Irish-American has a few questions about NUI Galway

patty91 · 22-04-2009 6:34am #1

Ok my parents are from Ireland (well my dad is from Longford and my mom's parents are from Belfast). I lived there for a few years as a kid but am mostly American. I applied to NUI Galway and got in, so I just had a few questions if you don't mind me asking.

My degree isa broad BA (the one where you choose 4 subjects to study and then narrow it down to 2).

1. Roughly what percentage of the students at NUI Galway are part of this programme?

2. Is the broad BA seen in a negative light? Do people look down upon it as opposed to a specific degree? It's just an Irish guy told me it is often seen as a "cop out degree." Is that true?

3. What are the advantages of this programme?

4. What are the disadvantages?

5. What if I do Legal Science as one of my two subjects. How do I become a lawyer after that? Is there a law school like there is in the US?

6. Do you think it's a good degree for someone (especially an American) who is not exactly sure of what they want to do? I mean I think I want to be a lawyer but I'm not 100% sure so I'm kind of thinking this degree might actually be a good idea.

7. Does the diploma state the two subjects you studied or does it only say BA?

8. Someone told me this programme was mainly for people wanting to become teachers. Is that true?

9. How hard it is to pursue postgraduate education? How easy/difficult is it to get a high paying job with this degree?

10. Just give me your general opinions on the broad BA Programme.

11. Are most of the students at NUI Galway very serious, hard-working students, or are there a lot of partiers and drinkers? (the latter would be better because only the top 100 students in the legal science class get to continue taking it for Second Arts).

12. Also, do you think Galway is depressing? I moved away from Ireland 9 years ago and when you're that innocent you don't really get depressed so I can't remember. It's just that I have depression problems and I'm afraid maybe Ireland with all the clouds and rain might be a little too much for me... The sunshine in Los Angeles depresses the hell out of me though... Everything depresses me so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.

13. Is it hard to find a job in Galway? I'll take any job. And finally... is housing easy to get or is it first come first serve and only so many students get it?

Thanks for the help everyone. I would greatly appreciate if you would answer the questions in the format I have offered them to you in.

Also after you've answered all the question just give me your general opinion on NUI Galway, Galway City itself, student life, etc.

THANKS.

Carsinian Thau · 22-04-2009 10:20am

I'll answer what I can but I wouldn't even know where to look for some of what you've asked.

patty91 wrote: »

2. Is the broad BA seen in a negative light? Do people look down upon it as opposed to a specific degree? It's just an Irish guy told me it is often seen as a "cop out degree." Is that true?

No. There are people that think this but honestly I've always found them to be arrogant, misinformed idiots. There are other adjectives I'd like to use for them but I can't due to posting rules regarding language. But trust me, people who look down on Arts degrees or students are usually just stupid. Either way, it's certainly not a "cop out degree".

patty91 wrote: »

3. What are the advantages of this programme?

It's a good degree. It'll be enjoyable if you study what you like and have an interest in.

patty91 wrote: »

4. What are the disadvantages?

There seems to be a lot of essays involved. Not a big deal if you don't mind them, but as someone who hates essay writing, it would get to me.

patty91 wrote: »

5. What if I do Legal Science as one of my two subjects. How do I become a lawyer after that? Is there a law school like there is in the US?

I think you do a postgraduate LLB or something along those lines. There's probably something on their website about it.

patty91 wrote: »

6. Do you think it's a good degree for someone (especially an American) who is not exactly sure of what they want to do? I mean I think I want to be a lawyer but I'm not 100% sure so I'm kind of thinking this degree might actually be a good idea.

Yes, definitely.

patty91 wrote: »

7. Does the diploma state the two subjects you studied or does it only say BA?

I think it only says BA. Well, actually I think it's all in Latin so it wouldn't say that exactly. But I'm reasonably sure your subjects don't appear on it.

patty91 wrote: »

8. Someone told me this programme was mainly for people wanting to become teachers. Is that true?

No. A lot of Irish teachers do have a BA but most people who take the BA don't intend to be teachers.

patty91 wrote: »

9. How hard it is to pursue postgraduate education? How easy/difficult is it to get a high paying job with this degree?

I can't answer this properly but I can say that if you work hard, you'll get what you deserve.

patty91 wrote: »

10. Just give me your general opinions on the broad BA Programme.

It's a good programme. You'll have fun if it's what you really want.

patty91 wrote: »

11. Are most of the students at NUI Galway very serious, hard-working students, or are there a lot of partiers and drinkers? (the latter would be better because only the top 100 students in the legal science class get to continue taking it for Second Arts).

People are people, it's too difficult to say what most of them are like. But I can say that the nightclubs seem to do very well and that the library is always absolutely back around exams so both, possibly. Those who intend to take 2nd legal science will take the exams very seriously though. Don't believe anyone who says that they never study etc.

patty91 wrote: »

12. Also, do you think Galway is depressing? I moved away from Ireland 9 years ago and when you're that innocent you don't really get depressed so I can't remember. It's just that I have depression problems and I'm afraid maybe Ireland with all the clouds and rain might be a little too much for me... The sunshine in Los Angeles depresses the hell out of me though... Everything depresses me so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.

No. It is in Ireland so there is rain. Try not to pay any attention to it. And buy some raingear. Possibly see a doctor about that depression thing too.

patty91 wrote: »

13. Is it hard to find a job in Galway? I'll take any job. And finally... is housing easy to get or is it first come first serve and only so many students get it?

We're in a recession at the moment so, yes. Housing is not so bad really. Check out daft.ie around summer for houses to rent. Student accommodation is probably already booked out though. Don't go to Corrib Village student accommodation unless you like being surrounded by lots of parties.

patty91 wrote: »

Also after you've answered all the question just give me your general opinion on NUI Galway, Galway City itself, student life, etc.

It's a great place. It suits a lot of people really well.

patty91 wrote: »

THANKS.

You're welcome.

Carsinian Thau · 22-04-2009 10:23am

patty91 wrote: »

I applied to NUI Galway and got in.

Congratulations btw.

labradoodlelady · 22-04-2009 1:28pm

1. Roughly what percentage of the students at NUI Galway are part of this programme?
Haven't a clue. You should email the Admissions Office, they will probably have the statistics. The Arts Fculty is the biggest faculty in the university. Think there is about 12-13 thousand students in the college.

2. Is the broad BA seen in a negative light? Do people look down upon it as opposed to a specific degree? It's just an Irish guy told me it is often seen as a "cop out degree." Is that true?
Ignore these comments. There's always people who will have these kind of attitudes. There is snobbery associated with nearly every college and course. Ignore it.

3. What are the advantages of this programme?
Good general degree, plenty of options after you graduate. Check out www.nuig.ie go the the Arts Faculty and email the course co-ordinator or the Secretary there they should give you pointers.

4. What are the disadvantages?
I didn't do the BA but I think the classes can be big.

5. What if I do Legal Science as one of my two subjects. How do I become a lawyer after that? Is there a law school like there is in the US?
Right, things are done slightly differently here. You're talking a few more years after your degree anyway. You could go on to be a Solicitor or a Barrister.
After you finish your degree you can do a postgrad called an LL.B. as you won't have enough law subjects in your degree.
If you want to be a Solicitor its the Law Society www.lawsociety.ie Go to the Education page and you'll see how to become a Solicitor. It's a long road. Check out the Legal Discussion thread, there is a lot of competition out there for apprenticeship/traineeships now.
Or, if you want to be a barrister check out www.kingsinns.ie
Do your degree aim to do well and think about what you want to do after you finish, while you are studying not before you start. You may find that you are not interested in law or you prefer your other subject or you want to do something completely different.

6. Do you think it's a good degree for someone (especially an American) who is not exactly sure of what they want to do? I mean I think I want to be a lawyer but I'm not 100% sure so I'm kind of thinking this degree might actually be a good idea.
Yes absolutely.
If you're starting college at 17/18/19 look from the bottom up. Aim to do your degree, get a good result and go further from there. If you go into the BA thinking I want to be a lawyer, I'll do this course then do the apprenticeship it is easy to get knocked off the path. It is very good to have goals in mind BUT if you end up not liking studying law or you become interested in something else you can become demotivated or disinterested in the course.
Don't think it makes any difference that you are American, I think it's a good course in general for anyone in this frame of mind.

7. Does the diploma state the two subjects you studied or does it only say BA?
Do you mean the parchment? I don't think the subjects appear on it. It's written in Latin anyway but I'm pretty sure its just the Latin equivalent of Bachelor of Arts?

8. Someone told me this programme was mainly for people wanting to become teachers. Is that true?
Not really. A lot of people do the BA and then the H. Dip but people have their own reasons for choosing the course.

9. How hard it is to pursue postgraduate education? How easy/difficult is it to get a high paying job with this degree?
Very easy to pursue pg education, you will usually need a 2:1 in your degree though. It can be costly but there is loads of options out there - H.Dip and loads of Masters Degrees.
There are very very few jobs that you can walk into straight after completing an undergrad degree.
Also depends what you consider a high paying job.
A lot of people go into graduate programmes. www.gradireland.ie The money isn't great starting off and there are fewer options available than in previous years but keep in mind that it will be at least 3 years before you graduate. They are usually 2-3+ years in duration.
Would you be interested in doing the B. Comm degree. You can take some law subjects in this and go on to do the LL.B. If you're interested in business/professional career this is a v. good degree as you're studying the basics at degree level.

10. Just give me your general opinions on the broad BA Programme.
Pretty much everything I've said above. It's a good degree. You can choose to do further study or go into a grad programme after.

11. Are most of the students at NUI Galway very serious, hard-working students, or are there a lot of partiers and drinkers? (the latter would be better because only the top 100 students in the legal science class get to continue taking it for Second Arts).
I don't mean to be nasty but, a big part of college life is about meeting people and making friends. If you have this kind of attitude about your classmates you won't get very far.
You get out what you put in, work hard and you'll be fine.

12. Also, do you think Galway is depressing? I moved away from Ireland 9 years ago and when you're that innocent you don't really get depressed so I can't remember. It's just that I have depression problems and I'm afraid maybe Ireland with all the clouds and rain might be a little too much for me... The sunshine in Los Angeles depresses the hell out of me though... Everything depresses me so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.
Right, it rains a lot in Galway. Pretty much all year round. Buy rain gear, wellies and an umbrella. You can get bored of fed up there, I did after 5 years there but that can happen after 5 years anywhere
Re the depression. Speak to a Doctor/Counsellor. The only thing I can say is do you think it's a good idea to move thousands of miles away from your friends & family to a place where you know nobody if you are inclined to suffer depression?

13. Is it hard to find a job in Galway? I'll take any job. And finally... is housing easy to get or is it first come first serve and only so many students get it?
We're in the middle of a recession there's very little work available. Also, would you be coming over on a student visa? If so, you'll be restricted on how many hours you can work. Most of the student accommodation is already booked, I presume you are hoping to start in Sept 2009. The Galway Advertiser accommodation pages are available on a Wednesday and the site www.daft.ie will have details on sharing private rented accommodation.
TBH, I think you are better to stay in student accommodation in first year as it is a much better way of making friends.

Student Life: I can't stress enough get involved in clubs and societies from DAY ONE!! Try something you haven't done before. Great for making new mates and great for the CV as well!!
Again, try and stay in student accommodation - much better for meeting people.

NUIG: Has improved since I did my degree. However, TBH there are better colleges from an academic standpoint in Ireland

Galway: Nice city, plenty of things to do.

patty91 · 22-04-2009 9:39pm

labradoodlelady wrote: »

Re the depression. Speak to a Doctor/Counsellor. The only thing I can say is do you think it's a good idea to move thousands of miles away from your friends & family to a place where you know nobody if you are inclined to suffer depression?

All my family lives in Ireland! I grew up in LA without family because my parents are from Ireland. All my grandparents, uncles, cousins, etc. all live over there. So I won't be leaving anything behind in LA. My dad is considering buying property in Galway if I move there (and live between both places), so I'll see my parents plenty.

labradoodlelady wrote: »

Also, would you be coming over on a student visa?

No, I have Irish citizenship! I've lived in Ireland as a child. I am Irish it's just I had to apply international because I went to American high school. Moving shouldn't be a problem. I have an Irish passport.

Thanks for all the other help though guys! Really supportive and I appreciate it greatly.

labradoodlelady · 23-04-2009 10:42am

patty91 wrote: »

All my family lives in Ireland! I grew up in LA without family because my parents are from Ireland. All my grandparents, uncles, cousins, etc. all live over there. So I won't be leaving anything behind in LA. My dad is considering buying property in Galway if I move there (and live between both places), so I'll see my parents plenty.

Apologies!! I presumed that your parents had emmigrated to the States and would be living over there and you would be coming over by yourself for college.
That's cool and it'll be nice for you. Bit of a trek from Galway to Belfast & Longford but it's manageable.

Enjoy your time here and best of luck with the studies!

leninbenjamin · 24-04-2009 8:45am

patty91 wrote: »

My degree isa broad BA (the one where you choose 4 subjects to study and then narrow it down to 2).

mine too!

patty91 wrote: »

1. Roughly what percentage of the students at NUI Galway are part of this programme?

I think i remember hearing somewhere that there are 2000 people in arts, 1/7 of the total college population. it's pretty big anyway and easy to get lost in the crowd.

patty91 wrote: »

2. Is the broad BA seen in a negative light? Do people look down upon it as opposed to a specific degree? It's just an Irish guy told me it is often seen as a "cop out degree." Is that true?

to a degree yes. you'll rarely walk into a job from it. but at the same time you're doing two subjects instead of one and it opens a lot more doors for you in terms of doing a masters say.

patty91 wrote: »

3. What are the advantages of this programme?

it's flexibility. if you don't know what it is you want to do a BA gives you a lot more options to explore.

patty91 wrote: »

4. What are the disadvantages?

the sheer numbers, and the fact the academic standards are pretty poor all round. at the same time you make of it what you want.

patty91 wrote: »

5. What if I do Legal Science as one of my two subjects. How do I become a lawyer after that? Is there a law school like there is in the US?

llb, then you do your blackhalls and more sh*te.

patty91 wrote: »

6. Do you think it's a good degree for someone (especially an American) who is not exactly sure of what they want to do? I mean I think I want to be a lawyer but I'm not 100% sure so I'm kind of thinking this degree might actually be a good idea.

definitly. I went in there with the vague notion of being a physchologist. hated it, and now i'm doing a post grad in computer graphics, so i'm happy out with it

patty91 wrote: »

7. Does the diploma state the two subjects you studied or does it only say BA?

the degree

states the two i think.

patty91 wrote: »

8. Someone told me this programme was mainly for people wanting to become teachers. Is that true?

bollox.

patty91 wrote: »

9. How hard it is to pursue postgraduate education? How easy/difficult is it to get a high paying job with this degree?

you wont get a high paying job, but get a good degree and post grad is no problem. you make of it what you will.

patty91 wrote: »

10. Just give me your general opinions on the broad BA Programme.

good if like me you were relativel clueless about what you wanted to do. academic standards are poor in it though, so if you have a clear idea there are better options out there. but it's up to you really.

patty91 wrote: »

11. Are most of the students at NUI Galway very serious, hard-working students, or are there a lot of partiers and drinkers? (the latter would be better because only the top 100 students in the legal science class get to continue taking it for Second Arts).

the latter 90% of the time, except the week leading up to exams.

patty91 wrote: »

12. Also, do you think Galway is depressing? I moved away from Ireland 9 years ago and when you're that innocent you don't really get depressed so I can't remember. It's just that I have depression problems and I'm afraid maybe Ireland with all the clouds and rain might be a little too much for me... The sunshine in Los Angeles depresses the hell out of me though... Everything depresses me so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.

the lack of sun will piss you off, Galway itself is a surprisingly vibrant place though given its size.

patty91 wrote: »

13. Is it hard to find a job in Galway? I'll take any job. And finally... is housing easy to get or is it first come first serve and only so many students get it?

very difficult to find a job at the mo. most places are cutting back on staff.

patty91 wrote: »

Also after you've answered all the question just give me your general opinion on NUI Galway, Galway City itself, student life, etc.

the Uni itself isn't great but it'll give you what you need and has a good bunch of students there to keep you entertained.

Galway itself is relatively small and has a lot of traffic and planning problems, people from bigger cities do tend to find it boring. at the same time, there's no place in Ireland has the character it has really and it can be an incredibly fun place to live and work.

Dante09 · 10-05-2009 10:18am

The above answers all very valid so i wont bother repeating them but id just like to add something from a legal perspective.
How serious are you at this point about being a lawyer?
Because if you're pretty serious and you go on to do the B.A i galway, followed by an L.L.B (which will cost you 6k btw), in the current economic climate you should consider the following:
1) Unless your family has very close connections with solicitors, forget about finding an apprenticeship anywhere. Things are crazy competitive at the moment or they would be if there was anything to compete for-ie there are simply no apprenticeships around at the moment (you need an apprenticeship to qualify)
2) At the moment, you can also forget about getting into the top corporate firms. The Big 5 are down to recruiting about 20 people a year (this is likely to be further reduced) and even though in the past they took on some arts students (but only those with outstanding results) it is not really the case anymore in this climate unless you're in the top 5 in your class at Trinity.
3) As harsh as this may sound, and people may slate me for saying this but the fact of the matter is that Irish lawyers, be it solicitors/barristers look down on those members of their respective profession with Arts degrees (at least in the early competitive years of their careers). This is because:
- The attitude is that if you wanted to do law, why didnt you just do law instead of taking the easy option? (not accurate but this is the attitude that persists)
- The legal profession is completely overflooded at the moment! One of the main reasons for this is the sheer volume of people with Arts degrees (with the 1yr post-grad LLB) qualifying into profession (this was only permitted when the competition authority opened the floodgates a decade or so ago) and competing for work with people with actual law degrees, that is just not there in the first place.

My point is that if you're serious about going into law, think twice about doing the BA in Galway. Its not impossible, but it will be VERY VERY difficult.

english4490 · 10-05-2009 10:33am

Dante09 wrote: »

My point is that if you're serious about going into law, think twice about doing the BA in Galway. Its not impossible, but it will be VERY VERY difficult.

Even if you do the llb after? i am doing corp. law hopefully in september, but if i dont get that i have arts down number 2 with the intention of doing legal sci and economics, and then doing the llb! i have 2 fairly close connections to solicitors, ie a gran uncle, and a 2nd cousin! but i dont know do i really want to do law that is why i really ruled doing civil law out!:eek:

Dante09 · 10-05-2009 11:14am

yes, even if you do the LLB.
If you have connections and are able to use them im sure you'll be ok.
If you dont have any connections that is when you're in trouble. If this is the case and you dont want to go into corporate practice you have very few options as small firms are NOT handing out any apprenticeships at the moment. Simple as. Things may change by the time you're finished college though. Corporate firms are very very difficult to get into.
To make it all very simple for you:
4 out of 73 people in my class who did corporate law and the llb have gotten apprenticeships. 3 of those are in corporate firms , the fourth through connections in a samll firm.
Hope this doesnt scare you. Dont worry you wont be finished college for at least four years so hopefully things will improve by then;)

english4490 · 10-05-2009 12:00pm

Dante09 wrote: »

yes, even if you do the LLB.
If you have connections and are able to use them im sure you'll be ok.
If you dont have any connections that is when you're in trouble. If this is the case and you dont want to go into corporate practice you have very few options as small firms are NOT handing out any apprenticeships at the moment. Simple as. Things may change by the time you're finished college though. Corporate firms are very very difficult to get into.
To make it all very simple for you:
4 out of 73 people in my class who did corporate law and the llb have gotten apprenticeships. 3 of those are in corporate firms , the fourth through connections in a samll firm.
Hope this doesnt scare you. Dont worry you wont be finished college for at least four years so hopefully things will improve by then;)

oh jesus that is actually frightning! it would be the corporate side i would be interested in anyway! woukd you say that corp law and llb students are in a better or worse situation to civil law students when graduating these days?

Dante09 · 10-05-2009 12:13pm

About the same to be honest.
To get into the corporate firms these days you need:
a) outstanding results in your final year (not necessarily in 1st or 2nd year....show improvement and all that) - ie be in the top 5%-10% of your class AND/OR (emphasis on the OR)
b) outstanding extra-curricular achievements along the lines of charity work in Africa or whatever (im not joking)
c) obviously having relatives as partners helps but is not necessary if you have either or both of the above.

The above can be combined. EG: if you're first in your class they wont care about your extra-currics so much as long as you can show that you do something else apart from study.
EG: if you're captain of a football team or whatever and you've won loads of prizes you dont necessarily need to come in the top 10% but still beed to do reasonably well.
Its all about the balance

english4490 · 10-05-2009 12:37pm

Dante09 wrote: »

About the same to be honest.
To get into the corporate firms these days you need:
a) outstanding results in your final year (not necessarily in 1st or 2nd year....show improvement and all that) - ie be in the top 5%-10% of your class AND/OR (emphasis on the OR)
b) outstanding extra-curricular achievements along the lines of charity work in Africa or whatever (im not joking)
c) obviously having relatives as partners helps but is not necessary if you have either or both of the above.

The above can be combined. EG: if you're first in your class they wont care about your extra-currics so much as long as you can show that you do something else apart from study.
EG: if you're captain of a football team or whatever and you've won loads of prizes you dont necessarily need to come in the top 10% but still beed to do reasonably well.
Its all about the balance

i see, makes sense i guess! thanks for thatt info! one more question, what are people in your class etc intending to do if they have no way of getting in the law professions that they had hoped for? are they going into other areas/masters/ or just taking any job that they are able to find? (if you dont mind me asking!:rolleyes:)

Dante09 · 10-05-2009 1:17pm

a) Some will be staying in education, doing a Masters or whatever. However it is a FACT that a masters, these days will NOT help you get an apprenticeship unless you do it in oxford/cambridge/top london uni/top US uni. Again, i know this sounds extreme but that is the REALITY because there are so many people out there now with mediocre masters from mediocre unis. I know this from speaking to trainee recruiter at a BIG5 firm and its common sense.
b) Some will look to get work experience in solicitors firm paid or unpaid either here in the UK to bolster their CV
c) Some are going travelling for various reasons such as to get away from this hole of a place or to do charity work or whatever.
d) Some of them (3 people) have gotten trainee positions in the BIG 4 accountancy firms with a view to doing audit/tax work. (again, these are also becoming harder and harder to get into)
e) Some are taking any job they get
f) Some are doing their FE1s (entrance exam to blackhall place) in the hope that things will improve soon and that they'll be "ready" to start an apprenticeship as soon as they do. Waste of time because those exams dont improve your CV as you have to do them anyway. No point in doing them in my opinion unless you have an apprenticeship.
g) Some are going on the dole and hoping for the best.

Dont worry, from reading your posts on the advice on corp law thread, you sound like you know what you're getting yourself into and know what your doing. Get into a law programme (even if its arts) and then my advice is:
1) Do a reasonable amount of work for the first few years and do ok in your exams.
2) During those years it is essesntial that you work on your CV. Dont waste your time and money on going to America for the summer on the J1 for a piss-up with your mates. Go if you've a job secured in a legal/business area. Try and get contacts and perhaps work in a judges chambers (not as hard to get as you might think). If you dont do this spend your summers getting legal experience even it its for free and/or work on language skills (go to summer language schools)
3) During college term get involved with societies in a BIG way. Secretary or PRO isnt good enough, aim for auditor of law or business soc.
4) If you get a chance, do some sort of charity work, this REALLY helps.
5) If you're a sporty person stay involved in the sport as much as you can
6) Make sure you do some of the above prior to your final year.
7) In your final year DO NOT LET ANYTHING DISTRACT YO. Focus on your academics each and every day. Forget about your social life for one year.

Finally, getting into the top irish firms is NOT the be all and end all of everything. If you're determined enough you WILL succeed even if its not with the BIG 5. There are loads of other better firms in other common law jurisdictions.

Its not an easy career path, certainly not at the moment, but if you want it bad enough and work hard enough you'll get there eventually.
Good luck

legal eagle 1 · 10-05-2009 2:54pm

NUI Galway is a very good college, student life there is one of the best in the country , you will have an absolute ball.
The BA classes are usually quite large but it is easy enough to make friends etc through smaller tutorial classes etc.
Most of the people doing the course usually do it as they are unsure of what they want to do, but alot do want to become teachers but, in Ireland today the majority of people want to become teachers or they use it as a back up plan.
As regards your questions about law, if your unsure of what you wanna do, steer clear of the profession of law. The whole profession is crumbling in Ireland, newly qualified lawyers are being let go, there are no apprenticeships available to get you qualified. Seriously think twice before you set your hopes up of become a lawyer. All this said if you do have connections in the legal world than you don't have much to worry about, it is a very closed shop profession in Ireland and if you have the right connections it'll get you anywhere

But, if you have an alternative to law my opinion is to pursue that in the current climate. I know you wont be qualified for a few years but, the current state of the legal profession and the amount of people trying to enter it is going have knock on effects for a long time to come.
The best advice though i can give to you though is enjoy every second in Nuig, it is a great place with great people and the time goes by waaaaay to quick

english4490 · 10-05-2009 3:41pm

Dante09 wrote: »

a) Some will be staying in education, doing a Masters or whatever. However it is a FACT that a masters, these days will NOT help you get an apprenticeship unless you do it in oxford/cambridge/top london uni/top US uni. Again, i know this sounds extreme but that is the REALITY because there are so many people out there now with mediocre masters from mediocre unis. I know this from speaking to trainee recruiter at a BIG5 firm and its common sense.
b) Some will look to get work experience in solicitors firm paid or unpaid either here in the UK to bolster their CV
c) Some are going travelling for various reasons such as to get away from this hole of a place or to do charity work or whatever.
d) Some of them (3 people) have gotten trainee positions in the BIG 4 accountancy firms with a view to doing audit/tax work. (again, these are also becoming harder and harder to get into)
e) Some are taking any job they get
f) Some are doing their FE1s (entrance exam to blackhall place) in the hope that things will improve soon and that they'll be "ready" to start an apprenticeship as soon as they do. Waste of time because those exams dont improve your CV as you have to do them anyway. No point in doing them in my opinion unless you have an apprenticeship.
g) Some are going on the dole and hoping for the best.

Dont worry, from reading your posts on the advice on corp law thread, you sound like you know what you're getting yourself into and know what your doing. Get into a law programme (even if its arts) and then my advice is:
1) Do a reasonable amount of work for the first few years and do ok in your exams.
2) During those years it is essesntial that you work on your CV. Dont waste your time and money on going to America for the summer on the J1 for a piss-up with your mates. Go if you've a job secured in a legal/business area. Try and get contacts and perhaps work in a judges chambers (not as hard to get as you might think). If you dont do this spend your summers getting legal experience even it its for free and/or work on language skills (go to summer language schools)
3) During college term get involved with societies in a BIG way. Secretary or PRO isnt good enough, aim for auditor of law or business soc.
4) If you get a chance, do some sort of charity work, this REALLY helps.
5) If you're a sporty person stay involved in the sport as much as you can
6) Make sure you do some of the above prior to your final year.
7) In your final year DO NOT LET ANYTHING DISTRACT YO. Focus on your academics each and every day. Forget about your social life for one year.

Finally, getting into the top irish firms is NOT the be all and end all of everything. If you're determined enough you WILL succeed even if its not with the BIG 5. There are loads of other better firms in other common law jurisdictions.

Its not an easy career path, certainly not at the moment, but if you want it bad enough and work hard enough you'll get there eventually.
Good luck

ok thanks so much!! i will aim for the corp law, and ive arts in N UIG down second!! so work and hard and hopefully it will be all ok!! if ive anymore questions i will PM you!! thanks!

Dante09 · 10-05-2009 5:06pm

No problem and feel free to ask any questions.

emss0sweetx · 26-08-2009 10:59am

Hey everyone! Just a quick question ... I'm an American student entering my 12th and final year of high school, and have been looking at several colleges in both England and Ireland. My grades rank in at about a 3.25 or so, but i'm also involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities. I was just wondering if any of you knew if my grades would be suitable for NUI Galway by any chance? If you could get back to me that'd be super. Thanks very much!

cianl1 · 26-08-2009 2:45pm

emss0sweetx wrote: »

Hey everyone! Just a quick question ... I'm an American student entering my 12th and final year of high school, and have been looking at several colleges in both England and Ireland. My grades rank in at about a 3.25 or so, but i'm also involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities. I was just wondering if any of you knew if my grades would be suitable for NUI Galway by any chance? If you could get back to me that'd be super. Thanks very much!

Well first off, what course are you looking to do?

_ZeeK_ · 26-08-2009 3:35pm

emss0sweetx wrote: »

Hey everyone! Just a quick question ... I'm an American student entering my 12th and final year of high school, and have been looking at several colleges in both England and Ireland. My grades rank in at about a 3.25 or so, but i'm also involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities. I was just wondering if any of you knew if my grades would be suitable for NUI Galway by any chance? If you could get back to me that'd be super. Thanks very much!

Our system works differently. extracurricular activities don't mean anything. instead, course acceptance goes purely on academic merit. however, we don't use GPA. our system centres on one set of final exams which counts your results from your best 6 subjects, each award marks from 0-100 (so a max total of 600CAO points is possible). you would probably have to get in touch our Higher Education Authority to see what your GPA translates into in terms of CAO Points and then determine what courses you'd be capable of getting into.

nuig4 · 26-08-2009 4:57pm

1. Roughly what percentage of the students at NUI Galway are part of this programme?
I would say about 10%

2. Is the broad BA seen in a negative light? Do people look down upon it as opposed to a specific degree? It's just an Irish guy told me it is often seen as a "cop out degree." Is that true?
It does have far less contact hours involved, depending on the subjects you choose you could have 1/3 the hours of a science course. That said you do get more assignments. Even with this most people will spend less time working on your course than a science course. Because of this it does have a reputation as an "easy" course. I dont think i would let this effect your decision though.

3. What are the advantages of this programme?
If you're not sure what you want to do, it allows you to try different courses.
4. What are the disadvantages?
An arts degree alone will not get you a very good job.
5. What if I do Legal Science as one of my two subjects. How do I become a lawyer after that? Is there a law school like there is in the US?
You spend a year doing the L.L.B to gain a law degree. Then you have to do a set of exams called the FE1's to become a solicitor.

6. Do you think it's a good degree for someone (especially an American) who is not exactly sure of what they want to do? I mean I think I want to be a lawyer but I'm not 100% sure so I'm kind of thinking this degree might actually be a good idea.
This is exactly what it is designed for, those who dont know what they want to do. In fact in the first few weeks you are supposed to attend several different lectures to help you choose.
7. Does the diploma state the two subjects you studied or does it only say BA?
As far as I know it will mention the subjects. Though i am looking at my brothers degree on my wall now and it doesnt mention them!
8. Someone told me this programme was mainly for people wanting to become teachers. Is that true?
No but it is an avenue into teaching.
9. How hard it is to pursue postgraduate education? How easy/difficult is it to get a high paying job with this degree?
With only this degree very difficult, though there are countless options for post grads which will lead to very good jobs.
10. Just give me your general opinions on the broad BA Programme.
If you dont know what you want to do but you can rule out engineering or science then yes it is a good option
11. Are most of the students at NUI Galway very serious, hard-working students, or are there a lot of partiers and drinkers? (the latter would be better because only the top 100 students in the legal science class get to continue taking it for Second Arts).
There are plenty of both! I know 10 people off the top of my head who continued on to do legal science in 2nd year and they are mostly not all that serious about college! So i wouldnt worry too much about getting into 2nd year.

12. Also, do you think Galway is depressing? I moved away from Ireland 9 years ago and when you're that innocent you don't really get depressed so I can't remember. It's just that I have depression problems and I'm afraid maybe Ireland with all the clouds and rain might be a little too much for me... The sunshine in Los Angeles depresses the hell out of me though... Everything depresses me so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.
Galway is full of different kinds of people. you are bound to find a crowd you fit in with. I dont think it is in any way depressing, though as i dont suffer from it myself i cant speak for you
13. Is it hard to find a job in Galway? I'll take any job. And finally... is housing easy to get or is it first come first serve and only so many students get it?
Make sure if you can at all, that you live in a student village, they are by far the best way to meet people and to get the most out of the experience. thats just my opinion!

Overall Galway is a very student centered city and i think anybody could have a fantastic few years here. I would definetly recommend it to anyone!

Im a Lebowski · 27-08-2009 4:47pm

emss0sweetx wrote: »

Hey everyone! Just a quick question ... I'm an American student entering my 12th and final year of high school, and have been looking at several colleges in both England and Ireland. My grades rank in at about a 3.25 or so, but i'm also involved in a bunch of extracurricular activities. I was just wondering if any of you knew if my grades would be suitable for NUI Galway by any chance? If you could get back to me that'd be super. Thanks very much!

There's admissions info for US students here:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/international/northamerican_students.html

Irish-American has a few questions about NUI Galway

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