Anyone ever got in DCU with FETAC?

synthbuyer

hey i was just trying to suss out my odds of getting in to the MULTIMEDIA course in DCU with a FEATAC Level 6 (Media Prodoction) award with 6 distinctions and 2 merits. Has anybody got into DCU through FETAC, or were ya all leaving certs? also keep in mind that i am in the CAO and not a mature student either ...

XPS

I know at least two Journalism students and one Communication studies student who took the FETAC access to DCU. It does happen, a lot.

synthbuyer

any idea of what results they got to get in? where they mature students?

Noodleworm

I'm in multimedia, and yeah there are a few people in the class who got in through PLC courses, and i'm sure at least some of those were mature students too but you can the mature student application is seperate, so they would have gotten in through their Fetac course only.

I'm pretty sure you need distinctions in at least 5 modules and they only ask for am level 5 so Id say you have a good chance,
Media Production (code EMPXX) is one of the courses accepted according to the website.

lace

I'm pretty sure loads of people get into that course through FETAC/PLC courses. Of course, I'd say you'd need pretty high grades in your FETAC modules to compete with the leaving cert people, but points for the course went down last year. Imo, FETAC courses are a better way into areas such as art, design, media etc. In my experience, students who come in from such courses often have a bit of a head start in terms of project management, experience with equipment/software etc.

synthbuyer

your dead right. it makes me kind of angry becuase when i look at the modules for courses like NUIM Media Studies or DCU Multimedia, after having done my FETAC Level 6/BTEC Higher National Diploma i realize that i have covered about %75 of the course work for the first two years (and proved myself competent with good grades) yet i will be forced out the way by someone who has done their leaving cert (with good grades in irish, ag science home and economics!)

lace

There are quite a few people on Multimedia who didn't come in through the leaving cert route. A lot of colleges (particularly with creative type courses) are now taking on more and more people who come in with a previous FETAC course or work experience in something similar under their belts.

Noodleworm

synthbuyer wrote: »

your dead right. it makes me kind of angry becuase when i look at the modules for courses like NUIM Media Studies or DCU Multimedia, after having done my FETAC Level 6/BTEC Higher National Diploma i realize that i have covered about %75 of the course work for the first two years (and proved myself competent with good grades) yet i will be forced out the way by someone who has done their leaving cert (with good grades in irish, ag science home and economics!)

You'd be surprised, I did Fetac level 5 multimedia, and we'd covered most of that in about 3 weeks.
It'll give you a little bit of an advantage at first, but you'll be the same as everyone else after a year, the course moves a lot quicker than fetac.

nehpets5555

I got into the Multimedia course thanks to my Fetac results.
They do accept them, and it does give you in advantage in class, but theres quite a lot done that is new, or was for me.

Grindylow

synthbuyer wrote: »

your dead right. it makes me kind of angry becuase when i look at the modules for courses like NUIM Media Studies or DCU Multimedia, after having done my FETAC Level 6/BTEC Higher National Diploma i realize that i have covered about %75 of the course work for the first two years (and proved myself competent with good grades) yet i will be forced out the way by someone who has done their leaving cert (with good grades in irish, ag science home and economics!)

To be fair, college is mainly for leaving cert students irrespective of fetac etc, they're the ones who put the work in over 2 years to earn their college place by doing enough work to get the course.

Noodleworm

^but lots of students fail to do well in the leaving cert regardless of work put in. Its an entirely different learning system when you get into college and your learning about something your interested in. Most colleges are pretty proud of their mature students, fetac entrants and transfers. In fact students who get in through the Access scheme, who did not get the points on average actually do better in the course than those who got the points.

Grindylow

Noodleworm wrote: »

^but lots of students fail to do well in the leaving cert regardless of work put in. Its an entirely different learning system when you get into college and your learning about something your interested in. Most colleges are pretty proud of their mature students, fetac entrants and transfers. In fact students who get in through the Access scheme, who did not get the points on average actually do better in the course than those who got the points.

If most "fail to do well in the leaving cert", then they wouldn't receive the points to go to college, would they? Your theory is flawed. Where may I ask did you get your figures of the averages on which students from the access program get on better in the course than leaving cert students? I'd love to see them.

synthbuyer

FETAC students who have proven their worth in their areas of study are actually better prepared for the courses, especially using the module system as opposed to exams. (Well, its more relevant in Multimedia anyway, considering that a loty of the subjects are practical) so i would find it easy to imagine that FETAC students often perform better than those who are used to the school system of rthe first year at least.

Grindylow

synthbuyer wrote: »

FETAC students who have proven their worth in their areas of study are actually better prepared for the courses, especially using the module system as opposed to exams. (Well, its more relevant in Multimedia anyway, considering that a loty of the subjects are practical) so i would find it easy to imagine that FETAC students often perform better than those who are used to the school system of rthe first year at least.

I'm not disagreeing with that! I'm disagreeing with the point above that you feel you deserve a place more than a leaving cert student, which is untrue!

Noodleworm

It kind of applied to multimedia, As we have no exams and are very practically based.

Grindylow

Noodleworm wrote: »

It kind of applied to multimedia, As we have no exams and are very practically based.

It still shouldn't matter! A leaving cert student is someone who has worked their ass off for two years to get the course which they want, so they should get preference over fetac applicants as they do..

synthbuyer

Noel2k9 wrote: »

I'm not disagreeing with that! I'm disagreeing with the point above that you feel you deserve a place more than a leaving cert student, which is untrue!

I did not say that i deserve a place more, i suggested that i deserve a place as much as anyone doing the leaving cert but am dissadvantaged at the fact that FETAC is only worth a maximum of 400 points (to which i managed 370) When bearing in mind that subjects included the majority of subjects being taught in Multimedia, this surely shows that i am capable of working in that course.

Also granted is the fact that the Level 6 is the same level qaulification as the BTEC Higher National Diploma (which i attained in the same college). When holding this qaulification in England you are granted automatic entry to 2nd or even third year of university courses, whereas in ireland the qaulification is only worth 2/3 of a leaving cert.

Grindylow

synthbuyer wrote: »

I did not say that i deserve a place more, i suggested that i deserve a place as much as anyone doing the leaving cert but am dissadvantaged at the fact that FETAC is only worth a maximum of 400 points (to which i managed 370) When bearing in mind that subjects included the majority of subjects being taught in Multimedia, this surely shows that i am capable of working in that course.

Also granted is the fact that the Level 6 is the same level qaulification as the BTEC Higher National Diploma (which i attained in the same college). When holding this qaulification in England you are granted automatic entry to 2nd or even third year of university courses, whereas in ireland the qaulification is only worth 2/3 of a leaving cert.

Because a leaving cert is much more difficult. The standard of work between both is incredibly different. The leaving cert doesn't prepare students for college, sure, but it makes them work extremely hard, and because of that, they deserve their place in college.

synthbuyer

Noel2k9 wrote: »

It still shouldn't matter! A leaving cert student is someone who has worked their ass off for two years to get the course which they want, so they should get preference over fetac applicants as they do..

i wouldnt post up this thread if i thought that the level 6 and btec HND were mickey mouse jobs, but universities in england let in students with the BTEC HND into even 2nd and third years on advanced entry into related courses because they dont see the point in students repeating the same things over again, especially if they have proven themselves capable of advanced entry.

You can check it out for yourself. The british verison of cao (UCAS) specifies on most 3rd level media courses that exemptions from modules are made for people holding a HND. This HND is also a two year course (which marks easier than the FETAC level 6!) yet both go underappreciated in the CAO system. (and i have both, even managing to work my ass off by completing the HND in one year!)

Noodleworm

by saying college is for leaving cert students your kinda ostracising the other students, like mature students and fetac students. I got in to multimedia with my leaving very, yet still did a fetac course first (I was very young) and Id have no problem with someone from fetac getting the same preference as me.
At the end of the day I realized that the leaving cert was never what its cranked up to be. Its not a test of intelligence or capability, but of memorizing. So many smart students get left behind because they can't cram like that so its great that their are other options to help people who have fallen through the gaps created by our poor examination system.
just because more students enter using their leaving cert does not mean they are more important

lace

+1 to everything Noodleworm just said!

I got into college on just my leaving cert. I did very little work, I just happened to have a good memory and a flair for bullsh!t. There were people in my year who worked really really hard for two years and still didn't get the points they needed. The lc system isn't exactly great.

There are people on my course who did really well in FETAC courses and proved themselves to be good at the kind of subjects and skills required for the course. I proved myself good at learning off Irish essays and making up Geography statistics. In my opinion, the system is a bit strange. I believe a lot of the people who came in through alternative methods actually deserve to be there a lot more than I do. I just got lucky.

creative100

Studied Journalism in Dun Loaghaire > DCU Contemporary Culture and Society

zoeenya

I am applying through fetac also, I hope i get in!

synthbuyer

zoeenya, it is now two years later and i got accepted into DCU through transfer application, however you can only do that with a level 6 or HND. I got accepted to Nui Maynthooth through CAO and am now in finishing my second year of BA Media Studies. My GF is in DCU as well, through CAO. Im pretty sure you need at least 5 distinctions to get in though, I got 6.

zoeenya

Can you tell me more about transfer app? I have been reading the CAO booklet this morning to figure this out in the case I get offered something else that I'm not too psyched about. I am expecting 9 distinctions, but should get 8 at least. Can I ask, did you find you got offered much on the CAO using FETAC entry? I've never applied to college so the whole thing is totally confusing. Hope you are enjoying your course!

antkeane

I got into DCU Astrophysics by
doing a Fetac level 5
foundation science course.

antkeane

zoeenya wrote: »

Can you tell me more about transfer app? I have been reading the CAO booklet this morning to figure this out in the case I get offered something else that I'm not too psyched about. I am expecting 9 distinctions, but should get 8 at least. Can I ask, did you find you got offered much on the CAO using FETAC entry? I've never applied to college so the whole thing is totally confusing. Hope you are enjoying your course!

get ready for a TOTALLY different standard. it was a s
ho
ck

to the system after my fetac 5
.

zoeenya

Okay, well looks like they take us Fetac Peeps . Hopefully I get it!!!

MarkyMark22

zoeenya wrote: »

Okay, well looks like they take us Fetac Peeps . Hopefully I get it!!!

Sorry to bring up a slightly old thread, just wondering how distinctions did the people who got into DCU get? P

I'm hoping to get into DCU this year through Fetac, I have distinctions in 11 (i know they only take your best 8) modules but I'm fearful of missing out through the random selection policy.

Grateful for any info!

MarkyMark22

Mr.S wrote: »

Once you get over 5 distinctions (or whatever your course requires) its all luck after that! So someone who gets 5 distinctions has the same chance as getting into the course versus someone who got 11.

Places are allocated randomly out of all the people who got the required grades.

Are you sure? I think it's the higher amount of distinctions the better.

For instance:

20 Fetac Places available on Course 'x'
12 applicants have 8 distinctions. They get offered a place.
6 applicants have 7 distinctions and 1 merit. They get offered a place.
2 people have 7 distinctions and a pass or six distinctions and 2 merits. They get the remaining 2 places.

I'm going on this because we had a talk from a admissions officer from Maynooth. The course (Arts) has a requirement of a minimum of five distinctions (as most do) but she said the mimimum they accepted last year was 7 distinctions and 1 merit.

Here's a link to that course, in the fetac section it says that the mimimum is five distinctions but more distinctions may be required.

http://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=courses&Subsec=course_details&ID=2414

FishFacePhil

Yeah I did. I got in as a mature student.