Arts - UCD or Maynooth

Doodle53

Hey!
Im thinking of doin Arts - Geography and Music to be exact - to go onto teaching.I was thinkin both UCD or Maynooth.Just wondering which one you all think would be better.
Thanks

Swizz

Where you from? Youre asking in a NUIM forum, full of NUIM students. What do you think the answers going to be!

K4t

Maynooth has a good reputation regarding music.

Also, it's fcking CRAZY!

ScissorPaperRock

Geography department here is pretty good too methinks.

philologos

Maynooth of course :pac:

Lord TSC

From what I've heard, you can get lost in UCD pretty easily; not just in terms of location but within a crowd. Maynooth is far friendly all round.

rcaz

UCD doesn't teach performance or composition. That's why I immediately decided not to go there for music.

juicyduckie

Gwan The Nooth!:D

funky penguin

I've been fortunate enough to study both degrees at some point...

While I can't speak for geography, music in Maynooth is FAR better than what they serve up in UCD. There is more choice and a clearer structure in place (which has been greatly improved by the new Prof).

On top of this, the dept here is extremely friendly and always willing to help. If I'm completely honest, I found music in UCD to be far too academically based and (if I'm even more honest), run by a bunch of snobs.

I know two people who did geog in UCD and NUIM. As far as I can gather, they're pretty similar (and well run), but I only have second hand info on this.

Good luck with your choice!

tootyflutty

I'm doing Music and Geography now, also taking psychology for first year.

I can't reccommend it enough! I absolutley love the courses. Especially music. Both departments are really helpful and so kind towards studnets. If you are lucky enough you may be provided with free music tuition, or group piano lessons instead. Also you need to join one of the approved ensebles, i.e guitar ensembles, choir, trad. group or orchestra.
As for geography not much I can say about the course, I didn't take geog for leaving cert., but am finding it fine now.

You can pm me if you have any specific questions regarding either subject but I really hope that Maynooth is the college for you

sadie06

I am only studying music in Maynooth since September so I can't tell you very much about the course except that I am very impressed so far.

I can tell you that as a prospective student approaching the music departments in both UCD and NUIM, I found there to be a world of difference between the two.

I attended an open day in UCD a few years ago and couldn't believe how off-putting the music department were. They had a crappy little stand in comparison to other departments, had very little literature and nothing interesting to say. Those manning the stand were senior people from the department and they were so stiff and humourless I ended up walking away.

I left with the sense that Music is regarded as an unimportant subject within UCD as it was by far the most poorly presented department on the day.

That is not the case in Maynooth. It is a vibrant Department and an important one to the University as a whole.


Best of luck with...

Swizz

How many hours a week are your lectures in 1st year typically?

philologos

12 lectures a week
if you are doing Comp Science 3 hour labs.
1 tutorial hour approx for each subject but not always (excluding Comp Science and some other subjects).

tootyflutty

Typically an arts student will have about 12 ish hours, but possibly more if you do certain subjects.
I have 18 in total, which include ensemble membership and tutorials added in.
I seem to have a very high amount compared to others, but still have huge amount of time off.

Norrdeth

I did 1st year Geo in NUIM about 2 years ago and found it pretty easy, once you read things and actually do some study you should be fine(which is more than I can say for a few of my classmates) The course is clearly outlined and very straight forward. Music in NUIM is great, I'm in the middle of a Bmus there but on Erasmus in Czech at the moment. The department is extremely friendly and they're usually willing to help with most problems, the course keeps getting better for first years albeit slightly more difficult for performers. I find most of the lecturers really cool and very approachable when it comes to discussing anything really. The ensembles are great fun and the Choral Soc. is a blast.
So all in all I'd highly recommend music in NUIM.

P.s. This advice is completely biassed, discretion is advised.

El Siglo

I've studied geography in UCD and my brother studied geography in Maynooth and I've worked in geography research at NUIM for the summer so I've an idea. All in all, I would say the geography in Maynooth is almost identical to UCD, slight differences in some contents but more or less the same. However if I was to do it again I probably wouldn't have gone to UCD in the first place, I'm at Trinity now and it's more of what I'm interested in. It's not that UCD is the big bad concrete jungle, it's just that you don't get the same level of GIS experience which is crucial and which I found Maynooth people to have buckets of in comparison. Also, UCD only has three good physical geographers and the rest is human geography shite hawks. Human geography shite, is what it is: it's shite. So with Maynooth you've got a tremendous balance between the physical and human, because they're tons of research being done by both ICARUS and the likes of NIRSA etc... Personally, I'd say do your undergrad in Maynooth. However one thing I would advice, get an ALCID Card if you're going to Maynooth!:D

rcaz

tootyflutty wrote: »

I seem to have a very high amount compared to others, but still have huge amount of time off.

Yeah, you do...


Hate that

Ostrom

El Siglo wrote: »

Also, UCD only has three good physical geographers and the rest is human geography shite hawks. Human geography shite, is what it is: it's shite. So with Maynooth you've got a tremendous balance between the physical and human, because they're tons of research being done by both ICARUS and the likes of NIRSA etc...

NIRSA are human geographers. Wouldn't go as far the the blanket ****e hawks tag, but you do need a careful eye for some potential ****e hawking your way, regardless of location.

Did my geography BA in Maynooth. As above, I would have preferred more physical modules, but the range compensates well. Good climate research rep - teaching and research - if it takes your interest, and the GIS/remote sensing modules are excellent. A decent mix of human, which hasn't been polluted too much by theory (if you want some plain quantitative political/medical geography, you can).

Historical geographers are few and far between now, and Maynooth has unfortunately shifted to the most prolific in terms of historical research (my own biased opinion), if that is your thing (shame by comparison, as some legends have passed from UCD).

El Siglo wrote: »

Personally, I'd say do your undergrad in Maynooth. However one thing I would advice, get an ALCID Card if you're going to Maynooth!:D

FFS I was looking for that form for hours last week....

princess_calico

my boyfriend is studying music, geography and anthropology in first yr in maynooth at the moment, im here too studying media, spanish and english. we both LOVE the college, and so does everyone else I've met! he says the courses are brilliant, that they're not too hard, but that they're extremely interesting!
i was like you, stuck between UCD and 'Nooth but I AM SO HAPPY I CHOSE 'NOOTH!

i had one friend that came here on his second choice, but found it hard to settle in for a while because all of his good friends went to UCD. He was trying to transfer to the same course in UCD but has finally changed his mind because he has settled in, has made new friends, and his other friends in UCD are struggling a bit meeting new people, because the place is so big and people aren't as friendly. Everyone I've met in 'Nooth has been absolutely fantastic! Everyone wants to help and loadsa people organise random stuff that will benefit others, but they don't get anything from it. For example, last week, Joe, the Student's Union officer for Irish and Cultural Affairs, organised an amazing ghost tour of the campus and the stories behind the college for two nights last week and over 400 people turned up to it. He did a brillianr job, and even though he wasn't getting paid for it or anything, everyone loved it..........



!!!!!!!!!!!!PICK MAYNOOTH!!!!!!!!!!!


:D:D:D:D:):):):):):D:D:D:D:D

El Siglo

efla wrote: »

NIRSA are human geographers. Wouldn't go as far the the blanket ****e hawks tag, but you do need a careful eye for some potential ****e hawking your way, regardless of location.

Oh no, they're not Shitehawks (I've had a many a pint with them!), I just worked in that place for three months researching and I now hate human geography, I can't stand it at all at all!

Historical geographers are few and far between now, and Maynooth has unfortunately shifted to the most prolific in terms of historical research (my own biased opinion), if that is your thing (shame by comparison, as some legends have passed from UCD).

This is the case everywhere, UCD lost Willie Nolan and don't really have anyone to replace him, at least ye have P. Duffy & P. Breathnach and there's a postdoc there now at NIRSA who'll be probably lecturing soon enough who does historical geography, so it could be worse!;)

FFS I was looking for that form for hours last week....

I managed to find it like this...