the posibilities they can offer. And personally I dont see anything wrong with that, do you?

See these for more info then tell me is there anything wrong with that?

http://dir.salon.com/tech/fsp/2000/05/16/chapter_2_part_one/index.html
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/hacker-history/hacker-history.html
http://catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/meaning-of-hack.html
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-revenge.html
http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/ (reading all of it is useful and interesting, read chapter 1 especially)
http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html

Sarunas

#ifndef DISCLAIMER
#include <disclaimer.h>
#endif

what Draupnir is saying about prof. morris may be true, and probably is since he is finished the degree or in a 4th year. I discribed my own personal impression after talking to him for a few minutes (10 or so), and that impression might (and probably is) wrong, so i hope no one gets offended or any of the other things that could follow it.

I'll be more than happy to change my impression(s) of prof. morris and other lecturers once i'm in dcu.

BlackWizard

When do we get our offers sent out to us? ive Comp.App in DCU as my no.1 choice. I got 330 points. Should i be worried about not getting in? Im not really worried at all so if anyone is about to tell me to BE worried for some reason or other please keep it to yourself;)

CuLT

It's safer to be worried .

First round offers are available online at 6a.m. Monday. (well, they were available at 6a.m. last year)

I got 355, in 2002 the points for this course were 350, 2003 it went to 300. It's possible that it could go back up to 350 or higher which has me a bit worried.

I hope to **** UCD arts doesn't drop by 20 points in the first round or I'll be doing that instead of Comp Apps, and I'm really quite looking forward to Comp Apps.

Smellyirishman

It could drop CULT, hopefully it wont but sadly it could.

I dont think the course will fill up this year and so I doubt the points will go up, if you look it has decreased for the last 3-4 years from 4xx to 360 to 350 to 300

CuLT

Aye, I know it could

Somehing of a dilemma for me as I've a friend who got the same points as me but she wants to do Arts... So that's why I'm hoping it doesn't go down more than 15 in the first round, but DOES go down by the 2nd, 3rd round etc.

After all, it's the Final round that really counts, that's what's eventually listed as the minimum points.