Open Day this Friday

ccd

I'am attending the open day this friday. What I need to know is if thee is anything I should be on the look out for. I'am intending to return to collage after years in the wilderness that is the private sector. Is there any questions I NEED to ask????

Riamfada

Yeah a few questions you need to ask

1)Who designed this place? That Guy Loved Grey Concrete

2)Why does that beardy Art student down the SU Shop smell so?

3)How much for a ****ing cup of coffee?

4)Did I see somthing moving in the lake?

Ah no seriously , enjoy . Im sure you will be greeted by Hugh Brady hunched like a troll , rubbing his hands and licking his lips at the tought of seeing your juicy mature student wallets.

Ruskie4Rent

And a word of warning! those swans at the lake may look friendly, but from previous experience they are very, very angry birds. Best to throw your lunch away and start running, if you have a nice anough lunch they won't chase you.

ccd

Cheers lads for all the advice :rolleyes:

Who is Hugh Brady

Chinafoot

He's the President of the college.

What course are you intending to do? Your questions, and our advice, would probably depend on that info.

ccd

I'am looking ideally to do a course ineither Economics or Applied Maths.

Riamfada

Ah in all honesty you will Love UCD. Its great crack despite our (my) mumblings

zap

the open day on Friday will be very business like and will only deal with course info, if you want to get some sense of what is UCD attend the full open days in March.

Red Alert

hugh brady is not a nice man. all you need to know.

Vorsprung

Are young ones going to be knocking around all the campuses (or is it campi?) on Friday? I have enough distractions without kids making noise!! Need to get some work done!

Pythia

ccd wrote:

I'am looking ideally to do a course ineither Economics or Applied Maths.

Well Applied Maths would be called Maths Physics. Don't think you can do it on its own though. You'd have to go in through science then specialise as far as I know. Or go in through Maths Science or Theoretical Physics.

zap

think its friday evening just in o'reilly hall not like the proper open day in march

rainbow kirby

Pythia wrote:

Well Applied Maths would be called Maths Physics. Don't think you can do it on its own though. You'd have to go in through science then specialise as far as I know. Or go in through Maths Science or Theoretical Physics.

Correct... maths physics is brainhurting stuff!

Red Alert

Engineering is good craic, in fact most of UCD is a good laugh. apart from one or two very vocal members of this board most people end up having a great time.

panda100

I hear the maths and economic teaching is pretty damn good-a mate of mine did actuary here and he used to say so.UCD is a pretty cool place all in all i must admit

LovelyHurling

panda100 wrote:

I hear the maths and economic teaching is pretty damn good-a mate of mine did actuary here and he used to say so.UCD is a pretty cool place all in all i must admit

Hot girls in actuary. Its actually better than any other course cos even though B and L is good, you get an awful bad mix in there as well. Actuary is more of a narrow range of hotness

Edit: Physiotherapy just tips ahead of actuary

panda100

But there is more to a coures than how hot the girls are.Dont judge a book by its cover and just go for the course you like!

LovelyHurling

Thats all very well and good at the start, but when you get to your you know, zillionth lecture in i dont know economies of eastern europe or whatever, and you just cant be bothered, do you want to be looking around the room at hot girls or... other girls?

ccd

With all due respect. I dont really care if the chicks on the course are HOT or NOT. Iam going to be 24 and at least 6 years older then everyone else on the course. Iam leaving a very well paying carrer position to do this. So Iam more concerened with academic merit. Will any boardsers be n hand Friday or Saturday

irlrobins

ccd wrote:

So Iam more concerened with academic merit.

Wonder if u'll stick by that statement when a hot lil 18yr old is flirting with u in the bar!

ccd

Thats a semi good point. Do other students look down at mature students. OR find that they have ertain probems with them. I would like a honest answer not the answer that is supposed to be given

irlrobins

from my experience if hte age gap between a "normal" student and a mature student is large, then the mature student tends to keep to themselves, they're not as interested in participating in the social side of things (understandably).

But when it comes to practical work or tutorials I've seen mature students partner up with younger students without any problems.

My guess would be that ur biggest challenge is getting used to studying again after working for a few years.

Just my €0.02

ccd

What about students my own age. I would imagine that there would still be a large proprtin of students my own age. 24

irlrobins

yep, but they're prob all postgrads so you wouldn't have any day to day contact with them unless they are tutoring or demonstrating to you.

humbert

at 24 nobody will regard you any differently.

irlrobins

yea true. a 24 yr old mature student is v v young compared to one in their 60's.

You'll fit in, don't stress.

ccd

Has it been your exsperiance that either yourself or any lecturaors, tutors etc etc have looked down on matures.I have a very big ego;)

irlrobins

personally no.

ccd

Beig honest I'd be very surprised If your exsperiance was found to be in the majority anyone else got any thoughts on this.


Cheers for everyones feed back so far

Economaniac!

Hey, the economics degree in UCD is regarded higher than that of Trinity, fact according to MIT and Horvord. In fact, the Economics degree is an Arts degree but is more highly regarded then the standard Commerce degree (with the commerce degree being around 20 CAO points more) simply because there is only 20-30 pure economics graduates every year who are much more specially trained opposed to what, 5-600 graduates who are very broadly skilled in business.

Yeah at 24, of course you'll fit in. I'm 19 and could get away with saying I was 30, and yeah, when your doing a 3-4 year course you do want nice looking and fun people in your course, it makes a lot of difference to your day-to-day experience and can affect your commitment to the course.

rainbow kirby

24's definitely not too old! You're not *that* much older than the average student age...

john^doyle

ccd wrote:

Do other students look down at mature students.

only in lecture halls because they sit down the front trying to catch the doggy treats the lecturer is throwing.

LovelyHurling

ccd wrote:

Thats a semi good point. Do other students look down at mature students. OR find that they have ertain probems with them. I would like a honest answer not the answer that is supposed to be given

Dont know about other courses but I think theres a definite divide between ppl just out of school and the graduates. Graduates come to the course with a lot more knowledge than those of us with A levels or the leaving cert, and seem to see us as irresponsible or not serious enough about their studies, they get really annoyed about things like you know laughing and making fun of stuff, when they were probably just as bad in their first degree anyway.

The division is probably made worse because older students tend not to go out a lot so they dont socialise with the majority of the class and so alienate other people. Also theyre often in danger of being seen as teachers pets because of a conglomeration of the above.

Then again, some graduates fit in a lot better than others and it does have a lot to do with your personality. Just be clear that although you bring a lot of previous training and experience with you its important to remember that academic success is not the only way of making a success of your college years, and if you dont intend to take advantage of the non-academic side of things - pub runs, rag week, drinking sessions, skipping lectures etc - dont be frustrated at people who do.

Thats that off my chest. Just got told off for having a joke in the library by a thirty year old fresher with facial hair. Baa.

Blush_01

Economaniac! wrote:

when your doing a 3-4 year course you do want nice looking and fun people in your course, it makes a lot of difference to your day-to-day experience and can affect your commitment to the course.

A bit of a generalisation? The people in your course won't have any impact on your commitment, unless it is to decrease it by distracting you when you don't need it (or shouldn't be willing to be distracted. Procrastination is a double edged sword) and vice versa. You could be in a lecture with 200 potatoes and it'd make just as much positive impact on your commitment to study, in my opinion.

Mature students are often much nicer than your run of the mill straight-from-school student. They just tend to want to know everything and ask questions that some people think either go without saying or are unnecessarily detailed. In that case, don't mind them, you're paying for something most of the people in your course are getting for free, get as much as you can out of it. If they don't want to ask questions or hear the answers, then they can tune out. Besides, more often than not mature students will ask questions that s-f-s students are too shy to ask for themselves.

Take it easy and it'll be grand.

ccd

Anyone know anything about the fees situation for matures

Pythia

If you're interested in Economics, you could take a look at Economics and Finance. It's a 3 year Bachelor of Science, run by the Quinn School. It's kinda like an Economics, Statistics and Maths Degree.

pretty*monster

I don't think you'll have a problem as a mature student. First of all because you're not in anyway old. The people I socialise with regularly in college range from 18 to 29 (and get on very well with a lot of much older students as well but they usally don't have the time to come down the pub with us), and while the older one occasionally roll thier eyes at the antics of us young 'uns the age gap, small as it is, isn't an issue.

Besides which ucd has a very active mature students society.

As to the fees sitation, if it's you're first degree it'll be free, if it's not, it won't be.

Riamfada

pretty*monster wrote:

As to the fees sitation, if it's you're first degree it'll be free, if it's not, it won't be.

Even if you didnt finish your first one ....... grrrr

padser

ccd wrote:

Do other students look down at mature students. OR find that they have ertain probems with them. I would like a honest answer not the answer that is supposed to be given

Most 'normal' students I would say dont in any way look down on mature students. Im thinking that what your talking about here is the fact that 'normal' students are selected for courses based purely on acedemic results in school whereas mature students go through interviewing processes.

If this is the case im guessing that the first 4/5 answers to question will have shown you that far from looking down on you most 'normal' students either a)dont know this b)dont understand the implications of it (ie that you might feel in some way that others might look down on you) or c)dont care.
Most students when they arrive at university realise soon enough that results in school are of little or no relevence. Respect (intellectually) is gained from results and performance in college.

I think you will find the vast majority fall into one of the above catogories. Iv personally never came across anyone who doesnt.

As for the answers you have reveived they should give you an insight as to whether you will be accepted socially by the younger students. At age 24 I dont see any reason why you would be accepted any more or less so then other students. Most people do not know each other anyway starting off. I would say the vast majority of people you meet will not realise or care you are a mature student.

ccd

I was refering to Intecletually. I would not of obtained a course in Ucd with the results of my leaving cert.

pretty*monster

Oh, I doubt anyone will give a toss about that.

padser

ccd wrote:

I was refering to Intecletually. I would not of obtained a course in Ucd with the results of my leaving cert.

I thought so. Well as iv already said the fact that most replies didnt even cop onto to what you were talking about speaks volumes. Its not really an issue.

boneless

The biggest gripe I have as an older student- I will not call myself mature, as all who know me will support- is that I do not get offered condoms on Freshers week!!

Old people have sex too!!!!!! Or at least like to think they do....

LovelyHurling

<toes curl> you lie you lie, no they dont they get and watch parkinson(s)

boneless

LovelyHurling wrote:

<toes curl> you lie you lie, no they dont they get and watch parkinson(s)

Mmmmm.... Parkinsons. ''Handy'' to have....

ccd

I did attend the open day last Saturday, but unfrtunatly found it littke help. and at this stage serioulsy considering, The Theorectiacl Physcis course and the Mathamatical science course and can anyone provide some solid information on the merits of these two courses and any other relevent details weekly course hours etc etc

Chinafoot

boneless wrote:

Mmmmm.... Parkinsons. ''Handy'' to have....

You sicken me!

ccd: have you contacted the relevant departments? I'm sure they'd be more than willing to give you any information you need and answer any questions you may have.

rainbow kirby

ccd wrote:

I did attend the open day last Saturday, but unfrtunatly found it littke help. and at this stage serioulsy considering, The Theorectiacl Physcis course and the Mathamatical science course and can anyone provide some solid information on the merits of these two courses and any other relevent details weekly course hours etc etc

As a *former* mathematical science student, I can try and advise here
Though the structure has probably changed slightly with the coming of UCD Horizons...
In 1st year, you'll have about 20-24 contact hours, you'll have to do maths, maths physics and computer science courses, then take an option from another science subject. Afaik you have one free module which can then be picked from anywhere, pretty much.Maths and MP are quite a bit of work, you'll spend a lot of time doing problem sheets... but 1st CS is pretty easy.
1st Math Science courses
1st TP courses
2nd year is a serious kick up the ass. The difficulty kicks up a lot, and can catch you out. The courses get a lot more abstract, and start requiring a hell of a lot more work. You'll study maths, maths physics and statistics in 2nd year... it's hard. That's all I'm going to say. I got caught by the sharp increase in difficulty, and failed my 2nd year exams in the summer.

Julesie

Pythia wrote:

If you're interested in Economics, you could take a look at Economics and Finance. It's a 3 year Bachelor of Science, run by the Quinn School. It's kinda like an Economics, Statistics and Maths Degree.

Pythia, do you do Economics and Finance by any chance...

Im a final year now and would definitely recommend the course. Its more specialised than a straight BComm and a little more highly regarded than the arts course despite the fact you do virtually all the same subjects. Worth having a look at it anyway there were a couple of mature students in my year and they didnt seem to have any trouble integrating.

Pythia

Julesie wrote:

Pythia, do you do Economics and Finance by any chance...

Yep!