Arts in UCC

LC2010HIS

Hey,
so UCC is my choice again this year, Arts my 3rd choice(Gen nursing and midwifery as my 1st and 2nd) and most likely offer at this stage points wise and i aint complaining!
But Im wondering, is it very deep?
Ive heard alot of complaints about how difficult some of it is and all the essays?
I really want to do History, Pyschology, English and Politics!( Defo history and pyschology anyway)

Im just wondering, cause i dont wanna get caught in a heap and if its too much ?I love english, but ever since ive gone back to repeat i loathe it! And i have finished and am in the middle of editing a novel :P So..... yeah great as a hobby but im worried about choosing english as i might get totally bogged down?

Any 2 cents out there? Thankies!

ReacherCreature

LC2010HIS wrote: »

But Im wondering, is it very deep?
Ive heard alot of complaints about how difficult some of it is and all the essays?

Yes, it's 'deep'. With history alone you're talking of doing a lot of work with essays. You'll have many essays to do over the course of the year - pending of course on what way you want to structure your degree i.e. joint honours, major, single.

I really want to do History, Pyschology, English and Politics!( Defo history and pyschology anyway)

If you get accepted to UCC, you'll have to put English and history as your first and second preferences as they're jam packed each year.

Im just wondering, cause i dont wanna get caught in a heap and if its too much ?

Doesn't matter, you're going to be bogged down anyways, this is university standard, you'll have to work. An Arts degree is no walk in the park and screw those who think it is. It's a tough degree but personally, very rewarding for the insights into history alone.

I love english, but ever since ive gone back to repeat i loathe it! And i have finished and am in the middle of editing a novel :P So..... yeah great as a hobby but im worried about choosing english as i might get totally bogged down?

You can choose it in 1st year, then if it's no good, drop it before 2nd year?

You said you love and loathe it in one sentence, it does not bode good for choosing it at university level.

If you love history, I can not recommend it more. Great staff and modules and a well set up department. It's a deeply interesting, challenging and rewarding course. Any specific questions on history, shoot.

Byron85

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Yes, it's 'deep'. With history alone you're talking of doing a lot of work with essays. You'll have many essays to do over the course of the year - pending of course on what way you want to structure your degree i.e. joint honours, major, single.



If you get accepted to UCC, you'll have to put English and history as your first and second preferences as they're jam packed each year.



Doesn't matter, you're going to be bogged down anyways, this is university standard, you'll have to work. An Arts degree is no walk in the park and screw those who think it is. It's a tough degree but personally, very rewarding for the insights into history alone.



You can choose it in 1st year, then if it's no good, drop it before 2nd year?

You said you love and loathe it in one sentence, it does not bode good for choosing it at university level.

If you love history, I can not recommend it more. Great staff and modules and a well set up department. It's a deeply interesting, challenging and rewarding course. Any specific questions on history, shoot.

History is great in first year especially with Gabriel Doherty and Diarmuid "Velvet Voice" Scully.

Psychology is great but you cover an awful lot so be prepared. There's some biology involved, especially when it comes to neurology and neurological disorders etc but it's nothing that you won't understand.

As for the workload, an Arts degree is no walk over and anyone who tells you otherwise is a clown. This year, 2nd year, i've handed in 15 essays and I have 12 exams in May. In first year it's half that so be prepared for 2nd year.

ReacherCreature

Byron85 wrote: »

History is great in first year especially with Gabriel Doherty and Diarmuid "Velvet Voice" Scully.

As for the workload, an Arts degree is no walk over and anyone who tells you otherwise is a clown. This year, 2nd year, i've handed in 15 essays and I have 12 exams in May. In first year it's half that so be prepared for 2nd year.

With the lecturers above, what would could be considered a turgid topic, is joyous to do.

Just to expound a little on the workload. It's heavy. In second year I handed up to and over 20,000 words in assignments. One being 5000, the other being 4000 and the rest 1500 words. 1500 words sounds easier than others, but they'll prove to be your more difficult works as you've to restrict the amount of aspects you discuss and you've to squeeze a good body of work in.
In third year it's upped. You have an 8,000 word dissertation along with your usual smattering of 1,500 word and 4,000 word essays. On a Friday this year I had five essays due on the one day.

The aim of that paragraph is two things: one to show that Arts has a considerable amount to do and two, that it isn't an easy degree - I'm not belittling other degrees, physical education studies for example has a huge amount to do too.

pbowenroe

History in first year isn't too work heavy. You will have 3 essays, two 1500 words and one 2000 word and an end of year exam. The lecturers mentioned are good and so is Damian Bracken.

invinciblePRSTV

No point doing Arts for the sake of it. So long as you have an interest in the area's you'll be studying then it'll be a doddle, but there's quite a difference between something like Midwifery/Nursing and Arts and the last thing you want to do is be stuck doing a catch-all course like Arts when you want to be doing something else.

If you really want to do Nursing or courses related in the same area, if you don't get the UCC points for them then why not apply to other colleges which have a lower points threshold like Tralee or Waterford?. Failing that afaik the College of Comm. do pre-nursing courses which'll allow you move into UCC nursing on completion, so that's another option.

In my experience, plenty of people put Arts down as a fail-safe when they don't get the points for other courses. But then realise it's not for them when they're in there and drop-out or coast along. Don't let it happen to you OP!.

ReacherCreature

invinciblePRSTV wrote: »

No point doing Arts for the sake of it. So long as you have an interest in the area's you'll be studying then it'll be a doddle

Not quite. I love history but a single honours in it isn't a 'doddle'.

invinciblePRSTV

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Not quite. I love history but a single honours in it isn't a 'doddle'.

Then maybe you don't love it enough:cool:.

HoggyRS

I'm just about to finish my degree in History and Politics. Two handy subjects to do as there is alot of cross-over between them. Prepare to do an arse load of essays though. The lecturers are generally pretty sound.