DBS VS American College Dublin

primus105

I have decided i want to do Psychology next year and i cant decide between Dublin Business school or American College Dublin. If anyone could offer their opinions on which would be the better course i would really appreciate it,

Thanks

Valmont

Hey Primus I sent you a PM about ACD. Just remember to consult a DBS student to get a balanced opinion! Good luck

Aved

I go to DBS and study psychology. I love it there as they have great resourses and the staff are really helpful and friendly. The degree is for 3 years and you're just expected to attend lectures which is usually 10-12 hours a week depending on the year/semester. The modules cover a vast spectrum within the field. The syllabus works in conjunction with psychoanalysis and elements of western philosophy.
I know 3 people who transfered from ACD to DBS.

Megsy2008

Im in exactly the same situation as primius there. I simply don't know what college to choose. I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about the American College? How are the teachers? What are the classes and students like? How many hours a week do you study?

Thanks in advance!!

curadh

Aved I'm trying to decide between full time and part time at dbs. Can you give me an idea of the usual first year timetable? Were there many 'older' students in your year? I'm old and worried about looking like a weirdo in the classes!!

eth0_

curadh wrote: »

Aved I'm trying to decide between full time and part time at dbs. Can you give me an idea of the usual first year timetable? Were there many 'older' students in your year? I'm old and worried about looking like a weirdo in the classes!!

I think you have to be 23 or 25 to study part time at DBS..can't remember but there was definitely a minimum age when I looked into studying there about 6 years ago.

PERSONALLY I wouldn't go near DBS. My friend is doing the psych degree there and there is just so much psychoanalysis and meta psychology etc, it seems like utter nonsense to study this at undergrad level. I'm in my final year doing psychology with the open university and it's far more technical and scientific a degree.

curadh

thanks for the reply eth0_ , Ive applied for the FT now at DBS so hope I get it. Unfortunately beggars cant be choosers with regards the college, ucd and trinity having a february closing date for applic., and the reason I didnt go with open uni or oscail is cos the degree isnt accredited by the PSI...
What do you mean by more scientific and technical?

eth0_

The OU degree *is* accredited by the PSI. It's accredited by the BPS and the PSI recognises BPS degrees.

curadh

ah ok, sorry eth0_. How long does it take to complete?

Valmont

curadh wrote: »

ah ok, sorry eth0_. How long does it take to complete?

Just wondering why you didn't consider ACD curadh?

eth0_

curadh wrote: »

ah ok, sorry eth0_. How long does it take to complete?

Depends really. You're supposed to do no more than 60 points worth of courses a year, and by that reckoning it would take 6 years. However it is possible to do it in 5 or 4 years.

I started in 2002 but I had to repeat a year and then I took a year out so it'll have taken me 7 years

kitkat.3b4t

Hi
I did my degree with Open University. I started in 2002 and graduated in 2006. To complete an hons degree you need 360 credit points. This usually takes 6 years, one 60 point module every year. However it is possible to get credit transferred from other 3rd level courses as long as they are from a recognized college and you have a transcript. Some people are able to do more than one module per year but this is not advisable for someone who has a demanding job.

OU is accrediated by BPS and I had no problem getting GBR with PSI. A mojor drawback with OU is that apart form around 4 or 5 tutorials per year there is little or no contact with other students, apart from virtual chat rooms. On the plus side however the course designers work closley with BPS and the course offers a diverse and comprehensive grounding in the many different facets of psychology.

eth0_

kitkat.3b4t wrote: »

A mojor drawback with OU is that apart form around 4 or 5 tutorials per year there is little or no contact with other students, apart from virtual chat rooms.

Yes I should have mentioned that. However this style of learning suits most OU students, who are working full time and may have a family. It has been perfect for me as I have never thrived in a classroom environment. I know there is no way I could have done a part time degree somewhere like DBS, meaning I had to physically go to college a few nights a week.

ACD_admissions

Just to let you know, American College Dublin will be holding an Open Evening on the 26th of August 2008 at 6p.m

If you have any questions, we would be happy to help you then.

Alternatively, we have an open door policy on students so call to the college anytime during business hours and an admissions officer will be happy to talk to you.

leebee

Im a pysch student at ACD,myself and my class mates are not happy with the college or any of its facilities. we are FOREVER tryin to get things changes but nothing EVER happens or changes. It seems once you hand over the 5000 grand every year they dont care after that point :mad:. If i had of known about DBS before startin college i wud not of come to ACD. A large number of ppl have left my year to go to DBS. If i wasn so far into my course i wud fallow and leave, but it makes me feel sick that iv spent over 15,000 at this stage and not getting anything for my money. Id urge ppl to look into DBS b4 even thinking bout ACD. Im jsut workin to get my degree at this stage and get out of ACD.

Hope this helps someone

chezdee

Hi all...I did my degree part-time with DBS as a mature student and I would recommend it. As in any college you will have admin difficulties but over all I really enjoyed my experience with DBS as we had very good lecturers and I loved the range of material covered.

part-time students are given a choice of 12 non-pysch modules to do so you have the choice of whether or not to take psychoanalysis. I would suggest that taking psychoanalysis would be an advantage if you want to do psychotherapy studies later...there is also a certain amount of freudian theory in say personality psychology and it just keeps cropping up so its a good idea to know about it. The day students have to do psychoanalysis and philosophy...which is not bad thing in my opinion...these are the things at the basis of modern psychology.

I'm now doing a postgrad with DCU.

good luck
chezdee : )

Myksyk

chezdee wrote: »

The day students have to do psychoanalysis and philosophy...which is not bad thing in my opinion...these are the things at the basis of modern psychology.

Hi Chezdee. I would respectfully disagree with this claim. Psychoanalysis could be fairly described as, at the very best, a peripheral aspect of modern psychology. Some would even say it is the antithesis of modern scientific psychology.

chezdee

Freudian theories pervades modern culture whether we like it or not. I totally agree that psychoanalysis is based on supposition and not empirical evidence. However, introductory psychology does entail a number of encounters with Mr Freud and in order to make informed critisicms of his theories it would be helpful to have at least a certain understanding of what those theories are.

Psychology does also acknowledge the contribution of Freud to the study of unconscious processes and their link with behaviour. It would therefore be unwise to neglect some study of his work.

kate1988

Hi, i'm just about to go into my final year in DBS and i have to say that i've had a great experience. The course is so interesting and the timetable leaves you with a lot of free time. As far as i know a lot of people from ACD transfer to DBS and i'm not 100% sure but i did hear something about the degree from ACD not being as high as people think and this caused a girl to transfer into our class last year from third year in ACD to second year in DBS. Also does anybody know how you get BPS approved do qualify to a masters in England?? Thanks

Valmont

kate1988 wrote: »

i'm not 100% sure but i did hear something about the degree from ACD not being as high as people think and this caused a girl to transfer into our class last year from third year in ACD to second year in DBS.

Is there some secret standard of degree classification that we don't know about? Both DBS and ACD have PSI and Hetac accredited courses in psychology. If some student's accreditation is affected by their own personal standing within our education system, then that is not the fault of the institution.

DBS = 3 years of study with a large proportion of Freud oriented classes

ACD = 4 years of study with an emphasis on statistics and methodology not to mention introductory courses in counselling, stress management and industrial & organisational psychology.

It's a simple fact that the degree program in ACD will better prepare the student for a career in a research-oriented profession. If someone wants to get into psychoanalysis, then DBS has the right course.

Valmont

chezdee wrote: »

Freudian theories pervades modern culture whether we like it or not.

That's not the issue. You said psychoanalysis is the basis of modern psychology, which it isn't. An important antecedent no doubt but don't confuse that with a direct contribution.

chezdee wrote: »

Psychology does also acknowledge the contribution of Freud to the study of unconscious processes and their link with behaviour. It would therefore be unwise to neglect some study of his work.

So do you think Freud is the basis of modern psychology or not?

alanjfinn

Valmont wrote: »

That's not the issue. You said psychoanalysis is the basis of modern psychology, which it isn't. An important antecedent no doubt but don't confuse that with a direct contribution.



So do you think Freud is the basis of modern psychology or not?

Not necessarily the basis,you can go back before him(Pythagarus was no mean thinker),William Wundt is regarded as the father of Psychology,he was born 24 years before Freud,but Freud can not be discounted,for my own part, I can see lots of what he thought to be true in my every day dealings with people,his thoughts on how we operate as humans were very good,I feel that if you are working with people it is worth while bearing him in mind,he obviously was not as scientific as modern Psy.but maybe modern Psy.is getting too scientific?????

Odysseus

alanjfinn wrote: »

Not necessarily the basis,you can go back before him(Pythagarus was no mean thinker),William Wundt is regarded as the father of Psychology,he was born 24 years before Freud,but Freud can not be discounted,for my own part, I can see lots of what he thought to be true in my every day dealings with people,his thoughts on how we operate as humans were very good,I feel that if you are working with people it is worth while bearing him in mind,he obviously was not as scientific as modern Psy.but maybe modern Psy.is getting too scientific?????

Don't forget a certain Mr W Shakespeare if we are talking about the human condition

alanjfinn

Odysseus wrote: »

Don't forget a certain Mr W Shakespeare if we are talking about the human condition

Yes indeed,very true,I think Mr. Freud was a fan of his.

Odysseus

He was indeed, my own study of classic Greek drama and Shakespeare came from my study of Freud and Lacan.

alanjfinn

Odysseus wrote: »

He was indeed, my own study of classic Greek drama and Shakespeare came from my study of Freud and Lacan.

You studied Freud and Lacan and this got you interested in the Bard?

Odysseus

alanjfinn wrote: »

You studied Freud and Lacan and this got you interested in the Bard?

In short yes, in my spare time I'm trying to write some about the uses of Shakespeare within a clinical setting. Often you see people using a reference from both Freud and Shakespeare when delivering a talk or a paper as a type of academic exercise.

As I have been studying Freud since 97 and practicing psychoanalytic psychotherapy I clearly belive that Freud is clinically relavant, however, I'm trying to put together some stuff on the use of Shakespeare within a clinical setting.

The is lots of stuff to work with its getting the time to put it on paper that's difficult.

alanjfinn

Yes I agree that Freud is still relevant today,I am largely unfamiliar with the works of Shakespeare,I studied Macbeth and the Merchant of Venice in school 35 years ago,I must read him anew,somewhere along the way I got the impression that Freud was heavily influenced by him,(i do not remember where this impression came from),would you agree with that word, heavily.

Anna Molly

I'm in ACD or IAU as it is now and I love it.
First semester of Psych was a bit blah, English and Computers etc but it was grand really.
People complain about lack of things to do, and the student union in semester two kicked ass on that front, but at the end of the day, you're in the college to learn.
Come join us, we're out numbered by the business folk!!

alanjfinn

Anna Molly wrote: »

I'm in ACD or IAU as it is now and I love it.
First semester of Psych was a bit blah, English and Computers etc but it was grand really.
People complain about lack of things to do, and the student union in semester two kicked ass on that front, but at the end of the day, you're in the college to learn.
Come join us, we're out numbered by the business folk!!

What does IAU stand for,it was American College Dublin was it?

Odysseus

alanjfinn wrote: »

Yes I agree that Freud is still relevant today,I am largely unfamiliar with the works of Shakespeare,I studied Macbeth and the Merchant of Venice in school 35 years ago,I must read him anew,somewhere along the way I got the impression that Freud was heavily influenced by him,(i do not remember where this impression came from),would you agree with that word, heavily.

I'n not sure as to using the word influenced with or with the qualifier heavily, psychoanalysis draws a lot of material from Shakespeare, Freud used Hamlet quite extensively.

Let just say I'm working my way through the references to Shakespeare in the 24 Vols of Freud and there are certainly alot of them [it will be taking me a while]. Freud used them as metaphors to explain his theories, in the same way he used the myth of Oedipus.

However, I would really suggest a reading of Shakespeare merely my opinion but your clinical work will benefit from it. I'm sure the psychology lads will have a field day with that one but I would stand over it.

Valmont

Odysseus wrote: »

Let just say I'm working my way through the references to Shakespeare in the 24 Vols of Freud and there are certainly alot of them [it will be taking me a while]. Freud used them as metaphors to explain his theories, in the same way he used the myth of Oedipus.

If that was a book, I'd read it. It sounds interesting.

Anna Molly

It's now Irish American University. They did something, so now we're more umbrella'ed with the Uni's in America and the nature of the degree is better....or something like that! [:

Odysseus

Valmont wrote: »

If that was a book, I'd read it. It sounds interesting.

Cheers, but I bit away from that at the moment. I haven't done anything academic in a few years, so I'm trying to write up something on that topic for one of the minor journals that the professional bodies I belong to publish, so its nothing major. However, I have been thinking and toying with the idea that there is a PhD in it. However, I don't know if I'm up to that amount of work at the moment.

Valmont

Well good luck with it and post a link here if you ever finish an article on it.

jus_me

Hi im starting my 1st year psychology at acd this sep, was wonder is there any kinda of freashers week balls etc at the college wats the student life like?and wha are the class sizes like thanks a mill

x:)

psycho-hope

hi jus i was in acd up on till this time last yr and tbh the student union isnt that great at orgainisin anything best bet would be to get the class group to organise something themselves, I know they used to have a ball at the end of the yr and one or two things around christmas but thats about it

maybe its changed since last year

good luck

Valmont

If all you want to do is party and have some craic, then perhaps a differnt course UCD or Trinity would be a better option as there are many societies and events etc. Psychology in ACD is for people who didn't get the high points to study in one of the public universities and as such most students are simply there because they are serious about studying psychology.

jus_me

tanks guys i didn get high points im very serious bout studyin psychology at acd but like a balance of fun and study and maybe cute boys in the mix
hope i enjoy my 1st year im quite nervous x

Prettyfireworks

So im supposed to be starting at ACD in 2 weeks but after seeing negative posts on the place im begining to reconsider...

Can anyone tell me anything about ACD?
What the facilities are like? What you think of the courses, your experiences both good and bad i need to know cause im freakin out!!

Thanks in advance!!

jus_me

I cant wait to start ive heard great things about acd....im reli excited! Im sure you'l be fine I like that the degree is 4 yrs i feel like you can reli make the most of the college experience!

Prettyfireworks

anyone doin event management in acd or know of anyone that did the course??

Valmont

That must be a new course so I would contact the college directly for information.

eth0_

Prettyfireworks wrote: »

anyone doin event management in acd or know of anyone that did the course??

This is a psychology forum.

Prettyfireworks

i know this is a physcology forum, but i cant find anything about eventmanagment so i was hopin someone in the college might know someone who did the course!

Valmont

Prettyfireworks wrote: »

i know this is a physcology forum, but i cant find anything about eventmanagment so i was hopin someone in the college might know someone who did the course!

If you read my previous post you would see that it is a new course so no one has done it yet. Give the college a call if you're interested.

minidazzler

Hello everyone, I was just wondering.

If I were to do First year of Psych in DBS, does anyone know if I would then be eligible to transfer to Trinity or UCD to continue study there from Second year?

I only ask because I don't have the required points to go to those courses straight off the bat.

If anyone can advise it would be much appreciated.

Valmont

minidazzler wrote: »

Hello everyone, I was just wondering.

If I were to do First year of Psych in DBS, does anyone know if I would then be eligible to transfer to Trinity or UCD to continue study there from Second year?

I only ask because I don't have the required points to go to those courses straight off the bat.

If anyone can advise it would be much appreciated.

Not that I know of. I don't see why Trinity or UCD would entertain any requests of this nature as it sort of cheats the points system and despite the 1st year fees you would pay for private education, it would be unfair to those who got 500+ leaving cert points for you to hop on board in second year.

I know two students from the Irish American University (formerly ACD) who tried this and got nowhere. I studied in ACD in case you're wondering.

Despite my view on the subject, you should probably just give the Trinity admissions office a ring to find out what the story is.

eth0_

Trinity admissions are REALLY snobby about potential transfers. Aside from the fact the psychology degree is extremely popular and they'd be unlikely to have any space for you, they'll probably look down their nose at a DBS student because it's a private university.

I am just finishing my Open University Psych degree and I remember I tried to transfer to 3rd year in Trinity and they pretty much outright said they wouldn't consider OU students, whereas NUI Maynooth said they would consider my case if I sent in academic transcripts etc.

Valmont

eth0_ wrote: »

Trinity admissions are REALLY snobby about potential transfers. Aside from the fact the psychology degree is extremely popular and they'd be unlikely to have any space for you, they'll probably look down their nose at a DBS student because it's a private university.

I am just finishing my Open University Psych degree and I remember I tried to transfer to 3rd year in Trinity and they pretty much outright said they wouldn't consider OU students, whereas NUI Maynooth said they would consider my case if I sent in academic transcripts etc.

That's what I expected. They have a right to be snobby about it for the reasons outlined above, I think so anyway. One of the people I knew tried to transfer to Maynooth and despite initial progress (transcripts etc) they still refused him in the end.

eth0_

You should only be considered for a transfer if you've got no choice, for example having no choice but to move to a new city.