computer applications course

Pez

hi im doing my leaving cert this year ( ) and the course i hope to get is the computer applications one in DCU.
i was wondering does anybody do this course? and is it good and what do you have to do and all that?

rugbug86

Pez wrote:

i was wondering does anybody do this course?

about 90% of the people! search the board, there's loads of threads about it!

and good luck in the leaving!

gizmo

Yep I'm in Third Year CA at the moment and I've loved every minute of it to be honest. It's arguably the best Computing Degree in the country with, imho anyway, only UL coming close.

It offers some great variety in terms of module choice at the beginning and said choice can really benefit you in terms of workload. I, for example, did Physics for my leaving cert and chose that module for first year and ended up walking through it on the back of my LC work. Then again you can do other subjects which will probably be new to you such as computery-based ones like Electronics and Web Design to more diverse ones like Acccounting or Marketing if you want something totally different.

DCU's INTRA work placement scheme is also another of the reasons why the course is held with such high regard within the industry.

Pez

Faceless Man wrote:

Yep I'm in Third Year CA at the moment and I've loved every minute of it to be honest. It's arguably the best Computing Degree in the country with, imho anyway, only UL coming close.

It offers some great variety in terms of module choice at the beginning and said choice can really benefit you in terms of workload. I, for example, did Physics for my leaving cert and chose that module for first year and ended up walking through it on the back of my LC work. Then again you can do other subjects which will probably be new to you such as computery-based ones like Electronics and Web Design to more diverse ones like Acccounting or Marketing if you want something totally different.

DCU's INTRA work placement scheme is also another of the reasons why the course is held with such high regard within the industry.

wow! it sounds brill!! thanks for that!!! whats UL?
and do you have much exams??

rugbug86

Pez wrote:

whats UL?

you're joking, right?

gizmo

UL is the University of Limerick. Their computer degree is also highly regarded but the combination of DCU well...being in Dublin, got me in the end!

Pez

rugbug86 wrote:

you're joking, right?

nope sorry im thick

Faceless Man wrote:

UL is the University of Limerick. Their computer degree is also highly regarded but the combination of DCU well...being in Dublin, got me in the end!

awww thank you hun for answering my 'stupid' question
what are the exams like?

StickyMcGinty

i'm in second year CASE, you stream out after first year in to Information systems or softare engineering. its one of the toughest courses in the country, dont let the 300 points fool ye!

have a look HERE

Pez

oh great... well a bit of a challenge did no1 no harm lol
sounds good tho. hope i get it!

Rhyme

Im in 2nd year CAIS and its a great course but requires you to work from the off, keep up with your material and you can really enjoy the course... Good luck with your Leaving Cert.

Pez

aww thank u!

gizmo

Indeedy the course is rather tough and you do have to work hard. I went into it with no prior programming skills however and I'm still here, all you gota do is keep track of your workload and not let it get the better of you and you'll be grand. Oh and make sure and work hard at your maths now and it will definitly pay off if you choose CA here.

The split that VinnyL was talking about happens, as he said in second year, when your given the option of persuing either a slightly more business orientated approach to computers, the Informations System Stream, or the more pure/hardcore Software Engineering stream which focuses more on software development than IS.

All the other info you need regarding course overview, modules involved etc.. can be found here on the Computing section of the DCU site.

Pez

Faceless Man wrote:

Indeedy the course is rather tough and you do have to work hard. I went into it with no prior programming skills however and I'm still here, all you gota do is keep track of your workload and not let it get the better of you and you'll be grand. Oh and make sure and work hard at your maths now and it will definitly pay off if you choose CA here.

The split that VinnyL was talking about happens, as he said in second year, when your given the option of persuing either a slightly more business orientated approach to computers, the Informations System Stream, or the more pure/hardcore Software Engineering stream which focuses more on software development than IS.

All the other info you need regarding course overview, modules involved etc.. can be found here on the Computing section of the DCU site.

thanks for that
would it help that i have my ECDL?
o god maths... great!!! is it leaving cert level maths or harder???

andrew163

The maths is about the same level as Leaving Cert higher.... but everything is phrased differently. If you can relate what goes on to what you knew from the LC you'll be alright. Unfortunately that's the hard bit.

(me is in first year btw.. can't speak for 2nd/3rd/4th year maths-related modules... yet..)

The ECDL is (from what I know about the ECDL) a completely different side of computers. It tells you how to use computer programs. In this course you'll learn how to build computer programs (and precisely how the computer thinks/works from the processor up). It may help in that you can already make your way around windows faster than beginners but it won't help much for Programming or Computer Architecture (2 of the first year core modules). That said, the course is aimed at complete beginners - it doesn't really matter what level of computer experience you start off at, everyone will be at pretty much the same level by the end of semester one.

I love the course tbh. It's difficult but interesting - and if you're willing to work at it I'd highly recommend it.

gizmo

Indeedy, having Hon. LC Maths made the 1st Year year long Maths module ALOT easier. Most of the stuff covered is stuff you'll have touched on already and as andrew said it just takes a small bit of tweaking to understand it.

As for the Maths in 2nd and 3rd year, well they take a rather different approach. First semester 2nd Year is Linear Algrebra which is basically the algebra section of your LC Maths taken to the next level, its not actually too bad and its easier to get a good mark in than 1st Year Maths. The 2nd semester has a module called Languages And Computability which I'll just describe as horrible, its basically all theoretical maths with, imho, no practical uses.

3rd Year only has one semester of lectures and in that time you only have a module which is rather like a continuation of L&C. Don't be thinking about the last two to be honest, they're only modules which need to be passed and will have little or no bearing on your actual degree.

Again you can find out more info on these modules from the link I posted earlier.

As for the ECDL, well the first week or two is basically an introduction to computers in general and is there to make sure all the students know their way around Windows in general. Hence the ECDL will just enable you to sit back and enjoy the other benefits of college for that time!

Pez

oh no.... i doing pass maths for the LC atm ......
prob means i wont have a clue whats going on.. coz i just dropped down from honours... what has maths got to do with computers anyway!?

Crucifix

Pez wrote:

what has maths got to do with computers anyway!?

lol.

Rhyme

Pez wrote:

oh no.... i doing pass maths for the LC atm ......
prob means i wont have a clue whats going on.. coz i just dropped down from honours... what has maths got to do with computers anyway!?

I was in the same boat and i got by without a huge amount of bother. Just knuckle down, read the notes and pay attention to Clancy (Probable Maths teacher).

andrew163

http://forums.computing.dcu.ie/
...a look into the ramblings of other CA students...

(although you need an @dcu.ie or @computing.dcu.ie email address to register/post)

Pez

thank you
it all looks so confusing

py2006

Hmmm, I was thinking of doing this degree! I am 28 so I would be doing it as a mature student. I wonder do they do it part-time in the evenings!

nachos

py2006 wrote:

Hmmm, I was thinking of doing this degree! I am 28 so I would be doing it as a mature student. I wonder do they do it part-time in the evenings!

They used to do it alright, but it was dropped either this academic year or the last one

lego

The Computer Applications course in DCU was the first degree offered by the DCU and is Ireland's oldest computer science degree. The degree is more in demand than any other computer degree in Ireland and is the most highly regarded computer degree in the country, it has three times more first preferences through the Central Applications Office system than the next most sought after computer course in Ireland, Computer Science in Trinity College, Dublin. With 300 places per year, it also has the largest student intake of any computer science degree in Ireland (compared to 64 places per year in the computer science degree in TCD or 50 places per year in the computer science degree in UCD).

Unlike most computer courses, the Degree is also recognised by the IEI (Institution of Engineers of Ireland) and can be used to gain entry into the H.Dip for teaching technology(only in the junior cert), maths and computers.

Institution of Engineers of Ireland site:
http://www.iei.ie/Home/index.asp
(with completion of post degree examinations it can lead to a C.Eng title)

Useful wiki definition about DCU in general and source of above quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_City_University

Human resources departments in some companies specificially seek out students with DCU Computer Applications degrees, the relatively low points can be explained by the large number of places in the course. Companies also value the integrated training placement in the CA course.

The second best CS course in Ireland would be in either UL or TCD

gizmo

Pez, there is a lot of material associated with the course however its not all forced on you at the same time. Each of the modules start out quite easy in terms of workload and as long as you keep up the work shouldnt pile up on you.

At the moment looking at the modules you'll face as you progress isnt the best idea as they'll seem harder than they are. Most of them build on work you'll do as the course goes on. For instance in terms of that second year maths module, Linear Algebra, you'll already have covered the fundamentals in first year maths as well as material from the LC. Same goes for other subjects also, many of them share similar material.

If you want to sum up the course cutting out most of the bull**** - Its basically a great degree, quite open ended in that it offers you plenty of options, is well regarded within the industry so you shouldnt have any trouble getting a job afterwards and can also be some fun in terms of some of the projects you'll be doing. Can't do much better than that I'm afraid!

Oh and one last very important thing though, you have to like (i.e not hate) working with computers. I know of one or two people who came into first year who didnt like working with computers or found them "boring". If you have this attitude either lose it between now and you start or just choose a different course. Sorry to be so blunt but its one of the major reasons for dropouts in terms of failure and general disliking of the course itself. There is a good bit of work involved in the course and if you don't "enjoy" doing it then you're going to be at a major disadvantage. Just something to bear in mind!

Pez

Faceless Man wrote:

Pez, there is a lot of material associated with the course however its not all forced on you at the same time. Each of the modules start out quite easy in terms of workload and as long as you keep up the work shouldnt pile up on you.

At the moment looking at the modules you'll face as you progress isnt the best idea as they'll seem harder than they are. Most of them build on work you'll do as the course goes on. For instance in terms of that second year maths module, Linear Algebra, you'll already have covered the fundamentals in first year maths as well as material from the LC. Same goes for other subjects also, many of them share similar material.

If you want to sum up the course cutting out most of the bull**** - Its basically a great degree, quite open ended in that it offers you plenty of options, is well regarded within the industry so you shouldnt have any trouble getting a job afterwards and can also be some fun in terms of some of the projects you'll be doing. Can't do much better than that I'm afraid!

Oh and one last very important thing though, you have to like (i.e not hate) working with computers. I know of one or two people who came into first year who didnt like working with computers or found them "boring". If you have this attitude either lose it between now and you start or just choose a different course. Sorry to be so blunt but its one of the major reasons for dropouts in terms of failure and general disliking of the course itself. There is a good bit of work involved in the course and if you don't "enjoy" doing it then you're going to be at a major disadvantage. Just something to bear in mind!

aww thank you!! makes me wanna do it more now yeah im sure it will be grand with the maths and all.. guess just have to get used to it!
glad theres some fun in it too
is there anyway that i may not get the course even if i get the points?? like do too many ppl apply for it?

py2006

For those of you doing the B.Sc. in Computer Applications at DCU, can I ask you what your hours are like?

I am considering doing this degree as a mature student but am worried about how much time I would have to earn a few quid during the week and weekends etc

gizmo

Nope, I'm pretty sure that if you get the points requirement you'll get in. There are so many places available that I don't think they've completely filled it in a few years.

As for the hours, well we had around 22 hours in first year including the lectures and labs. Only a one or two modules had compulsory tutorials. After that it went WAAAY down, now in 3rd year we have about 12 hours. We've also never had lectures on Friday so you'll have a long weekend every weekend!

Kenny_D

First year is mon - fri

Second year is mon - thurs and I presume third year is the same

gizmo

Ah actually yea first semester in 1st year we did have a lecture, Topics in Computing. After that though the bulk of us were free. 2nd and 3rd Year definitly have Fridays off though...

Kenny_D

Think the layout has changed a bit faceless since you were in first year. I think I had maths on a friday and topics on a thursday. And linear algebra starts second term this year in CASE2. Not lookin forward to it but sure gotta get next weeks exams outta the way first

gizmo

Yea, talking to a few of the guys here and it seems that Business Game has been taken off the Module list too. That was such a great (easy) subject!

The timetables do change every year however so I can only give you a rough idea of what you may have and when.

StupidLikeAFox

You could always stop guessing and check the ole timetable search: http://www.dcu.ie/timetables/search.shtml

gizmo

Indeed but as has been said before they change from year to year so they won't know what to expect until next September/October. All we can say for definite is how many hours they have tbh...

Pez

cheers for the info
sounds like a pretty good course

NotMe

ColHol wrote:

You could always stop guessing and check the ole timetable search: http://www.dcu.ie/timetables/search.shtml

haha you don't usually get a reliable timetable til at least a week after college starts back.

Kingp35

Im a final year CAIS student and it certainly gets alot harder as you go on. As for maths, dont worry about it. I didnt do honours maths in the leaving and I have had no problems with any of the maths involved, I have gotten over 65% in every exam based on maths so far.

My advise would be not to do it unless your really interested because it can get very boring sometimes and hard to motivate yourself (my exams start tomorrow and I dont know a thing in some of them). Job prospects are good but again only do it if you really like it otherwise you will get stuck doing something you dont really like just like me.

cooker3

I am CAIS3 student and for a start I did ordinary level maths in the LC and well I am still here.
The course can be quite tough but IMO anyone get through the course if they are willing to put the work in when required(that being between week 9-12 and during the exams)
The course does get harder as it goes along as you would expect but by far the hardest time I had was in semester 1 of first year but once I got through that and 1st year in general I was fairly sorted and have relatively flown through it.

I am bit differant then most people who have posted here when I say I don't particulary love the course and an career in IT doesn't overly appeal to me but I like being in college so I do what is required for me but thats just me. If you enjoy what your doing then it will make things a lot better for you so if you feel like working in computers is life for you then yeah you should put it down and go for it.

stuey

i just want to point out one thing abou this course. the evil bastard that is the drop out rate.

Im in CAIS2, at the mo. During first year I settled into a great group of friends and it was fantastic. Every single one of them, bar one failed the summer tests. I spent a lot of time helping some of them with study and doing out notes for them, still they all failed the repeats.

It is the evil evil evil part of this course. The drop out rate is massive. 65% last year and thats the average. You will loose friends at if sucks so so much

Beware as well, there are a lot of "nerdy" people in this course. Some of them are quite scary!!

One last piece of advise, people hear are saying that you have to love computers and be really into them. make sure you DONT spend your day at a pc. It WILL ruin your life. Pcs are evil. Work with them but don't live them. Make sure you go out and get involved with loads of societies.

The only thing that keeps me in college is my friends. I've been surrounded by pcs all my life and I get throught the course easily enough, all i know is that i don't want to by in IT for the rest of my life. Think long and hard before getting onvolved with PC's because you can really mess it up

halenger

65% drop out rate? I think you've exagerated by a tad much there or just generally confused.

The average failure rate is about 33% (that doesn't mean 33% will drop out, just fail something).

I know the dropout and failure rates are higher in recent years but this is a lot to do with people just picking the course to 'do something'.

If a computers course is what you want to do then fire away. Put in the work and you'll be fine. You will meet a good few people who though "oh computers, I guess that's something to do". Some get on grand, others struggle and others realise that CA isn't really the thing for them and move on/try something else.

There were over 300 (over 350?) in my class in first year and 223 names are on the 'roll of honour' - that's fulltime and partime combined.

gizmo

Well afaik our year went from ~170 to ~70 now and that includes repeats. I guess it changes from year to year..

Tony Danza

halenger wrote:

65% drop out rate? I think you've exagerated by a tad much there or just generally confused.

The average failure rate is about 33% (that doesn't mean 33% will drop out, just fail something).

65% is possible, the average drop out rate in DCU is 33% but the average drop out rate for CA is about 50%.

Im in 4th year (SE) and to be honest, I can't say that the course is riduculously hard to pass. Doing really well (over 60 or whatever) is a different story.

If you fail 1st year, my opinion would be that you should drop out, unless you did nothgin through out the year, in which case your result mightn't be a true reflection of your capability. 1st year, I thought, was pretty simple (do all the labs). Second year, was completely shít, didn't really like anything we were doing. 3rd year had the same workload but I didn't mind it as much as 2nd year. 4th year is much the same as 2nd and 3rd year, except the subjects seem to be a bit more interesting and it's more about doing well in exams and assignments, whereas my view in the past was to just throw something together to scrape into the 40's.

Just doing enough work to get by ain't that hard.



EDIT: That ECDL you have isn't worth anything in CA.

cooker3

Faceless Man wrote:

Well afaik our year went from ~170 to ~70 now and that includes repeats. I guess it changes from year to year..

There is actually around 90-95 in our year. IS count aswell!!!!

GavMan

Stuey speaks no lie. i'm in his year.
Pez, if your're worried bout ur maths, There's a really good support system in place in DCU for Maths. Its Called the Maths Learning Centre(MLC) and the guy who runs it is a chap called Donal Dowling. He's an absolute LEGEND if u r struggling like i was. he turned the whole thing around for me in about 2weeks. Also, the lecturer, Michael Clancy, actually makes a lot of sense if u turn up and pay attention. also the tutorials really help. its where they go through the stuff ur doin. with examples and answers.
a word of warning tho. Its a bit of a sausage fest. if ur a bloke its a pain in the arse when there's no totty to look at. but if ur a bird, there'll be plenty of blokes more than willing to help u loads coz ur a bird. so it rolls back well for some birds that struggle and need some help form there peers.
best of luck with the LC and perhaps we'll see u in the Labs(rooms where the pc's are)

GavMan

Also, one more thing. You should also consider your location. Like DCU is in Glasnevin/Ballymun. Im from Tallaght and its 2 hours on a bus to DCU, and its no joke when you've a 9am lecture and you have to get up at 6am to get a bus at about 7 and just about get in on time.
If ur from the Country and decide to live on (which i wouldn't recommend) or near Campus, be careful not to get caught up in 'the college lifestyle'. I've seen alot of really talent Computing students fail and drop out just because they couldn't be bothered to roll out bed and walk 5mins accross the road to college or worse still, 30 seconds accross campus to the lecture hall

Tony Danza

GavMan wrote:

If ur from the Country and decide to live on (which i wouldn't recommend) or near Campus, be careful not to get caught up in 'the college lifestyle'. I've seen alot of really talent Computing students fail and drop out just because they couldn't be bothered to roll out bed and walk 5mins across the road to college or worse still, 30 seconds accross campus to the lecture hall

I would recommend living on campus for a 1st year. It's a deadly way to get to know people, if you get put on larkfield flats. There wouldn't really be any advantage to taking it over getting a house if you got put on hamstead though.

gizmo

cooker3 wrote:

There is actually around 90-95 in our year. IS count aswell!!!!

You sure theres that many? I thought that figure included IS?

cooker3

Faceless Man wrote:

You sure theres that many? I thought that figure included IS?

yeah look up moodle, it's around 90 for the shared courses

Pez

GavMan wrote:

Stuey speaks no lie. i'm in his year.
Pez, if your're worried bout ur maths, There's a really good support system in place in DCU for Maths. Its Called the Maths Learning Centre(MLC) and the guy who runs it is a chap called Donal Dowling. He's an absolute LEGEND if u r struggling like i was. he turned the whole thing around for me in about 2weeks. Also, the lecturer, Michael Clancy, actually makes a lot of sense if u turn up and pay attention. also the tutorials really help. its where they go through the stuff ur doin. with examples and answers.
a word of warning tho. Its a bit of a sausage fest. if ur a bloke its a pain in the arse when there's no totty to look at. but if ur a bird, there'll be plenty of blokes more than willing to help u loads coz ur a bird. so it rolls back well for some birds that struggle and need some help form there peers.
best of luck with the LC and perhaps we'll see u in the Labs(rooms where the pc's are)

aww thank u! hope to see ya there :P
haha! yeah im a 'bird' and might need the help lol

johnjo76

GavMan wrote:

Also, the lecturer, Michael Clancy, actually makes a lot of sense if u turn up and pay attention.

You cant be serious.... I mean, the man spends more time time talking about poker than anything else. Now don't get me wrong, he's a very intelligent man, but some of the sh*t he comes out with!!!

johnjo76

GavMan wrote:

Also, the lecturer, Michael Clancy, actually makes a lot of sense if u turn up and pay attention.

You cant be serious.... I mean, the man spends more time talking about poker than anything else. Now don't get me wrong, he's a very intelligent man, but some of the sh*t he comes out with!!!

gizmo

See I draw a distinction between intelligence and ability to teach. With Clancy its his inability to get his knowledge across that most people find fault with...