Who is/will be studying what?

ApeXaviour

Triceradon wrote:

hrmm planning your masters before u start college? lol thats a bit of 'too well thought out' planning give ye 4yrs of drink'n on that plan n see what it looks like

Yeah actually your right! When I was in his shoes I wanted to do microbiology!!!

What the fruck was I thinking?

Nietzschean

lol meh sister's in 4th yr of dat - looks horrible

MacXP_Irl

Back in my day...[FLASHBACK] the physics lectures were all terrible in TP, they rushed material, they over ran time slots, stuff wasn't explained properly, notation was often completely different from the notation in the maths modules making any sort of mental bridge building difficult at best. Labs were awful too, well not so much the labs, they were kinda fun, trying to make the outdated equipment work, hitting on the female postgrads...anyway back to the subject, they just took up a disproportionate amount of time with all the write ups. Oh another thing, we had quantum computers out in DIAS and a joint "modern topics in TP" class out in UCD, all that travelling was awkward. [/FLASHBACK]

Anyway what I'm trying to say is that no matter how many ppl you talk to, lecturers, former TPs councillors, or open days you go to nothing will prepare you for the physics component of TP. I just hope they've picked up their game since I've left. Don't get me wrong, its a great course there's just a LOT of work in it.

Nietzschean

MacXP_Irl wrote:

Oh another thing, we had quantum computers out in DIAS

thats a maths course if i'm not mistaken.....


And from my time there there and what the TP beside me agree's with, physics lectures are still the same load of tripe....

...Though labs are worse than u describe so i'm told...

ApeXaviour

Hmm.. your maths lectures must be really good then. Cos the physics lectures and labs were my favourite among my 3 subjects (the other to being sci-maths and chemistry).. Considering I'd be in at least 90% of the same lectures as the TPs and do the exact same labs (tho at different times). Maybe it's just my (our) enthusiasm or affinity for the subject.

Nietzschean

apexaviour wrote:

Hmm.. your maths lectures must be really good then. Cos the physics lectures and labs were my favourite among my 3 subjects (the other to being sci-maths and chemistry).. Considering I'd be in at least 90% of the same lectures as the TPs and do the exact same labs (tho at different times). Maybe it's just my (our) enthusiasm or affinity for the subject.

TP:
the gulf between the maths lectures and the physics lectures is so huge!!! The maths lecturers get more time to give a very concise explanation of things and can go more indepth in detail and background where as physics is all rush rush rush with little content or detail.

ApeXaviour

Triceradon wrote:

TP:
the gulf between the maths lectures and the physics lectures is so huge!!! The maths lecturers get more time to give a very concise explanation of things and can go more indepth in detail and background where as physics is all rush rush rush with little content or detail.

It is!? I have to say I never had that impression.. Maybe the odd lecturer. Who did you have??? Cos you'da been in my year Trice. Honestly, if you can even remember what they looked like I'd like to know so I can corroborate/dispute it.

I don't mean anything by this ok, I'm just being honest. But the general concession among the natural sci students is that the most worthless lectures were the ns-maths ones (I realise yours are different, I'm just telling my story).. The stuff was un-followable... All these diagrams and theories that seemed really out there and made little sense. In the end they were utterly useless for us.. When ya look at the paper (which are written by the lecturers) they aren't that hard. Get a good book and learn how to do the questions.. I can honestly say I learned absolutely nothing in any maths lecture I've ever been to, but I did fine in the exams..

Nietzschean

well your experence is the same as pritty much every ns student then with the maths, always saying the lectuers are boring, I don't know maybe ours doing like teaching the more basic material, or might go over your heads in assumptions of what you know making it hard to follow. But for the most part i've found my lecturers to be v. good.

TP:
i concur with my friend above. the physics lecturers all had a plan, we'll get through this amount of stuff, no more usually less and that is what will be on the exam and it could be completely different from last year which would lead to the question are they teaching the stuff which is most important to know or the stuff that that particular lecturer likes or values, no strict guidelines for first year and then other strict guidelines for 2nd etc.

MacXP_Irl

prime example JMD Coey! or how about Weaire! (tho he was just crazy). @Apexaviour, I wouldn't say it was my (or any other TPs) enthusiasm for the more hands on side of things because I'm doing a research masters in materials science now.

ApeXaviour

Never had coey, but I had weaire. I know where you're coming from with him. But there are plenty of good lecturers there too.. Mauro, Finchy, Werner Blau (he's a nut too, but he reminds me of santa so he's cool), Sarah McMurry, McGilp. These are all skilled and quality lecturers IMO. There are others who are so-so: Iggy, Bradley, Espey, Lunney. They're not great but they I wouldn't say they were useless. They may account for what yous were saying. But for the above "good" lecturers, I can't say any have rushed material or left details out in my experience.

About the affinity/enthusiasm thing, that wasn't what I meant. I'm not sure what I did mean but it after reading it back it comes off wrongly.. I mean who would pic TP if they didn't like physics? I'm not gonna bother editing it tho cos yis have read it already..

Sorry, but my experience of TP was just of boring lecturers, who only cared about their "best students" (i.e. those who got over 7 A1's in the leaving)

Needless to say, most of the class who started there had gone at the end of the year, be in into maths, engineering, or dropped out altogether.

Nietzschean

hrmmm West's class was deadly, who can forget that day with one of those 'special' students completely ****ing up the easiest question on teh board? made it all worth while.....

Boston

Triceradon wrote:

hrmmm West's class was deadly, who can forget that day with one of those 'special' students completely ****ing up the easiest question on teh board? made it all worth while.....

TP's have batman as well, he was a spanner of the highest degree, whats this about "special" Students.

Nietzschean

hrmm don't remember batman, but its been a while since my TP days...

and yeah twas a tutorial thing in firstyear the smartest had to do the homework up on the board every week....which resulted in them being the only ones who did it.

it was kinda insulting, but well worth it for that one day.....West was class, let her go on for ages before correcting her...then the class clown type guy corrected her...twas deadly

PrecariousNuts

Ace_Rimmer wrote:

Sorry, but my experience of TP was just of boring lecturers, who only cared about their "best students" (i.e. those who got over 7 A1's in the leaving)

Ugh, please someone tell me that it isn't like this at all. Surely no one gives a damn if you got a million A1's in every language known to man as long as you got a B3 in maths and physics like the course requires?

Nietzschean

hrmm wasn't aware of anyone in my year getting a B3 in maths....
nearly everyone has an A1....

though really it don't matter as the maths are very different than lc maths

Well be prepared for maths parties, mathsoc meetings, scary haircuts and more...

Oh, and if you have any sense of fun, join societies OUTSIDE MATHSOC + PHYSOC

PrecariousNuts

Ace_Rimmer wrote:

Well be prepared for maths parties, mathsoc meetings, scary haircuts and more...

Oh, and if you have any sense of fun, join societies OUTSIDE MATHSOC + PHYSOC

Wait, you just said it was a boring course with boring lecturers?

Triceradon wrote:

hrmm wasn't aware of anyone in my year getting a B3 in maths....
nearly everyone has an A1....

though really it don't matter as the maths are very different than lc maths

I got an A1 in maths and physics myself, I was just trying to make the point as to why a lecturer would care what results you got in any other subject. Ace_Rimmer was saying that the lecturers only really cared about their "best students" (i.e. those who got over 7 A1's in the leaving)

why a lecturer would care what results you got in any other subject.

Yes...but "Team West" were selected none the less.

TP has a huge drop out rate in a such a small space of time: therefore it becomes survival of the fittest, with the lecturers feeding the bigger fish...

(and yes, we're gonna need a bigger boat)

Nietzschean

PrecariousNuts wrote:

Wait, you just said it was a boring course with boring lecturers?

Well most of the lectuers can seem rather boring, thankfully alot of them improved last year, so won't be something u'll experence(as much).

I got an A1 in maths and physics myself, I was just trying to make the point as to why a lecturer would care what results you got in any other subject. Ace_Rimmer was saying that the lecturers only really cared about their "best students" (i.e. those who got over 7 A1's in the leaving)

Well some of us(me being one) found that insulting alright, i got A1's in maths, physics and applied maths....what use any other subject would be go figure...

but none the less it was feed the bigger fish, anyway that lecturer is retired now.

PrecariousNuts

Was it just one lecturer doing that? If so it's good to hear that he's gone.

Nietzschean

ummmm well they are never quite 'gone' , he's still an associate professor in the dept, and has arguebly the best office in it also.

ah all the lectuers have their quirks.......and not really considering he was a good lectuer and set a lovely exam.

sleepingbeauty

Never had coey, but I had weaire. I know where you're coming from with him. But there are plenty of good lecturers there too.. Mauro, Finchy, Werner Blau (he's a nut too, but he reminds me of santa so he's cool)

Blau is sooo like santa isnt he?! some of us think he's more like a weird teddy bear. anyway all in all the physics lecturers arent too bad, and the dept is pretty organised compared to some of the other sciences.

and yeah twas a tutorial thing in firstyear the smartest had to do the homework up on the board every week....which resulted in them being the only ones who did it.

i hated that board thing...the guy we had just picked on two or three of us every week and ignored the rest- very annoying but i guess the tutorials werent so bad, they were really handy towards the end of the year when everyone realised how little we actually knew for the exam!

Nietzschean

blankcanvas wrote:

Blau is sooo like santa isnt he?! some of us think he's more like a weird teddy bear. anyway all in all the physics lecturers arent too bad, and the dept is pretty organised compared to some of the other sciences.

I pity u lot so.

i hated that board thing...the guy we had just picked on two or three of us every week and ignored the rest- very annoying but i guess the tutorials werent so bad, they were really handy towards the end of the year when everyone realised how little we actually knew for the exam!

What course is it u do?

ApeXaviour

SkyLynx wrote:

I pity u lot so.

Cos the dept. is organised?

Whaddyamean trice? I mean Sky, u changed your name...

Everything is confusing today.. especially those japanese katakana..

Nietzschean

He said relativly organised, and well in my experence the organisation was tripe, so god help ye in the other dept's u've to deal with.

Nietzschean

when ur repeats start?(meh got exam in oooo 9hrs..)

ApeXaviour

SkyLynx wrote:

when ur repeats start?(meh got exam in oooo 9hrs..)

In a week, monday, wed and fri. I'm seriously sh1ttin it..

Best of luck with yours tomorrow man..

Nietzschean

as am i, take a wild guess where i am.........
tried the whole sleep thing but that wasn't happening so came back.........

ty

MacXP_Irl

SkyLynx wrote:

hrmmm West's class was deadly, who can forget that day with one of those 'special' students completely ****ing up the easiest question on teh board? made it all worth while.....

Yeah they were worth the early starts just to watch someone that wasn't me squirm up there, ah the memories.
Blau is Santa, he just dies the beard at christmas. Honestly he is one of the soundest ppl up there. He was head of physics in my final year, gave me a nice reference for my postgrad.
It's true abou team West, he had 3 or so students that he gave all the interesting problems and attention to, pretty much talked down to the rest of us, as someone else said all the A1's in the world in physics, maths and applied maths (like moi heeeheee) not worth a damn in classes like that because the maths is so different, handy in mechanics though.
@Triceradon, I'd forgotten Quantum computing is a maths course, it was just taught so hurridly and amateurish I thought it was physics!