Are all degrees created equal?

Lollymcd

Are all Irish universities the same? Are some colleges respected more than others? If you pay for your third level qualification are you desperate or privileged?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Get a job, hippy.

Lollymcd

Derek Crooked Volunteer wrote: »

Get a job, hippy.

Make me!

Gaspode

Yes. Yes. Both, maybe.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Lollymcd wrote: »

Make me!

I'm not qualified.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Initiative is the best thing you can have on a CV. So I reckon go for whatever you can and have a broad range of work experience.
And always sleep with the lecturers to ensure good grades

Midnight_EG

All made from the same grade paper, yes.






Pun shamefully meant.

Lollymcd

Gosh I was really hoping this would turn into a Daddy's Business School bashing thead...

partyatmygaff

Lollymcd wrote: »

Gosh I was really hoping this would turn into a Daddies Business School bashing thead...

I went to Daddy's Business School because I didn't bother studying.

:pac:

Lollymcd

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I went to Daddy's Business School because I didn't bother studying.

:pac:

But you obviously know your grammar and I don't!!! Off to edit previous post... Daddy's/Daddies!!! Thank you....

El Siglo

All degrees are equal, some are more equal than others.

My name is URL

Lollymcd wrote: »

Are some colleges respected more than others?

Definitely, in fact one of the criteria for rating colleges is based on how graduates are viewed by employers

MrMatisse

Lets cut the BS

UCD, TCD Maybe UCC = GOOD, Worth the effort

The rest= Glorified clown colleges

I.T= HA HA HA HA !!!:D

biko

Here a few tips for the university career.
Your (possessive pronoun)
You're (short for you are)

Grammar (how to write)
Grammer (not a word)

If you really want some help about choosing a university try the Edu category on top of the page. Most schools have a forum there.

El Siglo

Really-Stressed wrote: »

Lets cut the BS

UCD, TCD Maybe UCC = GOOD, Worth the effort

The rest= Glorified clown colleges

I.T= HA HA HA HA !!!:D

Would you say that about this place?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Really-Stressed wrote: »

Lets cut the BS

Don't be silly, we need scientists. BAs should be cut first, if anything.

Lollymcd

My name is URL wrote: »

Definitely, in fact one of the criteria for rating colleges is based on how graduates are viewed by employers

...and how are they viewed??? Just curious, I'm not filling out a CAO or anything, I got my BA and HDip from NUIM nearly 10 years ago... a lot of people I've met have thought I'm a stoner as went to Maynooth even though I'm not (I'm an alco!!!) do other colleges have stereotypes I've never come across?

Lollymcd

biko wrote: »

Here a few tips for the university career.
Your (possessive pronoun)
You're (short for you are)

Grammar (how to write)
Grammer (not a word)

If you really want some help about choosing a university try the Edu category on top of the page. Most schools have a forum there.

Thanks for that, edited as such. I don't want help choosing a college, I'd prefer a discussion... have I spelled that correctly?

thetonynator

DBS actually stands for Dumb Blonde School . . .

biko

Lollymcd wrote: »

Thanks for that, edited as such. I don't want help choosing a college, I'd prefer a discussion... have I spelled that correctly?

Actually I should apologise, correcting spelling is frowned upon in After Hours.
Sorry.

PeakOutput

colleges are certainly not created equally and neither are degrees

if you want an average degree that will get you an average job with average pay in average ireland then pick any of our uni's or dit(which is a university fyi)

if you want to something more than that but dont want to splash out then pick any of our uni's and work your ass of for a first class honours and then use your new found knowledge and maturity to evaluate your options for post grad study either in ireland or abroad

in a very very limited range of subjects we have some really really good post grad courses and research departments

for everything else, theres the rest of the world

Lollymcd

PeakOutput wrote: »

colleges are certainly not created equally and neither are degrees

if you want an average degree that will get you an average job with average pay in average ireland then pick any of our uni's or dit(which is a university fyi)

if you want to something more than that but dont want to splash out then pick any of our uni's and work your ass of for a first class honours and then use your new found knowledge and maturity to evaluate your options for post grad study either in ireland or abroad

in a very very limited range of subjects we have some really really good post grad courses and research departments

for everything else, theres the rest of the world

DIT is a Uni??? Can anyone confirm my ignorance? (apart from those who already have of course!!!)

Duggy747

I have a degree in Systems & Networking with job experience to back it up.

Many job interviewers and recruitment offices have told that while I have the experience the degree essentially don't mean diddly shìt nowadays.

That's why I'm off doing my Comptia courses (N+ exam on Friday and then straight into the 2 A+ exams)

Seloth

Really-Stressed wrote: »

Lets cut the BS

UCD, TCD Maybe UCC = GOOD, Worth the effort

The rest= Glorified clown colleges

I.T= HA HA HA HA !!!:D

UL is really sought after by Employers apparently as of there half term coop education i.e study abroad or work experiance.

ya-ba-da-ba-doo

Really-Stressed wrote: »

Lets cut the BS

UCD, TCD Maybe UCC = GOOD, Worth the effort

The rest= Glorified clown colleges

I.T= HA HA HA HA !!!:D

Firstly, that's such an ignorant post.

Secondly, UL, DCU, NUIG, Queens(in the north but still) - All great Unis.

Forget the name of it but the Art college in Dublin is brilliant if you're into that kinda stuff.

I'm in one of the colleges you named as being good doing science and i have friends in WIT with 5 or 6 hours more than me, and science has a good few hours.


It only matters to a certain degree what college you go to, if you have drive you'll get past the prejudice people like you have.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Seloth wrote: »

UL is really sought after by Employers apparently as of there half term coop education i.e study abroad or work experiance.

Right you are, alas there's quite a bit of snobbery around here. Moreso when it comes to discussing colleges/unis than when discussing society or class because its not cool to be a class snob

phasers

No, all degrees aren't created equal.

Medicine > Media studies , for example.

opinion guy

Seloth wrote: »

UL is really sought after by Employers apparently as of there half term coop education i.e study abroad or work experiance.

Ditto for DCU

longhalloween

Lollymcd wrote: »

...and how are they viewed??? Just curious, I'm not filling out a CAO or anything, I got my BA and HDip from NUIM nearly 10 years ago... a lot of people I've met have thought I'm a stoner as went to Maynooth even though I'm not (I'm an alco!!!) do other colleges have stereotypes I've never come across?

I remember a great headline at the start of 3rd year in UCD.

'UCD students exchange cigarettes for blowjobs'.

The rents definitely hesitated when paying my fees.

muffy

My opinion on this is that many institutions have courses that other universities do not offer, or a particular course in an institution may be the best in the country, but on a whole that institution my be "less respected" than others.
For example- the course I study is the best course in the country in the field, but my college, DIT, isn't as respected as say, Trinity, by some. But at the end of the day, employers in the industry I want to work in will recognise my course as the best, and will probably know alot of my lecturers, etc.

phasers

'UCD students exchange cigarettes for blowjobs'.

Oh please, girls in my secondary school were doing that in second year

Lollymcd

I knew there was a reason I decided not to start smoking all those years ago!

Fremen

TCD is known outside of Ireland, so people (in the UK, for example) tend to assume it's better than DCU or the various UCD/UCC/UCG colleges.

It's not really better, just older and more famous. The main Irish universities are more or less on par with each other at undergraduate level.

4zn76tysfajdxp

phasers wrote: »

Oh please, girls in my secondary school were doing that in second year

:eek::eek::eek:

Oh my god, the girls in your school were smoking in second year?

Giblet

Any idiot can get a degree.

PeakOutput

Fremen wrote: »

TCD is known outside of Ireland, so people (in the UK, for example) tend to assume it's better than DCU or the various UCD/UCC/UCG colleges.

It's not really better, just older and more famous. The main Irish universities are more or less on par with each other at undergraduate level.

thats the important part of what you said

a university does NOT get its reputation from undergrads so there is very good reason why trinity has an international rep in certain fields

PeakOutput

Giblet wrote: »

Any idiot can get a degree.

in ireland

Thirdfox

Trinity is ranking within the top 50 in the world (according the THES by the Times). No other university in Ireland comes close, (UCD is in the top 200).

That's not to say the education provided by others isn't as good (or even better) - DIT is the only place in Ireland where one can study optometry I believe. But reputation wise, people have heard of TCD across the world (we're the poorer, less elegant sister of Cambridge and Oxford) whereas, type UCD into Google and you'll find the University of California, Davis...hence the rename to UCDD (the double Ds of Dublin )

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

I didn't find it difficult to get a degree, but doing something you like is a lot easier than doing something for other reasons. I guess a lot of people pick a subject they are interested in? There are classes I hated and I found difficult beccause of that, boring, monotomous, not a challange.

I would percieve a degree from a university to be better than one from an IT...

Fremen

The THES rankings are pretty arbitrary though. A small change in their methodology leads to a huge change in rankings. All you can really conclude is that Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and Yale are great. The rest, even MIT and Princeton, change position often enough year on year that you can't really make a fair comparison.

Fremen

Daxton Obedient Tomcat wrote: »

I found difficult beccause of that, boring, monotomous, not a challange.

I would percieve a degree from a university to be better than one from an IT

I take it you didn't study English Literature?

Penisland

partyatmygaff wrote: »

I went to Daddy's Business School because I didn't bother studying.

:pac:

Believe I posted this exact same comment in another thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rossie1977

Daxton Obedient Tomcat wrote: »

I would percieve a degree from a university to be better than one from an IT...

why??

for me personally having seen both sides (IT for my undergrad and a university for my postgrad) the lecturers in the IT were of a much higher standard. the IT guys and gals had years of real-world experience working in the sector they lectured

my classmates that had come through uni for their undergrad couldn't believe we had 35hrs of lectures every week for 4 years in the IT, they had less than half that for 3 years

Little Acorn

I've heard before that IT'S are valued more for actual hands on experience, whilst universities are more valued for having more theory based knowledge.
If this is truly the case (and it might not be-just something I've read in a few places),
-would an undergraduate IT degree, coupled with a university masters or phd, be more impressive to an employer than a uni degree + uni masters etc.?




Edit; Just saw post above mine, what are your experiences with employers?

Fremen

Little Acorn wrote: »

-would an undergraduate IT degree, coupled with a university masters or phd, be more impressive to an employer than a uni degree + uni masters etc.?

I doubt it. A lot of employers just see a degree as a piece of paper saying "This guy has some basic level of competence". It doesn't matter too much where it comes from. They use it as a kind of first-pass filter to make sure they get a decent selection of interview candidates. It's then that they test you to find out if you know your stuff.

sock puppet

PeakOutput wrote: »

in ireland

It doesn't seem to be just an Irish problem. This was posted in another thread somewhere.

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/02/why-cant-programmers-program.html

That's just Computer Science graduates now but if true it's pretty shocking and doesn't say much for CS graduates in the US.

rossie1977

Little Acorn wrote: »

Edit; Just saw post above mine, what are you're experiences with employers?

my experience is a degree is a degree with employers, if you have a 2.2 degree or better from either an IT or a university they look upon it as the same (as long as its in a certain field obviously)

don't fool yourself into thinking ITs are less theory based, they ain't, my degree was business at undergrad but we had at least 25 hours of theory lectures a week

Thirdfox

Fremen wrote: »

The THES rankings are pretty arbitrary though. A small change in their methodology leads to a huge change in rankings. All you can really conclude is that Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and Yale are great. The rest, even MIT and Princeton, change position often enough year on year that you can't really make a fair comparison.

Perhaps not between LSE and TCD for example... but it is relevant that other than Trinity, only UCD makes it into the list at all...actually apologies to the UCD brethren, it seems that they have made it into the top 100 this year (89) - a jump up from 108 last year.

However no other university from Ireland makes it into the list - though we are punching well above our weight I'd suspect if we are calculating by universities per capita.

So I accept that there would be very little between no. 5 and 10 or even 20...but I would argue that there certainly is a difference between 43 and not getting into the 200 (personally I've studied at uni number 52 and 90 and like you say found very little difference to Trinity on the education side of things). The fact that number 90 had roughly 7 billion dollars of an endowment did make a difference when it came to other facilities though

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Fremen wrote: »

I take it you didn't study English Literature?

Ha, nope. What did I spell wrong this time? Monotomous I guess, monotonous? Meh feck it :P

rossie1977 wrote: »

why??

A mixture of ignorance and conditioning. That's how it was perceived by many of my mates growing up, even before we applied for courses. I have a degree from an IT by the way

for me personally having seen both sides (IT for my undergrad and a university for my postgrad) the lecturers in the IT were of a much higher standard. the IT guys and gals had years of real-world experience working in the sector they lectured

my classmates that had come through uni for their undergrad couldn't believe we had 35hrs of lectures every week for 4 years in the IT, they had less than half that for 3 years

Our course had about 15 - 20 hours of lectures a week, but we had serious amounts of projects to do. Each college has a different approach.

Scarinae

muffy wrote: »

My opinion on this is that many institutions have courses that other universities do not offer, or a particular course in an institution may be the best in the country, but on a whole that institution my be "less respected" than others.
For example- the course I study is the best course in the country in the field, but my college, DIT, isn't as respected as say, Trinity, by some. But at the end of the day, employers in the industry I want to work in will recognise my course as the best, and will probably know alot of my lecturers, etc.

That's true - for example, UL is one of the best places to go if you want to do Physio, Sports Science etc, and I've heard that they have fantastic sports facilities as well. I've also heard that DCU is excellent for their language studies. It depends what you want to do really. Other courses are only offered in some places - I think nutrition and dietetics can only be done in DIT or UCC, while architecture is UCD or DIT (I may be a few years out of date on this, did my LC in 2005)

rossie1977 wrote:

for me personally having seen both sides (IT for my undergrad and a university for my postgrad) the lecturers in the IT were of a much higher standard. the IT guys and gals had years of real-world experience working in the sector they lectured

I have a friend who has done music in Trinity and in DIT - she says the course in Trinity is much more theory-based and academic, while the DIT courses are better if you want to do performance. There are advantages and disadvantages to both courses. The best thing to do when you're applying is to find out what is taught on the various courses and find out what is best for you and what you want to get out of it, not base your decision on th college's reputation/which is the easiest to commute to etc

--LOS--

Lollymcd wrote: »

Are all Irish universities the same? Are some colleges respected more than others? If you pay for your third level qualification are you desperate or privileged?

Course they're not all the same, course some respected more than others.

opinion guy wrote: »

Ditto for DCU

Ditto

Fremen wrote: »

TCD is known outside of Ireland, so people (in the UK, for example) tend to assume it's better than DCU or the various UCD/UCC/UCG colleges.

It's not really better, just older and more famous. The main Irish universities are more or less on par with each other at undergraduate level.

TCD has its rep thanks to the arts department though, think that's what people have to remember.

In DCU until fairly recently the degree classifications differed to that of other colleges, can't remember exactly but for eg you needed more marks to get a 2.1 etc than other places, that has seen changed, just an example of the discrepancies there are between colleges.