What's TCD like socially?

London2005

Im having a problem deciding between trinity college and durham university. While dublin is a brilliant capital city, does this mean there is no real 'college life' feel to the university like london unis, and its hard to make large group of friends, particpate in uni life etc, especially seeing as alot of students seem to stay at home rather than go to halls etc, and that the halls arent all in one part of the city

in short will i get the campus style uni life


thank you very much in advance

There was a thread which touched on it, though the title doesn't appear to do so. Most of the posts were about other stuff, but I think this post sums up what TCD is like (particularly the fourth paragraph).

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=3035637&postcount=16

thegloriousend

The link above is quite accurate actually.

I'm just finished first year and I have to say it was deadly. I've made way more friends than anyone I know who went to ucd. From what I can tell ucd seems terrible socially - only way to get to know people there is through societies. There is however a high percentage of nerds in trinity. But in actuality this is not a problem and there seems to be a good bit of diversity. There are lots of very interesting groups of people that are socially welcoming. Getting to know people is not especially difficult but certainly you would be in a better position with a course that offers many tutorials as opposed to lectures. I found it very hard to meet people in lectures. In addition, I was recently amazed by how cool the group of theoretical physics students were (probably the nerdiest stereotypes around). Went to a house party and it was just savage - a welcome change from clubbing. I think the good vibe is actually due to the fact that no one is up for fights or bad mouthing one another. TCD is also an ideal location, fun to be had once you break the ice.

I am coming from an arts block perspective however with 20hrs of tutorials and 3 hrs of lectures a week.

Crash

TP'ers can be, er, fairly nuts. there was a story of one group of them a few years ago who managed to get a curfew imposed on their rooms in college because they had a party, got told to stop, went across to the next house, got told to stop, and went back to the original house :P

sully-gormo

Just got offered a place on TP this morning.....yay!!!

on a related note..what happens now that ive accepted. whens freshers week, when do ya get to join societies etc..

Edwardius

watch out for the crusties in tp. Freshers week is usually the first week in october and the best time to join societies. You'll practically get raped on entering front arch. Stay away from the socialists though, no beer and odd brainwashing/cuba worshipping.

Nietzschean

lots of nuts TPers, phys heads are pretty nuts too(e.g. Ed, Dec, etc..), makes for entertaining drinking mind.

shay_562

I've made way more friends than anyone I know who went to ucd. From what I can tell ucd seems terrible socially - only way to get to know people there is through societies.

Absolutely - one of the things I love about Trinity is how many people you get to know, to the point that it's perfectly possible to meet half a dozen people you know walking across Front Square (unless you're Hils, in which case it's a bad day if you meet less than 20). I've shown people from UCD around the campus, and they're always shocked by that, though to be fair none of them are big society-heads so that's a part of it. But at least UCD have a society life - I know plenty of people in places where there just aren't societies, so they literally have no chance to socialise outside their course. Sad, really. So yeah, TCD social life is of the good.

You'll practically get raped on entering front arch.

Be warned - societies will get their prettiest people to dazzle you before dragging you back to their stand and convincing you to sign up for a society you'd never dreamed of joining otherwise (damn you, Lawsoc!). Also watch out for the Tramps (trampolining society), who you will need to mace if you want to avoid signing up. But do join anything you think you might even be half interested in - for the sake of €2-3, you can try some incredibly random and yet incredibly cool new things. Ultimate Frisbee, woo! (*is totally one of the nerds thegloriousend mentioned*)

Im having a problem deciding between trinity college and durham university.

For what it's worth, I got quite friendly with a girl who came to TCD this year on an erasumus (or whatever the correct term is) from Durham, and she thought TCD was infinitely better. But that's one person's opinion - if you go to a Durham message board, you'll get loads of people waffling about how great it is too. But if you're in Halls or on-campus, from what I've seen and heard you'll get plenty of the university lifestyle anyway.

Cough!! Join the Rifle Club - Cough!!

Seriously, I had offers from Warick, UCL and LSE.

While I regretted not taking LSE at first, I am glad I took BESS. The social life is very good, the people are generally ok (esp in the first week - gate crashing any house in halls is considered fair game for the first while)

Another plus is that the extra year gives you time to settle down.

But join the Rifle Club!!

It's what you make of it really. The opportunities are there. Best thing is to join a load of societies and turn up at the beginning to see which ones you like. I really regret not making more of an effort with them in first year; had good intentions at first but was in college 9-6 every day and when it got dark and cold, just wanted to go home. I joined in more in 2nd year and had a better time - particularly enjoyed the Climbing Club, join that even if you don't climb to meet people and go on the trips!

cianclarke

original_psycho wrote:

Cough!! Join the Rifle Club - Cough!!

Seriously, I had offers from Warick, UCL and LSE.

While I regretted not taking LSE at first, I am glad I took BESS. The social life is very good, the people are generally ok (esp in the first week - gate crashing any house in halls is considered fair game for the first while)

Another plus is that the extra year gives you time to settle down.

But join the Rifle Club!!

Was thinking on joining the rifle club actually, what do ye' shoot with? Have no real prior experience with guns but I used do some target stuff with an air riftle and enjoyed it... None of this redneck "huh huh gunz 'n' ****" stuff I take it?
Sounds fun.

ApeXaviour

sully-gormo wrote:

Just got offered a place on TP this morning.....yay!!!

on a related note..what happens now that ive accepted. whens freshers week, when do ya get to join societies etc..

Join the physoc! We'll be giving out a brownie (not a special one unfortunately) with every membership.
Unfortunately I (treasurer) won't be behind the stands durin freshers week cos I'll be doin my final year project in foreign lands but some others will and they'll probably be a drunk and shouting at you

Time Magazine

Apex, you're in FarAwayLand right? That would explain the absence.

Zachary Taylor

Join the physoc! We'll be giving out a brownie

Girl guides?

sully-gormo

What does Physoc do? Wouldnt you have enough physics after 30 hours a week of Th. Physics

sully-gormo

sully-gormo wrote:

What does Physoc do? Wouldnt you have enough physics after 30 hours a week of Th. Physics

Heh, except that in JF you don't do 30 hours a week of physics

Crash

and physoc are only vaguely physics course related :P

Nietzschean

physoc is more or less a social thing for people who do physics, with some extra lectures by random people on physics topics...but mostly drinking...

shay_562

Quote:

Join the physoc! We'll be giving out a brownie

Girl guides?

Vacuum-packed for freshness!

sully-gormo

I stand corrected, I was just lookin at the courses JF TP has to do, theyre preety substantial, especially the maths

Nietzschean

sully-gormo wrote:

I stand corrected, I was just lookin at the courses JF TP has to do, theyre preety substantial, especially the maths

Awell ye can't be expected to know more than someone who's done the year before you even enter the college

ApeXaviour

sully-gormo wrote:

What does Physoc do? Wouldnt you have enough physics after 30 hours a week of Th. Physics

Physoc is most definitely a social thing. This year's chairperson Claire want's to do a thing for first years, a "freshers day" (or evening, I'm not sure) if you will, where we mix up all the physics classes. That's TP with Advanced materials, Nat Sci physicists, comp phys etc. Cos what ends up happenening is we divide into our own little groups, thinking the other people are strange and different . Like it wasn't til 3rd year that I started getting to know some of the tp's. That's a lot of lectures with someone without knowing them. And it's stupid really cos we're all studying only slightly different aspects of the same thing.

What physoc mostly does is organise some sort of talk or lecture. Most often it will be non-technical so you can bring your arts friends along. Then we have a "reception" afterwards with free "refreshments". I hope you catch my drift as I'm not actually allowed be blunt on these matters.

Other aspects would be organising people to go to this thing in the UK, I think it's the institute of physics agm or something, not sure but we sponser a few students to go along for all the seminars and the general craic. There's a society room and a not-very-extensive library. So if the real library is all out of a certain book you can borrow it from us. Some very smart graduates have left their notes behind too so they could come in handy.

Right enough babbling on my part

Sangre

Ugh, can't believe I'm attending squaresville college this year. LAME!

I won't fit in unless I wear a scarf.

Ha ha!

Time Magazine

Sangre wrote:

I won't fit in

Fair enough.

John

If you don't fit in try using a lubricant

John

John wrote:

If you don't fit in try using a lubricant

What the hell happened to your name?

I'm so confused.

Time Magazine

He killed John!!

John

Myth wrote:

What the hell happened to your name?

I'm so confused.

Cloud was obviously doing some spring cleaning and found that the username "John" wasn't being used (registered in 1998 with zero posts) so asked me did I want to get rid of my 2. I did, I've been cursing that old John for years and now I've won.

I hope he comes back and registers John2 to smite you from above.

/light hearted banter.

John

He can try his best but I'm the one true John.

One John to rule them all and in the darkness bind them.

ApeXaviour

Sangre wrote:

Ugh, can't believe I'm attending squaresville college this year. LAME!

I won't fit in unless I wear a scarf.

I thought I banned you...

didn't you go to ucd.. I mean scarf central? I mean who's in d4?

Crash

He's coming here to do a masters, iirc.

Nietzschean

Someone gave him a degree? wtf?

Sangre

i love you guys too

Endymion

Welcome sangre

BrenC

I like the social life in Trinity but realistically I think its the same as every other college, with societies etc.