Pros and cons with Galway

Wendero

Hi

There might be some other thread like this one, if so, just tell me where I can find it.

I would like to know what pros and cons there are with NUI Galway. What's the best/worst things with the place? And with Galway (the city)? Perhaps it's hard to be objective here. I'm mostly looking for personal stories/experiences to give myself a better picture of it, since I'm strongly considering studying there in a year.

Thanks in advance,
/John G

LadyMayBelle

Pros of the city: Great pubs, music, gigs, selections of yum places to eat and lots of nice people.

Pros of the uni: Lots of societies, lots of students, near the city centre

Cons of the city: RAIN. Getting wet walking anywhere. Traffic.

Cons of the uni: RAIN. Depending on where youre based, you could have a good walk to get to your building. In the rain.

leninbenjamin

Galway is a pretty small 'city'. particularly those from Dublin and Cork can find it a bit claustrophobic after a while.

Wendero

Thanks

Rain... very well, how many days is it raining/year?

Can someone please answer in my thread about the living costs? I suspect that the university's living cost formula is misleading. Or answer here, for that part.

More pros/cons?

Thanks again for your answers.

/John G

LadyMayBelle

Hard to say, kind depends on your living arrangements (city/outskirts) and how you spend your free time.. per month say you spend between 350-400 on rent, 40 for bills, 200 food, social 130 (depends on whether youre too busy with work/college you could spend loads), take into account transport if you use it, phone credit, loan repayments, car insurance etc ,bits and bobs for college, all those teas and coffees you get on campus...

Theses are only rough figures based on my expenditure so...im sure others will differ...

Wendero

Okey, not very much then. I don't have any car, but of course I'll have to buy books while at college. I use my cell phone like 3-4 times per year, I'm out of debt, and I've never understood the point with coffee;) Although I think I drink as much coke as other drink coffee, so that makes it up.

I've never really been a party-guy. I'm more of an elite student, trying to graduate from high school after 2 years instead of 3 (only 1/1000 students do that, so I'm pretty good).

/John G

Amazotheamazing

Wendero wrote: »

Okey, not very much then. I don't have any car, but of course I'll have to buy books while at college. I use my cell phone like 3-4 times per year, I'm out of debt, and I've never understood the point with coffee;) Although I think I drink as much coke as other drink coffee, so that makes it up.

I've never really been a party-guy. I'm more of an elite student, trying to graduate from high school after 2 years instead of 3 (only 1/1000 students do that, so I'm pretty good).

/John G

Em, if you're an elite student, are you sure NUI.G is for you? As a past graduate, I don't think it's academic standing or standard is all that high. Depends on the area you wish to study of course.

Wendero

Well, elite student is mostly when we're talking about speed - when we're talking about grades, I'm a really good student - but not "elite". Plus, being good at high school isn't a guarantee for being good at university, and what's most important is where you get your PhD/MSc.

I want to study at the Financial mathematics and economics program.

But no, I'm not sure this is for me. Just checking around, asking questions to get knowledge:)

/John G

LadyMayBelle

I agree with Amazotheamazing, perhaps you should research some dublin universities altho the cost of living would be sky high, or else look into the UK

leninbenjamin

depends on the course really. some of the Dublin universities aren't all they are cracked up to be. Trinity for example (where I am now) is rated top 50 in the world, but careful example of the figures shows this is really only in the humanities and a few of the sciences, the rest of the schools are waaay down the list (particularly computer science unfortunately, which is what i'm studying in now ).

i did economics in NUIG, and tbh i didn't find it that challenging at all so it may not be up your alley. met a few people who did the financial maths course though, the general consensus seemed to be that it's quite a tough course overall, heavy on maths and lighter for the economics. could always try the SU to put you in touch with the class rep or something to give you some more detailed info on the course.

and you're spot on, doesn't hugely matter where you do the undergrad folks.

KStaford

CONS:
The goddam network and internet go down a LOT !!!

Wendero

Okey, interesting information really. If I have understood this right, you can't take broadband for sure in Ireland? I've heard they only have it in 40 % of the total area, or so.

I get different answers on the class of the university. A lot of math is good - math is my best subject. Economics is nice too. What about FINANCIAL math?

Thank you once again for your answers
/John G

LadyMayBelle

Wendero wrote: »

Rain... very well, how many days is it raining/year?



/John G

A lot. Invest in a decent rain jacket and a hat and you'll be fine. We get a few weeks of warm sunny weather in April (the past three years we have anyway) and then some nice days dotted over the summer months and the odd crisp dry day in the autumn...but it does rain a lot, anyone will tell you that!

Good luck!

Wendero

Hi

Okey. I knew it was a lot of rain, but is it seriously raining most days of the year? That's cool:)

If anyone has any answers to my questions in the "Paying the application fees"-thread in the student finance forum, please tell me. I wouldn't promote another thread like this if it hadn't been for that I need the answers to those questions before I apply, and I want to apply pretty soon.

/John G

leninbenjamin

Wendero wrote: »

Hi

Okey. I knew it was a lot of rain, but is it seriously raining most days of the year? That's cool:)

/John G

well, not really, everyone over states the rain in this country.

The general impression is that it rains quite a lot of the time in Ireland but in fact two out of three hourly observations will not report any measurable rainfall. The average number of wet days (days with more than 1mm of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along the east and south-east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the west.

for more info on the weather have a look see here. there's more Galway specific data here but it's a bit out of date.

i used cycle into NUIG when i was at home. I was a good bit out so it takes about 15-20 minutes, but i'd usually only get wet once or twice a week. Now and then there will be a full week though where it rains so heavily you'd be forced to get other forms of transport, but it's not as bad as people say, most days when it rained all i had to do was wait a little while, maybe 15-30 mins for the rain to pass. After a while though, it's not the rain that bothers you, it's the wind.

kevmy

Wendero wrote: »

Okey, interesting information really. If I have understood this right, you can't take broadband for sure in Ireland? I've heard they only have it in 40 % of the total area, or so.

Well it's increasing all the time but you'll be grand anywhere in and around the city. It's only out the country where the problems lie.

spinandscribble

i miss galway and nuig so bad. i miss charcoal grill and the roisin. i miss the yellow thing and classics lectures. i even miss the bialann.

Wendero

Charcoil grill? What's that? And what's Roisin? Not to mention bialann... is that something funny?:)

/John G

leninbenjamin

Wendero wrote: »

Charcoil grill? What's that?

best take-away in the world. i seriously miss me half pounder and chips

Wendero wrote: »

And what's Roisin?

Róisín is a girls name. THE Róisín is the best damn pub in the world.

Wendero wrote: »

Not to mention bialann... is that something funny?:)

not in a ha-ha way, unless you enjoy watching other people suffer from food poisoning.

spinandscribble wrote: »

i even miss the bialann.

i think we should have you committed. Seriously, that's not healthy.

Wendero

half pounder of what? chicken?:)

And, I didn't really get it... bialann has something to do with food poisoning? Is it a restaurant or something?

Do you count things in pounds, stones etc in Ireland? Too bad:( Well, I'll have to get used to it. We use Kg in Sweden, and a Swedish mile is 10 000 metres (so much easier: 1 kilometer= 1000 metres, 10 km = 10 000 metres = 1 mile).

/John G

spinandscribble

spinandscribble wrote: »

i miss galway and nuig so bad. i miss charcoal grill and the roisin. i miss the yellow thing and classics lectures. i even miss the bialann.

Dear God, missing the bialann, you have it bad!

And Wendero, the bialann is the on campus restaurant, and the quality of food isn't very good.....not very good as in --> :eek:

We use the metric system too, but a half pounder (beef) burger sounds alot better than a 0.2267kg burger!

Wendero

Oh, so it's a 226 gram hamburger? I get it:) The biggest meal I've ever found in Sweden is 400 gram hamburger with everything on it (salad, onion etc) and then fries - about 5-8times as much as you get on McDonald's Okey that was off topic, I just came to think about it:)

Do you eat a lot at restaurant?:)

/John G

genericgoon

Wendero wrote: »

half pounder of what? chicken?:)

And, I didn't really get it... bialann has something to do with food poisoning? Is it a restaurant or something?

Do you count things in pounds, stones etc in Ireland? Too bad:( Well, I'll have to get used to it. We use Kg in Sweden, and a Swedish mile is 10 000 metres (so much easier: 1 kilometer= 1000 metres, 10 km = 10 000 metres = 1 mile).

/John G

I think Ireland is kind of half way to moving towards the metric system especially in official and work related areas but in every day life people generally still say their height in feet and inches, still talk about pints of milk and still order quarter pounders for their takeaway. I think we're definitely moving away from it though especially with most people educated from the late 80's on have been taught, in school, exclusively in metric units.

Wendero

Okey, that's great, since I find the system you use to be very complicated and illogical. But I guess that's just because I'm not used to it.

/John G

Barlett

Well if you do choose Galway you don't have to worry about broadband, all towns & cities are well covered. It's a seriously great place to go to college but N.U.I.G. while it does have a good name has always been more about the social life rather than degree.

Don't get me wrong you'll still come out with a degree that's as good as anything in Dublin but you'll just have much more fun doing it!! Campus is great & the town has a really good atmosphere. Hey Martin Sheen enrolled in the university in 2006 so it must be doing something right!!

Wendero

Martin Sheen? I don't know who that is... does that disqualify me from studying at university?:(;)

A degree as good as anything in Dublin, low living costs, nice atmosphere, big hamburgers... Yeay!:) Seems like a nice place really. I just wish there were someone here who knew more about the specific program I want to study at - Financial mathematics and economics. How are the professors at NUIG?

Out of curiosity: Do you call your professors by name, last name, or do you call them "Professor [the professor's last name]"? Or do you call them Mister/Sir? In Sweden, you use their first name - we are not very polite here in northern Europe;). I for myself don't care very much, I'm just curious since I know they are very polite and so in UK.

/John G

Barlett

Wikipedia Martin Sheen, he's a very famous actor. I do know someone who studied it, tough course but like everything else if you're focused you'll be fine! I always addressed the lecturer by first name, everyone else did the same, it's pretty informal all round!

Wendero

Okey, an actor... sounds nice.

Can I talk with that person? or could you ask him if I can ask him some questions or so? I'm curious. I understand if it's not possible, just asking.

/John G

leninbenjamin

Wendero wrote: »

Out of curiosity: Do you call your professors by name, last name, or do you call them "Professor [the professor's last name]"? Or do you call them Mister/Sir? In Sweden, you use their first name - we are not very polite here in northern Europe;). I for myself don't care very much, I'm just curious since I know they are very polite and so in UK.

/John G

you do across the occasional egotist who likes to let people know he/she has a doctorate/professorship but even then i've yet to meet someone who has actually insisted on being referred to as such. In general Irish people tend to be very informal, particularly in the Western parts of the country where there tend to be more people from a rural background. Living with some foreigners at the moment and it's been mentioned more than once how informal the Irish can be at times... you'll get used to it. I've still a hard time getting used to how formal they can be at times... (particularly the German )

spinandscribble

i know but the dinner ladies in the bialann were so nice and i had a strange love/hate relationship with the food. plus there was always someone you'd run into. i just moved countries so i have the missing galway thing bad.