Biotechnology @ DCU? (DC181)

dermo100

Would be ever so grateful if some people could provide some information here...

Course content from a students point-of-view?
Maths difficulty?
is the introduction to chem enough for someone not studying chem for Leaving?
and work load?

Cheers guys!
http://www.dcu.ie/prospective/deginfo.php?classname=BT&degree_description=B.Sc.+in+Biotechnology+(Bachelor+Honours+Degree)

Einstein?

Hi, I'm only after finishing 1'st year genetics and cell biology, but it has the same course content as BT. I also think that BT and GCB will be linked together in 2nd year.

Anyhow, the course content in 1st year is standard physics, chemistry and biology. Nothing too in depth, nothing too difficult. However, it really depends what you are doing in your leaving cert. That's where maths plays a big part. If your doing Ordinary level maths in the LC, you will find it very difficult in college as you will find it very hard to understand some of the stuff that the lecturers go on about! However, if you have done Higher level maths in the LC then you will find maths a piece of cake in college.

Myself, I didn't do chemistry for the LC. It really is quite challenging at times. You really have to go about studying yourself.

Each subject will be divided by different lecturers, doing different areas of each subject. Chemistry for example was divided into four parts, analytical, organic, inorganic, and thermodynamics.

Biology, is very easy to understand yet you have to sit down and learn LOTS.
Work load is quite moderate. Also in semester 2 there is a module called interdisciplinary science in which you do a weekly project. That plus 2/3 labs that you have each week with post labs and prelabs are sure to keep you bussy!

One word of advice - revise what you do at the end of each week!

good luck.

dermo100

Thanks that was really helpful!

adamski8

first year is piss easy, not that i was great or anything but it was nearly junior cert level stuff tbh. I was thinking of dropping out after 1st year it was so unstimulating. second year on is much better though.
Chemistry you can pass without much studying or understanding
I wouldnt worry about the maths in first year and there is even a maths clinic ope to first years to help you (its free).
I'd be worried about the later years if yr not good at maths as the engineering parts of the course seems really hard and alot of people fail.

Garseys

adamski8 wrote: »

first year is piss easy, not that i was great or anything but it was nearly junior cert level stuff tbh. I was thinking of dropping out after 1st year it was so unstimulating. second year on is much better though.
Chemistry you can pass without much studying or understanding
I wouldnt worry about the maths in first year and there is even a maths clinic ope to first years to help you (its free).
I'd be worried about the later years if yr not good at maths as the engineering parts of the course seems really hard and alot of people fail.

if first year is so piss easy how come the fail rate for chemistry is around 80% the last 3 years?:S

the physics and biology are leaving cert level, chem and math would be a tiny bit more advanced and one word of advice do your CAs and do well in them otherwise it's trouble!

adamski8

Garseys wrote: »

if first year is so piss easy how come the fail rate for chemistry is around 80% the last 3 years?:S

the physics and biology are leaving cert level, chem and math would be a tiny bit more advanced and one word of advice do your CAs and do well in them otherwise it's trouble!

dumb students maybe
physics and biology may be leaving cert level but that would be pass level. no way is the maths in any way advanced! the most advanced thing was basic differentiation!

I find it hard to believe they were 80%. I take it your taking about the exam and not the chemistry labs?!
what format is the exam again?

Garseys

adamski8 wrote: »

dumb students maybe
physics and biology may be leaving cert level but that would be pass level. no way is the maths in any way advanced! the most advanced thing was basic differentiation!

I find it hard to believe they were 80%. I take it your taking about the exam and not the chemistry labs?!
what format is the exam again?

the exam

it's 60 exam 40 ca but I think it's 70 30 now but the only way to get 40 from the ca in my first year was to get the tutorials 100% right and for spec and organic that was a bit tricky.

Yeah the fail rate has increased every year since the module was merged
as a year long instead of CS101 and CS102

anyway maths proved difficult for me since I did pass at leaving cert.

GLaDOS

adamski8 wrote: »

first year is piss easy, not that i was great or anything but it was nearly junior cert level stuff tbh. I was thinking of dropping out after 1st year it was so unstimulating. second year on is much better though.
Chemistry you can pass without much studying or understanding
I wouldnt worry about the maths in first year and there is even a maths clinic ope to first years to help you (its free).
I'd be worried about the later years if yr not good at maths as the engineering parts of the course seems really hard and alot of people fail.

If you did honours Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry it's piss easy yeah. I personally found chemistry quite difficult 'cause it was my first time touching it since the junior. It's grand with a bit of work, but don't take it for granted.

Brow

adamski8 wrote: »

physics and biology may be leaving cert level but that would be pass level. no way is the maths in any way advanced! the most advanced thing was basic differentiation!

I find it hard to believe they were 80%. I take it your taking about the exam and not the chemistry labs?!

I'd take this with a pinch of salt.

I know plenty of people who failed modules across the board in first year and it wasnt down to them being dumb. Essentially if youve done honours in the subjects mentioned, first year will be fine.
However if you havent done the subjects before then it can be quite tricky as the lecturers select certain areas from leaving cert or new areas and focus on them rather than do a general overview of say, chemistry i.e. you may have to fill in some holes. For example when I went into chemistry labs it was instantly assumed everyone knew what a mole was (half of us never did chemistry before so were clueless)

The maths i'd reckon is halfway between honours and pass leaving cert. Some people did fine, others really struggled and were always in the maths clinic seeking help.

In summary, I would not generally say first year is piss easy, it depends on your background and the person in general (whether they put the work in or not)

ironictoaster

Can someone tell what topics do you do in maths or is it just all calculus?

Just got accepted into the course

Somnus

In relation to Maths for me (2nd year Genetics) it's just calculus but I'm fairly sure that Biotech have more than we do. I remember hearing that they were finding it fairly difficult. They might be doing different stuff to us though.

As for chemistry, if you work at it you will be ok, even if you hadn't done it for Leaving (like myself). Although I remember one of my lecturers saying that as of this year just finished the standard is being put up because external examiners were saying DCU's chemistry was too easy!! And that's with over 70% failing the first exams (not labs).

Yukina

adamski8 wrote: »

dumb students maybe
physics and biology may be leaving cert level but that would be pass level. no way is the maths in any way advanced! the most advanced thing was basic differentiation!

I find it hard to believe they were 80%. I take it your taking about the exam and not the chemistry labs?!
what format is the exam again?

No offence adamski, but I find that comment unbelievably rude... Are you honestly telling me that if you think 90% of a class (that was the actual percentage that failed last year) failed because they were "dumb"?

Just because you find something easy doesn't mean everyone else will, and you really shouldn't put other people down like that It's incredibly rude.I'm just finished 2nd year, and although I passed all my first year modules well I would not go around saying that it was "piss easy", yeah I might not have had to work as hard as other people did to pass because I was good at say math and chemistry, but the majority of people I know had it a lot harder than I did. And saying that something is "piss easy" inevitably just makes other people feel bad if they don't find it easy. I have friends that have had to repeat exams and modules because they found stuff difficult, they are not stupid people but the way in which you shrug off first year as a waste of time due to its simplicity implies that you think they are...

Please be more considerate to other people in future...

dermo100

has anyone gained entry through the pre-university course in colaiste dhulaigh?

http://www.colaistedhulaigh.ie/full-time-courses/science-and-technology/pre-university-science.php

Dillonb3

dermo100 wrote: »

has anyone gained entry through the pre-university course in colaiste dhulaigh?

http://www.colaistedhulaigh.ie/full-time-courses/science-and-technology/pre-university-science.php

2 people I know in my course, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science, gained entry from colaiste dhulaigh and they were given the choice for most of the science courses in DCU. I assume Biotech would be one.

ironictoaster

dermo100 wrote: »

has anyone gained entry through the pre-university course in colaiste dhulaigh?

http://www.colaistedhulaigh.ie/full-time-courses/science-and-technology/pre-university-science.php

Yeah, I did this year. Starting DCU this year. You can go any of the science courses minus the mathematical courses and genetics and cell biology. That site never gets updated.

dermo100

creggy wrote: »

Yeah, I did this year. Starting DCU this year. You can go any of the science courses minus the mathematical courses and genetics and cell biology. That site never gets updated.

thanks for letting me know!
How did you find the course?
Whats the college like their isn't a single photo to be found of it anywhere lol

ironictoaster

dermo100 wrote: »

has anyone gained entry through the pre-university course in colaiste dhulaigh?

http://www.colaistedhulaigh.ie/full-time-courses/science-and-technology/pre-university-science.php

dermo100 wrote: »

thanks for letting me know!
How did you find the course?
Whats the college like their isn't a single photo to be found of it anywhere lol

The course was grand, alot of hard work though. There's a emphasis on knowing what you are talking about rather learning a book off. To get into DCU or DIT from this course, you need to get an overall of 65% from 2 semester exams and from lab reports in the below underlined subjects. You study physics, chemistry, biology, lab techniques, ECDL and communications.

Physics, chem, maths and biology are higher level standard with a few things added in. They teach everything as if you never did it before. You have a lab practical in physics, chem, biology and lab tech every week where you write up a lab reports for each subject. The results from these bring up your average.

The college is basically a giant secondary school, nothing like DCU. The course is grand once your head down.

adamski8

Yukina wrote: »

Please be more considerate to other people in future...

sorry for the offence, the dumb students remark was meant jokingly.
was just my view, can't say what other people think!
For me it was piss easy and I was pretty useless/lost at the chemistry parts but I think if you cant handle not even leaving cert higher level (or can't catch up in a whole year of college in the subjects you didnt do higher level e.g if you never did chemistry before) you shouldnt be doing a college degree.

dermo100

"The college is basically a giant secondary school, nothing like DCU. The course is grand once your head down"

Thanks that was very helpful!
sorry for hounding you with all these questions but what is the average intake of students each year?

ironictoaster

I couldn't tell you but it's a very busy place maybe 800. There's around 25 in Pre-Uni science this year though.