IT Course

jakedixon2004

Is anyone here doing the IT course

kevin216

Doing electronic and computer eng .. it's awfull
hours crap about 3 times more exams than anyone else
asignments are really hard
over half the class had to repeat exams last year

sharkDawg

I'd still do it over IT anyday!

po0k

jakedixon2004

so what do you think of NUIG as a college

leeroybrown

NUIG's IT degree was probably one of the worst hit when the points fell for the engineering and computing areas. Numbers are quite low and unless things have improved in the last few years I wouldn't describe it as either the best structured or managed course. I also wouldn't describe the department as being in the best of health.

If you're serious about doing a computing degree I'd seriously look at the some of the options elsewhere as they'd probably be both better structured/managed and would have a better industry reputation. I'm sure there are still people coming out of it with a good computing degree but I'd be more inclined to put it down to their initiative rather than the course/department.

I'm an NUIG graduate but I didn't do the degree itself.

jakedixon2004

i didnt think it was that bad

leninbenjamin

leeroybrown wrote: »

I'm sure there are still people coming out of it with a good computing degree but I'd be more inclined to put it down to their initiative rather than the course/department.

im only doing it through the BA but i can wholeheartedly agree with the above. the department is an absolute nightmare, it's a laughing stock really...

jakedixon2004

sounds like i should stay away from this course altogether
Do u have to study a language like French while doing the course

Hossbox

You can choose to do either a language or a business module, assuming it hasn't changed since i did the course. I'd have to agree about the department, less that 40% of the people who started the course when i did (2002) finished.

ethernet

jakedixon2004 wrote: »

sounds like i should stay away from this course altogether
Do u have to study a language like French while doing the course

You do an option: next generation technology, a language (French, German or Spanish) or accounting. I'm doing German. So few do IT it would be hard to have a separate class for languages so I've been with two different faculties so far. Had to study it with another faculty this semester because of timetables clashes.

Hours aren't too bad. I had 19 last semester, 24 this semester. The worst thing is the apparent lack communication between admin in NUIG but that's another story.

Maths is the worst -- I did pass and struggle. We've been put in with the engineers who need honours maths just to get into the course. It's no wonder so few people do it. We have 19 in our year (first year). Most days you'll see 8 or 10 -- I'm fairly sure some dropped out.

Not meaning to put you off but just wanted to be honest.

DEmeant0r

ethernet wrote: »

You do an option: next generation technology, a language (French, German or Spanish) or accounting. I'm doing German. So few do IT it would be hard to have a separate class for languages so I've been with two different faculties so far. Had to study it with another faculty this semester because of timetables clashes.

Hours aren't too bad. I had 19 last semester, 24 this semester. The worst thing is the apparent lack communication between admin in NUIG but that's another story.

Maths is the worst -- I did pass and struggle. We've been put in with the engineers who need honours maths just to get into the course. It's no wonder so few people do it. We have 19 in our year (first year). Most days you'll see 8 or 10 -- I'm fairly sure some dropped out.

Not meaning to put you off but just wanted to be honest.

19 in first year? That's actually better than last year's first years, I think there were 10 people in first year last year

Anyways I'm in final year IT, I would advise to study very hard in maths if you are going to take this course, I failed maths in first and second year, but luckily I could compensate it with other subjects.

ethernet

DEmeant0r wrote: »

19 in first year? That's actually better than last year's first years, I think there were 10 people in first year last year

Anyways I'm in final year IT, I would advise to study very hard in maths if you are going to take this course, I failed maths in first and second year, but luckily I could compensate it with other subjects.

I heard that group of 10 went down to a meager 3 (probably wrong though)

Less time on frink, more time doing maths

kc66

Jesus, I did this course starting in 2000 and there was well over 100 at the start.

synacron trion

leeroybrown wrote: »

NUIG's IT degree was probably one of the worst hit when the points fell for the engineering and computing areas. Numbers are quite low and unless things have improved in the last few years I wouldn't describe it as either the best structured or managed course. I also wouldn't describe the department as being in the best of health.

If you're serious about doing a computing degree I'd seriously look at the some of the options elsewhere as they'd probably be both better structured/managed and would have a better industry reputation. I'm sure there are still people coming out of it with a good computing degree but I'd be more inclined to put it down to their initiative rather than the course/department.

I'm an NUIG graduate but I didn't do the degree itself.

The department did get hit when the points fell. Numbers dropped pretty dramatically. But IMO, that is a good thing. I'm in 3rd year and there is only 18 of us. It made it a lot easier to approach lecturers about problems and discuss them. Compared to courses in other engineering disciplines or courses like commerce where they may be 100+ in a lecture a small class is ideal to learn in.

Regarding to people coming out with good degrees being down to their initiative I agree but then again, if you want a good degree in any discipline you have to put in the work yourself. College is for adults. A huge problem is the number of students who are lazy in the course. They rarely show up for lectures, hand up assignments. In my year for instance, I would say 10 were regulars to lectures.

leninbenjamin wrote: »

im only doing it through the BA but i can wholeheartedly agree with the above. the department is an absolute nightmare, it's a laughing stock really...

The deparment is nowhere near a nightmare. It has some lacking just like every other department in this college. Any time I've ever had a problem there is always someone to help me out up there.
You want to talk about a nightmare department...Commerce. They won't give out the Christmas results to the 3rd IT guys doing the business option. Its not a policy thing that they aren't giving them out, its their incompetence.

jakedixon2004 wrote: »

sounds like i should stay away from this course altogether
Do u have to study a language like French while doing the course

No, there are 3 choices. You can do business, a language or Next Generation Technologies (NGT). The NGT choice isn't on the description of the course on the IT website but it is there and it is ok. I'm doing it. I picked Semantic Web Services as my choice for 3rd and 4th year and it is interesting and isn't that hard. If I was to start the course again I still would pick NGT as my choice.

jakedixon2004 wrote: »

i didnt think it was that bad

It ain't. 3 people actually doing (or have done) the course responded and their responses aren't as negative towards the course as the people who are commenting on the course they aren't doing.

ethernet wrote: »

You do an option: next generation technology, a language (French, German or Spanish) or accounting. I'm doing German. So few do IT it would be hard to have a separate class for languages so I've been with two different faculties so far. Had to study it with another faculty this semester because of timetables clashes.

Hours aren't too bad. I had 19 last semester, 24 this semester. The worst thing is the apparent lack communication between admin in NUIG but that's another story.

Maths is the worst -- I did pass and struggle. We've been put in with the engineers who need honours maths just to get into the course. It's no wonder so few people do it. We have 19 in our year (first year). Most days you'll see 8 or 10 -- I'm fairly sure some dropped out.

Not meaning to put you off but just wanted to be honest.

Maths is definitely the only thing I don't like about this course. I did ordinary maths for the leaving. I just couldn't get the honours stuff. I found maths hard in first year but a lot of my mates are in engineering and they do the same maths and we formed a study group and I ended up passing it all. Maths is 2nd year is a lot easier, just gotta watch out for Statistics 2 and Maths physics. You only do them for 1 semester each which is ok. No maths in 3rd year or 4th year.

All in all, this course isn't hard. If you are up for attending lecturers, doing assignments and doing a couple of weeks study at the of each semester for exams you'll be fine. If you want any more info you can pm me. I'd be happy to help ya.

DEmeant0r

So Synacron, you're a third year? I'm a final year in IT, would I know you by any chance?

leninbenjamin

synacron trion wrote: »

The deparment is nowhere near a nightmare. It has some lacking just like every other department in this college. Any time I've ever had a problem there is always someone to help me out up there.

well ask everyone in my year BA. they will give the same response as myself. maybe there's a difference between how the courses are treated, but this degree has been chaos to get at times.

and commerce is a faculty, not a department mind you.

synacron trion

DEmeant0r wrote: »

So Synacron, you're a third year? I'm a final year in IT, would I know you by any chance?

I would assume you do. From your sig I believe I know you .

leninbenjamin wrote: »

well ask everyone in my year BA. they will give the same response as myself. maybe there's a difference between how the courses are treated, but this degree has been chaos to get at times.

and commerce is a faculty, not a department mind you.

Chaos? Or just the usual **** we have to put up with in Ireland? You need to differentiate between the issues that are campus wide and what happens within the IT department. I've never had a problem up there and I've been to more or less everyone at some stage from the Admin guys, to the secretariat, to the executive assistant and my lecturers. Everytime I've gotten the help I required.

The bottom line is, its not as bad a department as it is being made out here. It is nowhere near it infact. I'd actually like to know the troubles you personally have gone through but I don't know if its allowed on the board.

My apologies for mixing up my faculties and departments. If faculties aren't working properly what hope have the departments beneath them got...

witnessmenow

Im doing third Electroninc and computer engineering in galway so i have an IT subject or 2 every year.

I dont think it could be considered a shambles, but its hardly a well oiled machine! What lectureers you have makes a masive diffrence. This year we had Des chambers for java all year, very good lecturer, couldn't have any complaints. Last year in first semmester we had ted scully, again very good. Second semmester we had Alan Ryan(was it?) and he was pretty awful. He apperently was not ment to be teaching the course at all and it showed! He'd spend half an hour doing something then go "oh no thats wrong let me start again!" Sorry Alan if your reading this but sure you must even know that it wasnt thought well, and if your reading Des .. 0553XXXX...:D

EDIT: I have only dealt with the admins once but i remeber being told by one of the orgainisers of the course to stay away from one of them cause he's not a nice person to put it nicely!

leninbenjamin

synacron trion wrote: »

Chaos? Or just the usual **** we have to put up with in Ireland?

well let me put it this way, I assume you've had lecturers actually show up to teach you then?

ethernet

DEmeant0r wrote: »

So Synacron, you're a third year? I'm a final year in IT, would I know you by any chance?

I bet we all know each other (to see) from IT101!

synacron trion

leninbenjamin wrote: »

well let me put it this way, I assume you've had lecturers actually show up to teach you then?

Ya. I can only remember once where a lecturer didn't show up without informing us beforehand. It was one of our maths lecturers in 1st year.
My lecturers this year and last were pretty good for rescheduling missed lectures and alternate times too.

witnessmenow wrote: »

EDIT: I have only dealt with the admins once but i remeber being told by one of the orgainisers of the course to stay away from one of them cause he's not a nice person to put it nicely!

Theres 2 admins, one of them is sound out the other is grand. They have a bad rep because they are admins. They are nice people, you just gotta approach them right.

leninbenjamin

synacron trion wrote: »

Ya. I can only remember once where a lecturer didn't show up without informing us beforehand. It was one of our maths lecturers in 1st year.
My lecturers this year and last were pretty good for rescheduling missed lectures and alternate times too.

i don't mean them not showing up. I mean actually having lecturers assigned to teach. we didnt have any for the start of second semester last year in two subjects. it was two or three weeks before we had any lectures.

oh, and being given the wrong language in an exam. that happened as well. given a paper on VB when the module we took was Java. we were actually forced to sit in the exam hall for about an hour while they printed off a new paper.

synacron trion

leninbenjamin wrote: »

i don't mean them not showing up. I mean actually having lecturers assigned to teach. we didnt have any for the start of second semester last year in two subjects. it was two or three weeks before we had any lectures.

oh, and being given the wrong language in an exam. that happened as well. given a paper on VB when the module we took was Java. we were actually forced to sit in the exam hall for about an hour while they printed off a new paper.

Ya, we've always had lecturers assigned.

I remember hearing about that exam. Bad buzz, but that was down to the individual lecturer don't ya think? Hardly the whole departments fault that one exam was wrong.

leninbenjamin

synacron trion wrote: »

Ya, we've always had lecturers assigned.

I remember hearing about that exam. Bad buzz, but that was down to the individual lecturer don't ya think? Hardly the whole departments fault that one exam was wrong.

depending on who you talk to every one one at every level was in some way culpable. it actually had some java on it, like half of the first question, which suggests it was mixed up with another at some stage. At what point that happened i haven't a notion, could easily have been when it went to print too i guess. Still though, how something like that could happen so easily, utterly baffling. It's the type of thing there should be firings over frankly.

still, the most irritating aspect was being detained in the hall for so long. staring at a blank page for around an hour. joy.

synacron trion

leninbenjamin wrote: »

still, the most irritating aspect was being detained in the hall for so long. staring at a blank page for around an hour. joy.

The guys running the exam kept you in the hall not the IT dept directly. I'm sure they looked into it and its resolved.

leninbenjamin

synacron trion wrote: »

The guys running the exam kept you in the hall not the IT dept directly.

In fairness I didn't say it was.

synacron trion wrote: »

I'm sure they looked into it and its resolved.

still, would have been nice if they informed us, seeing as we were the disaffected and all.

i should add, you are the first person i've ever come across who actually is defending the department. feck, i've even had lecturers give out about it in class.

edit: just after realizing how much this has deviated from the OPs question. apologies. i'll shut up, but i'll retain the right to go grumble in the corner

synacron trion

leninbenjamin wrote: »

i should add, you are the first person i've ever come across who actually is defending the department. feck, i've even had lecturers give out about it in class.

I don't find anything inherently wrong with the department that isn't replicated across all the other departments in the college. From my eyes, the college as a whole has an administration problem along with many others.

I'm also defending the course here because I find its being tainted by people who necessarily have no grounds to taint it. It would be like me dissing the BA in IT course. I only know a little bit about that course (hours per week) so for me to comment either negatively or positively on the merit of the course would be wrong.

I'll also point out again that the 3 people who are actually doing the course that have posted in the thread haven't had any severely negative remarks on it. Maths is the only shared dislike!

My advice for the OP is if he does come into the IT course in NUIG or anywhere else for the matter and wants to succeed without of course giving up on the usual perks of college are:

1. Go to all you lectures. Don't get into the habit of missing a couple of week. Half the battle when you come to exams has been done if you've at least been to the lectures and have all the material. Go even to the boring ones. I've been half asleep in some lectures but its better than being asleep at home when it comes to revising. There aren't that many lectures a week either. You'll always have free time on busy days.

2. Do the assignments. They're not hard, you have plenty of time/labs to do them if you do get stuck and they're worth up to 30% of your final grade in the exam. It boosts your final mark by a lot if you at least hand in all your assignments.

3. Join Compsoc. There might be an image of compsoc being just full of geeks but I have learned so much that I wouldn't have learned from my normal course work. For instance, in first year I had an assignment where I had to make a website. I already had a fairly poor attempt at one done when I attended the HTML/CSS tutorial Compsoc did. After the tutorial I redid the whole website from scratch using what I had learned in the tutorial and ended up getting an A in the assignment. If you can, try and get involved in the running of the society as well. They're always looking for enthusiastic people to show things to. For instance if your interested in Linux or administration of servers at all, train up as an admin. The chief admin will take you under their wing you could say and pro actively teach you what you need to know. The web team I hear is going to be completely re doing the website over the summer too so if your interested in web design you could get involved in the web team. Companies love to see people who've been involved in societies too because it shows you have interests that you are willing to commit free time to and you'll also learn a lot of new skills (event organisation, team work etc etc blah blah )

Last but not least.
4. Buy your own laptop. Let's face it, the computers in college are fairly crap (not just IT ones) and as an IT student you'll be messing with different software on a day to day basis. You can't install software on college PCs so get a laptop. A cheap ALDI one would do even.

DEmeant0r

Great post Nathan, not much else to add to that.

everdead.ie

em im in first it and i find the course great it's annoying at times but thats normally when you forget a ';' at the end of your code. I think the problem with the BA it course (At least from what ive heard here) seems to be to do with the arts facult organising it with the it dept. I've found all the staff here really good aside from one lecturer who was just daft but if you want to do this course and are willing to turn up to lectures, if you can pass maths the rest is a doddle. In my humble opinion anyway. The main reason people fail IT is not attending seriously i know about 10 regulars in my year including ethernet who turn up at least 3 days a week and they are all going to make it trough to next year np.

Secoundrow

its more practical and Enjoyable + The entry require ments are minimal compared to Nuig

everdead.ie

Ya i was considering doing engineering and i was told for the likes of civil i was better off going to gmit cause of the practical experience. But we have proper labs and hands on experience in nui aswell with the it course.

Secoundrow

Thats tru NUIG has gt unreal labs it has to be said;)

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Not to say GMIT doesnt of course.:D

synacron trion

Secoundrow wrote: »

its more practical and Enjoyable + The entry require ments are minimal compared to Nuig

Do you do the Soft Eng course in GMIT?

Secoundrow

No I do "Computer nd electronic systems" im in first year Nearly finished nw:D
Great course but the points to get in are massive

witnessmenow

i would hardly consider 140 points massive?

And also, how would you know how it compares to NUIGs courses? Its true there is certainly more of a practical aspect in ITs, but we go on placement for 6 months, i'd say that fairly makes up for the practical side of things.

We had a buck in our electronic & computer engineering course who struggled big time , repeated first year , did a little bit of second year was struggling again and then moved mid semester to 2nd year of a similar course in gmit (not sure which one) and he reckons its grand and handy there.

Secoundrow

I wouldnt have a few freinds who go to nuig in enginneerin degrees tough,no offence implyed

140 are the minimim for admisstion to the it,mite get you in if the course was empty but that would be unlikly
The course actualy needs 400 points

everdead.ie

Ya im really looking forward to the third year placement it seems to be that wherever you are put unless you or they is useless you generally get a job wit them once you graduate . That counts for all departments and I was told that a lot of the gmit eng graduates do more onsite work then nuig graduates who tend to do more on consulting work depends what you want to do really. I still think nuig's it course is great but then im really intrested and im not saying that it's perfect or that it's better then gmit's but i think if your intrested in that kind of thing id def put it on your cao even if it's a second or third choice. And if you don't make the maths grade their is a really easy maths entreance exam they even offer you tutorials before the exam.

Secoundrow

:DYa best thing i ever did ,:Dmy first choice on my cao waz civil eng ,im glad nw i didnt get into tat:D
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everdead.ie

Secoundrow wrote: »

:DYa best thing i ever did ,:Dmy first choice on my cao waz civil eng ,im glad nw i didnt get into tat:D
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Ya i was going to do that but then switched my first preference to it so happy now they have like 40 hours a week :eek: thats more then twice what i had in my first semester

PauricTheLodger

Hey there.

I'm in First IT in NUIG as well. Its a good course and not to much hassle (except once again Maths and the Algorithms lecturer who thinks that not putting up any notes online will make everyone go to his lectures...). Had one of the exams earlier today and it went great, very easy. I think most of the class had left after an hour and a half which is very good for a three hour exam. Also, because I changed courses from Electronic and Computer Engineering I had to deal with the admin and department head-folk. They were very friendly and accomodating and helped me get everything sort fairly quick.

Like everyone else, the main things I would suggest are to study it (get it? :P) through the year (don't leave everything until the end) and to try and keep as full a set of notes as possible. The best reasons to go to some of the lectures are they give good examples and that they may tell you what will come up in the exams. Getting a laptop isn't a bad idea as some of the computers are tetchy to say the least and the wireless is easy to use. Either way, get a Memory Stick and keep it on you, handy for minding assignments and such.

As a side note regards the social aspect of NUIG, there is a very large number of students here and the amount of societies and clubs shows this. If there is something you are interested in, chances are there is already a group for it and if not, make one. Props of course to Compsoc as they're a great bunch.