Prospective Students: Mary I 2012/2013

dambarude

Your question's a bit vague coffeelover, and I'm not really in the humour to write a general essay on the B.Ed at the moment . Could you ask a more specific question?!

MISU Office

As has been mentioned already, the four year B.Ed is in the midst of being developed although at this point it is almost finalised.

Just to pick up on some of the queries from people here. Students will not be doing any form of Arts subject until second year.

There is a teaching abroad semester in third year and it looks lile the QCA will count.

In regards to transfering from the BEd & Psychology to the BEd, you would have to apply for an internal tranfer. It is not yet clear how this will work with the new programmes.

The B.Ed & Psychology programme is also being redeveloped at the moment as well to kick off in September.

This is how things stand at the moment. Things can change as it goes through the college approval process. The programme should be finalised by the middle of June.

EmmaOs

I'm interested in doing the B.Ed and psychology course next year and it would be great if ye could help me out with a few questions, I'm aware the course will be changing next year but I just want a rough idea of what the course is like

First of all, is the course really different from the normal B.Ed? In terms of lecture hours and assignments etc? Basically, because your doing two degrees, is it double the workload? At the end of the day is the course worth it? I'm not sure yet if I want to go down the psychology or teaching route but if I decide to stick with teaching, is it an advantage to have the psychology degree? For instance in terms of getting a job would I have an advantage over those with just a normal B.Ed degree?

I've also heard that to get into a postgrad in educational psych you need to get the equivalant of an A1 or A2 in your psychology degree and that these postgrads are practically impossible to get into ... is this true?

dambarude

Hello EmmaOS! A B.Ed Psych student speaking here.

EmmaOs wrote: »

First of all, is the course really different from the normal B.Ed? In terms of lecture hours and assignments etc? Basically, because your doing two degrees, is it double the workload?

It's very hard to say at the moment, because any information I give you is based on experience of the current B.Ed Psych degree. The B.Ed Psych degree as it stands probably is more work. But I wouldn't say that it's double the work. It depends on what time of the degree or semester you ask the question to be honest. The revised degree most certainly will involve more work than the revised B.Ed, and there's no doubt about that. You will also likely miss out on some education modules that B.Eds will do. The psychology components will be the same as the current B.Ed Psych though. I'd could give you loads more speculative info on the revised course, but I'd rather not.

EmmaOs wrote: »

At the end of the day is the course worth it?

Once again, I can only go on my experience, and I'm glad I did the B.Ed Psych. Psychology gives you a great insight into areas you wouldn't cover if doing the B.Ed. It gives you great critical thinking skills that will stand to you if you choose to do postgrad work, even if not in the field of psychology. Whether it will help you get a job or not, I don't know (fingers crossed:p).

EmmaOs wrote: »

I've also heard that to get into a postgrad in educational psych you need to get the equivalant of an A1 or A2 in your psychology degree and that these postgrads are practically impossible to get into ... is this true?

You would need a First honours or a high 2.1 in your degree usually. I think that equates to a B1 standard plus. The course requires experience as well, like working in a special needs setting, or having other postgrad qualifications. They're hard to get into, but not impossible. Nothing's impossible!

Chea

The reason I'm here is because the career guidance at my school is awful and the MIC website is hard to look through being honest. Luckily I'm only coming to the end of 5th year so I've plenty of time to think about what course I want to do. I'm nearly sure that teaching is a job that I'd enjoy but I'm not entirely certain about the courses available shown on the website. In fact I've pretty much no clue where to find info on secondary school teaching

Also, forgive my stupidity when it comes to these questions :cool: How can a person extend a secondary school degree (for let's just say French and Business) to have the ability to teach computers or possibly become a Career Guide (clearly I have alot to learn).?

It's a good thing I have time to learn all about this so again forgive me if anything I've suggested is not possible or just plain stupid

KeithDots

Hi. What sports are available for lads in Mary I(if any)?

Poxyshamrock

KeithDots wrote: »

Hi. What sports are available for lads in Mary I(if any)?

Soccer and hurling are the two big clubs. Not sure about the rest. Maybe a gaelic team?

KeithDots

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Soccer and hurling are the two big clubs. Not sure about the rest. Maybe a gaelic team?

Thanks for the speedy reply. Damn I'm terrible at both of those. I know there's contact rugby clubs in limerick but I'm going to stay with my own club. Is there tag rugby or anything maybe?

Cailin CoisFarraige

At the minute there's no specific tag rugby team, but there was a mixed tag rugby tournament last year, pretty popular. I was out on placement most of this year so I'm actually not sure if they ran the tournament again this year, but there's loads of support for teams that want to set up

KeithDots

Oh cool thanks. Hopefully that will run so. One last thing, what is the night life like in Mary I?

Cailin CoisFarraige

I'm finishing my final year soon. . . well tomorrow actually and i've never had any complaints about the nightlife! Angel Lane or Icon mostly, I usually go through phases of going to Mollys. Clems on a Monday night. There's talk of Trinity Rooms opening again in the summer, but that rumour goes around the whole time, but you never know! The new SU pres and vice pres seem to be big into live music so that should be a lot of that next year too. Seriously i've had a savage 3 years i'll be sorry to go

KeithDots

Thanks you've been very helpful. I hope your exams went well.

Chea

Yay no response and no help lol. Seriously, I don't know what I might have said to not warrant a response but it's ****ing annoying when I wasted ten minutes of my time..

dambarude

Chea wrote: »

Yay no response and no help lol. Seriously, I don't know what I might have said to not warrant a response but it's ****ing annoying when I wasted ten minutes of my time..

Believe it or not, people who post here aren't paid to answer your responses. So you can ask nicely the next time please! I would have replied, but I've been very busy the last two weeks, and forgot to. But here goes.

Chea wrote: »

The reason I'm here is because the career guidance at my school is awful and the MIC website is hard to look through being honest. Luckily I'm only coming to the end of 5th year so I've plenty of time to think about what course I want to do. I'm nearly sure that teaching is a job that I'd enjoy but I'm not entirely certain about the courses available shown on the website. In fact I've pretty much no clue where to find info on secondary school teaching

To do secondary school teaching you need to do an undergraduate degree in the field you want to teach, followed by a Professional Diploma in Education (PDE, formerly known as the PGDE or H.Dip), or do a concurrent degree (e.g. the B.Sc in Science Education in UL). If you choose the first option you have to make sure that your degree is recognised by the Teaching Council in the subjects covered. As far as I know the main criterion is that the subject you wish to teach has been at least 30% of your overall degree credits. Any BA which has two subjects fulfills that requirement, the Liberal Arts degree in Mary I being one of them. There is a list of recognised degrees available from the Teaching Council here. The Teaching Council also has general FAQs on secondary teaching here.

Chea wrote: »

How can a person extend a secondary school degree (for let's just say French and Business) to have the ability to teach computers or possibly become a Career Guide (clearly I have alot to learn).?

That's a more complicated question, and it depends on the subject you want to teach. As far as I know there are certain postgrad courses that allow you to teach Religion, the MA in Mary I being one of them. For the likes of French or Business you'd likely have to do a new degree, or part thereof, to be qualified in them if you hadn't taken them as part of your original degree. If you search the Teaching & Lecturing forum you will find more info on adding subjects, and on adding Maths in particular.

There would be very few job prospects with Computers or ICT as a subject, because those hours are usually given to teachers to fill up timetables, whether they are qualified in it or not. They might only have an ECDL qualification (if even that). Careers Guidance has been chopped as an ex-quota teacher allocation in the most recent budget, so there will be very slim opportunities in that in the future. You have to do a special postgrad in Guidance to qualify, but I'm not sure where that is run. Google is your friend.

Chea

Thanks very much for the response. Apologies for being angry in my last post but it wasn't intended for you tbh. What really frustrated me initially was the short time-frame it took for others to answer KeithDots who posted about 15 minutes after me on the same day. I guess everyone is busy nowadays with the end of year tests and whatnot. But no worries, I'll ask nicer in future :cool:

Over the last two weeks I've actually started to think about pursuing "B.Ed. in Education and Psychology" which I believe is the course you are doing, correct? What is your overall opinion on the course? Do you reckon it will be beneficial when trying to get employed compared to a regular primary degree? Also, looking through the programme outline on the mic website it seems to me that there could be a large amount of Irish in the course. That wouldn't be ideal for me personally, but from experience is there alot of Irish in the course or is it pretty much the same as regular primary teaching?

dambarude

Chea wrote: »

Thanks very much for the response. Apologies for being angry in my last post but it wasn't intended for you tbh.

I'll forgive you this time:)

Chea wrote: »

Over the last two weeks I've actually started to think about pursuing "B.Ed. in Education and Psychology" which I believe is the course you are doing, correct? What is your overall opinion on the course? Do you reckon it will be beneficial when trying to get employed compared to a regular primary degree? Also, looking through the programme outline on the mic website it seems to me that there could be a large amount of Irish in the course. That wouldn't be ideal for me personally, but from experience is there alot of Irish in the course or is it pretty much the same as regular primary teaching?

The course is very good. It's great to have an additional qualification in psychology alongside a teaching qualification. I'm not sure if it's beneficial. I'm currently on the job hunt, so can't give any conclusive answer yet. But I wouldn't think it's a major advantage - sport, music and having loads of 'pull' are far more important.

There is no more Irish in the B.Ed Psych than the B.Ed. Please bear in mind that Primary teachers teach Irish for forty minutes a day, completely through the medium of Irish. So there's a very valid reason for the amount of Irish included.

Ciderswigger

Chea wrote: »

Seriously, I don't know what I might have said to not warrant a response but it's ****ing annoying when I wasted ten minutes of my time..

Welcome. To. Boards.

Chea

Thanks very much for all your help, you've given me alot to consider Oh, and good luck with the job-hunt ^^

lady365

Just finishes the leaving cert and I looking to do Childcare in Mary I in September hopefully!!! Just wondering what careers can be achieved after it??????
Any one who is doing this prog plz post any knowledge is greatly appreciated. Thanks

D4RK ONION

Sorry to sound harsh, but why would you apply to do a course where you don't know the career opportunity/details of the course?!. You should really download or grab a prospectus and look up the course before asking others to tell you about it. Just imo

lady365

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Sorry to sound harsh, but why would you apply to do a course where you don't know the career opportunity/details of the course?!. You should really download or grab a prospectus and look up the course before asking others to tell you about it. Just imo

excuse me i do know what careers i get out of it but just looking for someone who is doing the course. And i didnt ask for ur opinion did I???? So f**k off and actually do something with u life ... grrr

Poxyshamrock

Personal attacks on posters will not be tolerated in the forum Lady365.

If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all!

FiveSpice

Hi,

I am hoping to apply to the Post Grad in Primary Teaching in Mary Immaculate for the year 2013/2014. As it does not start until January, I was wondering if the accomodation process is different?

Also, a lot of the time is spent away from the college on Teaching Practice so is it possible to stay somewhere that one only pays for the weeks they are there?

Thank you

dambarude

Most postgrads organise houses independently as far as I know. Very few (if any) go into the usual college or private student accommodation (like City Campus). I'd doubt you'd be able to organise anything where you only have to pay while you're there. And you'd be around for most of the time anyway. I think in your first semester only 2 out of 15 weeks would be spent on TP.

Icarus Wings

FiveSpice wrote: »

Also, a lot of the time is spent away from the college on Teaching Practice so is it possible to stay somewhere that one only pays for the weeks they are there?

Hey FiveSpice!

Your best option in terms of weekly payment would be digs (i.e. living with a family in a house). I know a few people (postgrads included) who have stayed in places where weekly payment is given for only the weeks they have been there. Comes in handy for regular TP placements between home and Limerick! It really depends on the people offering the accommodation though...

If you're interested, there should be a list of names offering digs on the Mary I and SU websites. If not, Student Services will also be able to lend a hand!

nadia53

Hi I have a few questions regarding Mary I hopefully someone will be able to help me.

I've just finished my Leaving and I have the B.Ed in Primary Teaching and Psychology down first on my CAO, followed by just Primary Teaching. The LC went well and it looks like I could get the points for the B.Ed and Psychology course, however I have a few questions about it.

Is the course tough? Psychology is something which has always fascinated me but I also want to have a good time in college and not be overworked. How many hours a week/extra assignments could I be expecting? Would I still be able to go out a couple of times a week? I know I want to be a teacher and I mightn't ever even decide to study further in the field of psychology, and I don't want to do a load of extra work for nothing.
Which course do you think would be the better option for me? Also, in the B.Ed and Psychology do you have a lot of contact with regular B.Eds or are you just confined to making friends in the B.Ed and Psychology group?

Also, I have booked my accommodation on-campus at Mary I. Is this a good place to live and make friends in first year? What's the nightlife like overall at Mary I?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

dambarude

nadia53 wrote: »

Is the course tough? Psychology is something which has always fascinated me but I also want to have a good time in college and not be overworked. How many hours a week/extra assignments could I be expecting? Would I still be able to go out a couple of times a week?

You will definitely have more work. But because the course is changing, I wouldn't be able to say exactly how much more. It's safe to say that at times you will more than likely have quite a different workload to the B.Eds.

nadia53 wrote: »

Also, in the B.Ed and Psychology do you have a lot of contact with regular B.Eds or are you just confined to making friends in the B.Ed and Psychology group?

B.Eds and B.Ed Psychs are not meant to mingle. That rule is enforced almost as strictly as the gender segregation one.

nadia53 wrote: »

Also, I have booked my accommodation on-campus at Mary I. Is this a good place to live and make friends in first year?

If you're talking about the Res block, I know people who made very good friends there. You can't but make friends when you're practically living on top of each other.

siobhanod93

dambarude wrote: »

B.Eds and B.Ed Psychs are not meant to mingle. That rule is enforced almost as strictly as the gender segregation one.

I hope this is a joke

leg

siobhanod93 wrote: »

I hope this is a joke

Nope. Well at least in my year (going into the third) the class reps told us to stay away from the b.ed and psychs so as not to distract them from their studies.

Icarus Wings

leg wrote: »

Nope. Well at least in my year (going into the third) the class reps told us to stay away from the b.ed and psychs so as not to distract them from their studies.

Yep, I remember I got such a paddlin' when I first spoke to a B.Ed in first year...I had to wear a sign around my neck for weeks... Never again!:(