Tips for first years!

Delta Kilo

Given that it is freshers week next week, it might be a good idea for us seasoned old heads to give some tips and advice that you have picked up or learned the hard way in college.

I'll start with one.

When you are hungry and all your cutlery and plates etc are in a pile in a sink with mould growing on them, throw a pizza in the oven and tear the box open and fold it back on itself, it makes the perfect size plate for said pizza in the oven.

Another I can think of,

Become friends with someone a year ahead of you in the same course, extremely helpful when it comes to projects! Joining a club/soc can be a good way of encouraging this!!

Anyone got any more?

Axe Rake

http://www.just-eat.ie/

Order takeaway online!

TraskHamilton

Definitely try to find as many computer labs (not just the library!!!) as you can. Makes life a lot easier for everyone in the first few weeks if the library isnt mobbed with people desperately trying to print off timetables and whatnot.
I'd reccommend familiarising yourself with the venus labs and schroedinger labs (ashamed to say I didn't find these until late 2nd year myself ) as they are often ridiculously quiet at the same times the library and Kemmy are usually overflowing with people!! :eek:

joey12

Yup stay away from the library the wait is long and I find them heart breakingly slow....

ah overall enjoy first year it counts to nothing but stay with your work and ye all will be fine.

garv123

Condoms are FREE! use the damn things :rolleyes:

nicechick!

Delta Kilo wrote: »

Given that it is freshers week next week, it might be a good idea for us seasoned old heads to give some tips and advice that you have picked up or learned the hard way in college.

I'll start with one.

When you are hungry and all your cutlery and plates etc are in a pile in a sink with mould growing on them, throw a pizza in the oven and tear the box open and fold it back on itself, it makes the perfect size plate for said pizza in the oven.

Another I can think of,

Become friends with someone a year ahead of you in the same course, extremely helpful when it comes to projects! Joining a club/soc can be a good way of encouraging this!!

Anyone got any more?

ohh ehhh I house shared with 2nd year students rather then 1st years best thing ever they minded me.. aww bless biggest drunks I knew but smart enough to get up and go to college!

Never make your ''house'' the party house! Just find someone else's ..

College can be overwhelming!! make it your business to pop into your student union loads of tips/advice and yes fun to be had! Is usually a comfortable space so its easier on you if you have any questions!

Make sure to join club/sport teams etc its a great way to meet people

Go to lectures!!

Learn but have a laugh, enjoy the freedom!! Do something different

neil_

Get to know which bathrooms in college are clean and don't smell. Comes in handy when you're hungover and need a quiet sit down.

highlydebased

neil_ wrote: »

Get to know which bathrooms in college are clean and don't smell. Comes in handy when you're hungover and need a quiet sit down.

Library basement jacks are some of the best.

The toilets on the AM/BM level stink even from the outside...

bonnieprince

if you don't get lost at least once a day then your not attending enough!

garv123

bonnieprince wrote: »

if you don't get lost at least once a day then your not attending enough!

i still get lost:o

RHunce

Lads what's the best way to take notes? Refill pad and polypockets? Notes copy? Laptop?

garv123

RHunce wrote: »

Lads what's the best way to take notes? Refill pad and polypockets? Notes copy? Laptop?

you have 5 modules and in the courtyard where you can get a 250 page refill pad with 5 dividers in them for different modules. handy out instead of having 5 refill pads
very few people bring laptops to lectures and most who do end up creeping on facebook

Polar Ice

RHunce wrote: »

Lads what's the best way to take notes? Refill pad and polypockets? Notes copy? Laptop?

A lot of lectures will encourage you to print off their notes for the lecture in advance and you 'fill in the blanks'. This method can be the best depending on the lecturer. Some lecturers don't put all their content online and highlight in the lecture what slides they haven't put online.

Other than that, a pad of paper is the best (You can use one with dividers, or use a regular pad and when you go home put the notes for each module into a ring folder with dividers)

People rarely use laptops.

Seloth

Dont use plassy cabs!While they're close by they rip you off and are always grumpy!

If yer going to Red Raisins (I.e Subway/starbucks etc)use the door by the SU...My gawd is that building complicated!

Randomly explore the whole area!

toodleytoo

If all the cutlery and plates are dirty, pick out a plate, a knife and a fork. leave them in your room and just use that set whenever you need them. Clean them after yourself and then youl know whats actually fit to use

Twinkle-star15

Don't join too many clubs/socs-- pick one or two and stick with them for the term. You can always join more either in January or in second year, but try not to overwhelm yourself with commitments.

Check your module outline when it's given to you and highlight when the essays are due, and when the mid-terms are. Write the deadlines in a journal, or save them to your phone. You do not want to skip a tutorial, only to find out that as a result, you've lost 20% of your grade. Likewise, essay deadlines are usually a Friday at either 12 noon, or 5pm. Make sure you don't mix them up, because often there's no way of contacting the module head to hand in the paper after the deadline.

Having said that, don't take yourself or the course too seriously.

augusta24

If I bring in my laptop, is it possible to get it hooked up to the printers on campus to print off essays etc.?

garv123

augusta24 wrote: »

If I bring in my laptop, is it possible to get it hooked up to the printers on campus to print off essays etc.?

a memory stick is much lighter :P
and no i dont think you can. all the computers in the library are connected to a printer, and a coloured printer.
same goes for the venus lab. you pay money on to you account in the print room and you print away. colour pages are 40 cent i think a page and balck is 9 cent i think.
not the cheapest for a project.
the snap photo place in the courtyard is cheaper. bring in the memory stick and give it to them and show what you want printed.

Agent_99

augusta24 wrote: »

If I bring in my laptop, is it possible to get it hooked up to the printers on campus to print off essays etc.?

There are printers in all the Computer Labs and library there is no problems printing anything off for a cost, you need to top up your payprint account. There is also a printer in the Red Raisin Cafe in the main building which runs on a separate account it's handy when there are ques at the other printers.

Some lectures provide "Books" to buy for the course material they will give you the Book code and you can purchase it at the Print room personally I would prefer all Lectures to do this as it saves a fortune in printing costs and easier for revision.

augusta24

Agent_99 wrote: »

augusta24 wrote: »

If I bring in my laptop, is it possible to get it hooked up to the printers on campus to print off essays etc.?

There are printers in all the Computer Labs and library there is no problems printing anything off for a cost, you need to top up your payprint account. There is also a printer in the Red Raisin Cafe in the main building which runs on a separate account it's handy when there are ques at the other printers.

Some lectures provide "Books" to buy for the course material they will give you the Book code and you can purchase it at the Print room personally I would prefer all Lectures to do this as it saves a fortune in printing costs and easier for revision.

Thanks for that, great info. I just still want to clarify though, if I bring in my laptop is it possible to use campus printers or do I have to use the campus computers to print ?

Red Silurian

garv123 wrote: »

a memory stick is much lighter :P
and no i dont think you can. all the computers in the library are connected to a printer, and a coloured printer.
same goes for the venus lab. you pay money on to you account in the print room and you print away. colour pages are 40 cent i think a page and balck is 9 cent i think.
not the cheapest for a project.
the snap photo place in the courtyard is cheaper. bring in the memory stick and give it to them and show what you want printed.

On that note if you bring anything into snap, or any other printing place for that fact, make sure your project is in pdf format as word can sometimes make the project jump with all the new versions of it out there.

Also: Netbooks and tablets are a handy way of accessing ulwireless and not requiring to queue for a pc. They have come down drastically in price! Also smart phones are handy for accessing e-mail!

If you're an android user this app will automatically silence your phone while in class, all you need to do is give it your timetable!

highlydebased

augusta24 wrote: »

If I bring in my laptop, is it possible to get it hooked up to the printers on campus to print off essays etc.?

You can do it- It can be quite fiddly at first to get it to work but I have done it (albeit minus some of my hair afterwards.... )

When connected to the UL wireless or plugged in in the library click start and run and go to \\payprint64.ul.campus

It'll ask for your username and password - put UL\ before your username (Your ID). It should then give you the printers you can use.

corridon69

If you have a car buy slabs from the fine wines partystore (delta business park is the address i think its about a 10 min drive) they only sell by the slab, i helps save a few euro(e.g 24 cans of druids 25 euro). For the morning after the Eden in the main building has the cheapest and nicest hot chicken rolls!

Red Silurian

corridon69 wrote: »

For the morning after the Eden in the main building has the cheapest and nicest hot chicken rolls!

Which block/floor is that in?

corridon69

Cant think now off the top of my head just go in the main doors of the main building take thecurved staircase on the left than walk out to your left again and into the stairway and go up one floor you should see signs for it. Its bright green and its hard to miss.

Red Silurian

corridon69 wrote: »

Cant think now off the top of my head just go in the main doors of the main building take thecurved staircase on the left than walk out to your left again and into the stairway and go up one floor you should see signs for it. Its bright green and its hard to miss.

Above the Student Admin offices?

cson

Enjoy every day.

It'll be the best 4 years of your life.

Twinkle-star15

colmtheperson wrote: »

Above the Student Admin offices?

Yeah, exactly. I think it's E block, first floor (as in, floor 1, which is actually the 2nd floor).

Stuxnet

where's room ERB001 ??

Agent_99

iPwnage wrote: »

where's room ERB001 ??

Engineering Research Building head toward the living bridge from the main courtyard and it's the first building on left beside the steps leading to the foundation carpark

Daniel S

Bring your own phone charger if it's not a Nokia... :pac:

floutingmaxims

I need a bit of help here! I thought that Labs and Tutorials werent starting til week 3 but apparantly they started week 1 and ive been missing out on all of them! How do i know if im in Lab group 2A or 2B if i haven't been assigned to one yet?

Im so confused!

garv123

Cawcheen wrote: »

I need a bit of help here! I thought that Labs and Tutorials werent starting til week 3 but apparantly they started week 1 and ive been missing out on all of them! How do i know if im in Lab group 2A or 2B if i haven't been assigned to one yet?

Im so confused!

they normally dont start till week 2 or 3 depending on the lectures. if you went to the lectures they should have said. also check sulis and your student email

Daniel S

Cawcheen wrote: »

I need a bit of help here! I thought that Labs and Tutorials werent starting til week 3 but apparantly they started week 1 and ive been missing out on all of them! How do i know if im in Lab group 2A or 2B if i haven't been assigned to one yet?

Im so confused!

Please tell me your not doing engineering?!?!?! I thought the same too!!!

floutingmaxims

garv123 wrote: »

they normally dont start till week 2 or 3 depending on the lectures. if you went to the lectures they should have said. also check sulis and your student email

Ive been to the lectures and there was no word them having started yet and i've been checking my sulis and student email quite frequently as well.. Just got an email from a lecturer saying i have to go to her office asap. I think its only on one of my modules that the labs have already started.. well hopefully anyway or i'll already be trailing behind..not the best start to the year!

mtb_kng wrote: »

Please tell me your not doing engineering?!?!?! I thought the same too!!!

Nah, im not. Im doing Language,Lit and Film so you're probably safe :L

garv123

Cawcheen wrote: »

Ive been to the lectures and there was no word them having started yet and i've been checking my sulis and student email quite frequently as well.. Just got an email from a lecturer saying i have to go to her office asap. I think its only on one of my modules that the labs have already started.. well hopefully anyway or i'll already be trailing behind..not the best start to the year!



Nah, im not. Im doing Language,Lit and Film so you're probably safe :L

ask the lecturer after each lecture then and they'll tell you.

floutingmaxims

garv123 wrote: »

ask the lecturer after each lecture then and they'll tell you.

Will do, cheers.

Hybrid_Theory

mtb_kng wrote: »

Please tell me your not doing engineering?!?!?! I thought the same too!!!

Don't worry engineering labs and tutorials aren't starting till week 3.

DR.Magoo

If you are living in a house with a good few people, learn to cherish toilet paper. It's never there when you most need it.

Chris Martin

A week and a half into it,
Don't think any of my labs and tutorials are starting this week (thank Jesus)
And have Computer Science labs somewhere too.
Supposed to go to one yesterday but got up late but arrived at the Main Building (the mini-Louvre) with 3 minutes to spare.
I stopped looking and admitted defeat 10 minutes after labs had started after trying (and failing) to find A0060B.
Now I'm familiar with the letters for blocks and all that, A is for Block A :cool:
But when in a rush to find them you throw caution to the wind and briskly walk in one direction. Now level 0 (2nd floor) is where I started, right in front of DG061, which by the way I love as its the easiest room to find EVER , and ran towards block C, hoping my knowledge of the alphabet would lead me to Block A.
The amount of dead ends in the place is unreal!
I usually start to worry when I the tumbleweeds that roll by outnumber the students I see en route.
Anyway I threw in the towel when I couldn't find Block A, which is in past the Restaurants I believe, but I gave up the ghost and retreated back to the library where I looked over my Maths notes, the smell of failure making my eyes water, along with the sweat excreted caused by my rush to find the unknown. I'll just go to the Shummer building, or something like that, the one next to the Kemmy Building, in future cos thats smaller and easier to find my way around

And I'm sorry if this isn't the place for it and I'll throw in my week and a half's worth of advise in a minute but what is with the floor names!
G - Ground (Acceptable)
0 - Floor 1 (Confusing but go on...)
M - Mezotone or something like that.. (Why...)
Then 1 and 2 (Floors 4 and 5)
Just noticed first 3 floors spell G0M, a childish insult from myparts :P

Anyway, my advice, learned from above experience.
If you see a room on your timetable that you haven't seen the door of in the Uni, sweet Jesus, go and look for it beforehand.
And try and get to room/hall 5/10 minutes beforehand.
Reason 1 is in case you lose your way, you have time in hand to find it again.
Reason 2 is because seats, in the modules I'm doing anyway, are scarce. Very scarce. For some reason people avoid the middle of rows as the concept of sitting next to strangers in a hall full of people you don't know is unbearable for some people. So for people like me, who turn up a minute early or late, come into a hall full of people, with empty seats galore in the middle, single seats scattered everywhere, but the outside seats taken up, plus normally 2 or 3 in as well, there is a noticeable difference between being afraid to sitting next to a stranger, and walking into a lecture hall full of maybe 500/600 people, spotting a seat and having to shuffle past numerous strangers, with either your crotch or your rear brushing against their refill pads and pens and occasionally themselves, tripping over bags and the like to get to your seat. I have done this once, and the reception I got from it wasn't great.
I don't like sitting on steps for a lecture when I see empty seats. In fact it breaks my heart. So don't be like me. Show up early. Get your seat. And please, sit in the middle.
Oh, and if you see someone you know (to look at) as in doing your course and seen them in one of your lectures and you're unsure of where to go. Follow them. Better chance of finding your next lecture by following someone who might be in it, than taking a stab in the dark and picking a building, floor level, block and number, although that would be more fun.

8 days into my college life and already dishing out advice gained by learning from previous experiences.
Humiliation makes you remember things better.
Anyway I've a 9 O clock lecture tomorrow so best get to sleep.
Lack of sleep... Another one of my downfalls.

One last tip.
If you're lost and passing other people,
Don't backtrack, just walk up to an empty room,
Look at the door, nod, maybe even mumble to yourself,
Then, with a straight face that gives off the impression that you know where you are going, then backtrack.
Or ask them for directions, depends how damaged you're pride already is. :cool:

Red Silurian

Chris Martin wrote: »

And I'm sorry if this isn't the place for it and I'll throw in my week and a half's worth of advise in a minute but what is with the floor names!
G - Ground (Acceptable)
0 - Floor 1 (Confusing but go on...)
M - Mezotone or something like that.. (Why...)
Then 1 and 2 (Floors 4 and 5)
Just noticed first 3 floors spell G0M, a childish insult from myparts :P

Here is an easier way to remember the main building floors and letters

Blocks A-E go clockwise when looking at the white house (big white building) if you stand in the middle of the main building by the fountain

As for the floors, as an easy way to remember

G= Ground
O= Over-Ground
M= More Over ground (I think it actually stands for mezanine)
1,2,3 etc = floors above M

highlydebased

A0060B is the Venus Labs! Easiest way is if you go outside from the back of DG016 and walk around the outside to the opposite side of the fountain and go in the door there.

Or walk out of Red Raisin toward the Fishtank, go left and down the stairs.

Delta Kilo

The problem with UL is it is built on a sloping site. Level 0 isnt all across the main building, for instance there is no level 0 at the venus labs end of the building.

The M is for mezzanine, reason being is it is a mezzanine floor! As you walk along the corridor you can look down on the labs and rooms. The indoor running track is also an example of a mezzanine to try and explain it differently. A mezzanine is a floor that doesnt quite cover the floor below it.

Either way, you will get used to it in no time!

freyners

Delta Kilo wrote: »

The problem with UL is it is built on a sloping site. Level 0 isnt all across the main building, for instance there is no level 0 at the venus labs end of the building.

The M is for mezzanine, reason being is it is a mezzanine floor! As you walk along the corridor you can look down on the labs and rooms. The indoor running track is also an example of a mezzanine to try and explain it differently. A mezzanine is a floor that doesnt quite cover the floor below it.

Either way, you will get used to it in no time!

i always thought it was just so people could spell gom on their way up the stairs:D:D

my tip would be that the attics in kilmurry make a great place to hide people when security come a knocking.

also pints in javas/scholars are far better than those in the the stables...especially guinness

also if you plan on spending your weekends in limerick and you play rugby/soccer...try and look into joining a club here.. i did and its been my smartest decision of college so far...most rugby teams have 3rds teams crying out for players

highlydebased

freyners wrote: »

also pints in javas/scholars are far better than those in the the stables...especially guinness

Javas is just damn better full stop