Cancellation or continuation despite the snow?

FewToLose

Just want to guage some opinion here: would you rather the exams were postponed to January or went ahead in spite of the snow? Just curious! And procrastinating...

Chet T16

TBH i don't care, i've an almost 40 mile drive from the hills of wicklow to contend with so whatever leaves me not dead is my choice

Conor108

Need a poll!


Honestly I'd prefer if they went ahead. In saying that, I live in Dublin, and could probably make it in under an hour to the RDS. I live on the northside but sure its just 1 train and they're usually reliable enough even in the snow. I'm guessing I'm the minority though and there'll be many who could end up being stuck in Dublin for days.

Raphael

Personally, I'd prefer to sit my exam and get it over with. It'll take me about an hour and a half to get there, but I'll survive.

Practically, I think they should be cancelled. Too many people will have extreme difficulty travelling, and it's a pretty big Health and Safety risk.

**Timbuk2**

I think I would prefer them not to be postponed - get them over and done with.

I understand that there are those who can't get to the exams easily, but there's only two days left - I've heard of a few people planning to stay in a hotel somewhere (!) so they don't have to travel home all the time. Rescheduling couldn't work because of those one semester only students, especially the overseas ones who have their flights booked.

RandolphEsq

Feck sitting these exams, I want them to be cancelled! Have two on Wed which I never turned up to and only started studying today (they are Arts subjects so I'm not worried at all) but I'd like Christmas to begin now!

Scatterbrain

I'd say they should be postponed.
Having exams tomorrow is a real health risk, as well as the fact that a large number of people simply will not be able to make it in.
UCD will have to deal with a lot of injuries and extenuating circumstance forms, that's for sure.
Of course, I know that it's hassle to postpone them, but I'm sure something could be worked out with regard to holding exams in campus in January, or by replacing formal exams with essays where viable. Right...?

Oh well, here's hoping they put us out of our misery soon!

TDOie

Given that it took me 3 hours to get home (within Dublin). I'd prefer not having a 6 hour travel time.

Chet T16

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Feck sitting these exams, I want them to be cancelled! Have two on Wed which I never turned up to and only started studying today (they are Arts subjects so I'm not worried at all) but I'd like Christmas to begin now!

Ha, i just realised if my exam tomorrow is cancelled my christmas has officially started.

I'm a bit pissed off with UCD's stance on the whole thing, its ridiculous to have the exams on but then to make people jump through hoops to get extenuating circumstances is a bloody joke. I've an exam at 6pm tomorrow and for me to have to brave coming back here at 9/10/11pm in the depths of the evenings freeze is not on.

I won't be taking risks when i've a child here about the celebrate her first christmas.

SmashingPilot

Its a must that they should be cancelled for Health & Safety reasons. Even if it stops snowing now, freezing temperatures means everywhere will be treacherous.

If this was just a regular week during the semester, college would be closed. I'm not allowing UCD to put my safety at risk just so the lazy, money grabbing gits dont have the hassle of reorganising them. I only have one left and would prefer to get it over with but I dont fancy another three hour drive home.

Pigwidgeon

Ideally I'd like to get them out of the way. But seeing as I'm coming from greystones and there's already no buses, and on a good day takes an hour to get to even ucd I don't fancy it in the snow.

If it gets much worse they won't have much choice. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the rds cancels them and not ucd.

NeonCookies

I'm in the same boat as Chet T16, on the edge of the Wicklow mountains. I've one exam left, and would love to get it over with. But it's just not worth it. Far too dangerous. It's ridiculous causing people so much hassle with garda forms etc., when they are thinking of their own safety. What's more important, passing a module or being alive for the new year?

As long as they don't reschedule for during christmas holidays...I'm in final year and have a lot of work for my thesis project to catch up on then! They could carry them out over a few Saturday's in O'Reilly hall or lecture theatres. Or during the 2 week midterm. For students from abroad they could work out alternative methods of assessment, e.g. essays or online tests depending on courses. Exams are important and all...but not worth risking your life (or to a lesser extent, intact bones!) over!

unknown13

I have one exam left, I prefer to get it over and done with and not having to worry about an exam over Christmas.

RandolphEsq

I think an essay over the Christmas break should suffice instead of the exams that involve an essay. No need to reorganise those exams

delta_bravo

RandolphEsq wrote: »

I think an essay over the Christmas break should suffice instead of the exams that involve an essay. No need to reorganise those exams

Then people will give out that they cant access the libraries. Either way, UCD cant win on this situation. The best way is to run the exams and deal with those who couldnt make it on an individual basis

RandolphEsq

delta_bravo wrote: »

Then people will give out that they cant access the libraries. Either way, UCD cant win on this situation. The best way is to run the exams and deal with those who couldnt make it on an individual basis

The essays could be over the Christmas break

FewToLose

This is something that like the in the rest of the country has not been prepared for. There are going to be loads of people missing exams tomorrow and UCD had no mechanism to deal with it. Personally, I have three exams left, and I'd quite happily have them postponed till January

mynameissarah

I'd rather trek across and sit my two exams I have on Wednesday than spend the Christmas holidays fretting over essays that I won't get done thanks to the work schedule.

I've not missed a day nor a class since week 1 of the semester and so I'd rather enjoy having the three weeks off right now. Whilst I think there should be an option for those who genuinely cannot make it, I'd rather those who could were allowed sit the exams and get them out of the way.

Davidius

I wouldn't mind them being postponed at all. More time to study, GPA++.

Conor108

mynameissarah wrote: »

I've not missed a day nor a class since week 1 of the semester

Fair play!

mynameissarah

Conor108 wrote: »

Fair play!

Cheers, I was rather suprised I did it but it's final year so it was well worth it.

I actually cannot bear the idea of having the semester's workload dragged through the rest of the holidays.

I've already lost a LOT of extra hours in work this week because my exams are due to run until Wednesday night. I am simply not willing to lose extra hours over the break thanks to postponed exams. I've already had Italian exams postponed for the applied language modules and it threw me off completely.

I just want them over and done with now.

Sierra Oscar

I think most people would probably prefer to get them over and done with . . . but considering the traffic is still only clearing on the M50 now, they should probably be cancelled.

The snow this evening was only a taster for what is to begin tomorrow - the charts are showing persistent snow from 7AM. Might need to have left home yesterday to get to the RDS at this rate!

munchie14

"leave all your belongings behind.we'll get them later!!"..
leave home now.sleep in the rds till bout the 26th and let su think they handled the situation

Gingy

Hope to god that they aren't cancelled, really want to get them out of the way and finished with. There are loads of foreigners who won't be here after Christmas, so they'll be keen to let them sit their exams.

I also like long days around Christmas, sitting in your dressing gown til dinner, while watching Gandhi, Ben Hur or some other 'Christmassy' film, and don't want an exam to be hanging over me.

Killer Pigeon

Gingy wrote: »

Hope to god that they aren't cancelled, really want to get them out of the way and finished with. There are loads of foreigners who won't be here after Christmas, so they'll be keen to let them sit their exams.

I also like long days around Christmas, sitting in your dressing gown til dinner, while watching Gandhi, Ben Hur or some other 'Christmassy' film, and don't want an exam to be hanging over me.

:eek::eek::eek:

Edit: How is Gandhi Christmassy?

littlefriend

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

Looks like there is snow coming for Dublin in the next few hours. I'd say they'll have to cancel.

Killer Pigeon

littlefriend wrote: »

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

Looks like there is snow coming for Dublin in the next few hours. I'd say they'll have to cancel.

wow, according to that site there's going to be a lot of precipitation in 1 hr or so.

Gingy

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek:

Edit: How is Gandhi Christmassy?

I put 'Christmassy' in apostrophes, because for some reason, these long classic films are always played around Christmas, so they're now 'Christmassy' to me...and you'd have to admit that the scene where Gandhi and lads are flying through the sky on a sleigh delivering presents to people is pretty Christmassy:cool:

Victoria.

kateos2 wrote: »

Ideally I'd like to get them out of the way. But seeing as I'm coming from greystones and there's already no buses, and on a good day takes an hour to get to even ucd I don't fancy it in the snow.

If it gets much worse they won't have much choice. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the rds cancels them and not ucd.

The DART is still running and it leaves you a 5 minute walk from the RDS

mynameissarah

One more day, supposed to have my last two tomorrow, I actually really want them to go ahead because one is 100% of my grade and the other is 50%.

I've already done a huge mind numbing essay for one, I just want to forget the subject forever.

Gingy

Exams from 6 tonight have been postponed til the 17th and 18th of January:(

Iwasfrozen

Gingy wrote: »

Exams from 6 tonight have been postponed til the 17th and 18th of January:(

Why the sad face?

Sierra Oscar

Good thing they were postponed tbh . . . it is nasty out there at the moment!

mynameissarah

I'm glad they were cancelled based on the weather at this point, however I have a serious problem with the rescheduling.

I'm missing two lectures and three history seminars on the Tuesday now that the exams have been moved.

SexyD4Lady

Sarah, AFAIK, seminars do not take place during the first week of the semester for the simple reason that material needs to be covered in lectures before discussion forums/tutorials can take place. Otherwise nobody would have a breeze what's going on! Also I wouldn't worry about the two history lectures- email your lecturer and explain that you will be sitting an exam postponed from December. Surely they won't penalise you for not attending due to sitting an exam. If you ask really nicely they might even be able to forward you some notes if they don't put them on blackboard.

FewToLose

SexyD4Lady wrote: »

Sarah, AFAIK, seminars do not take place during the first week of the semester for the simple reason that material needs to be covered in lectures before discussion forums/tutorials can take place. Otherwise nobody would have a breeze what's going on! Also I wouldn't worry about the two history lectures- email your lecturer and explain that you will be sitting an exam postponed from December. Surely they won't penalise you for not attending due to sitting an exam. If you ask really nicely they might even be able to forward you some notes if they don't put them on blackboard.

Not true, the majority of them do go ahead during week one. Mine always do! It depends on the course

mynameissarah

SexyD4Lady wrote: »

Sarah, AFAIK, seminars do not take place during the first week of the semester for the simple reason that material needs to be covered in lectures before discussion forums/tutorials can take place. Otherwise nobody would have a breeze what's going on! Also I wouldn't worry about the two history lectures- email your lecturer and explain that you will be sitting an exam postponed from December. Surely they won't penalise you for not attending due to sitting an exam. If you ask really nicely they might even be able to forward you some notes if they don't put them on blackboard.

Appreciate the concern but seminars do take place, I'm in final year history and we've ALWAYS had seminars in the first week of term. Apologies if that sounds catty, not supposed to!

I'm just really annoyed, had a golden semester this side of Christmas and was going for the golden year but oh well.