How does scoring/results work in college?

Incompetent

Where can I read about how the system works in Irish universities ? Does my performance in class effect my likelihood of getting a good job at the end? Is my performance compared to others in class? I'm truly clueless

Tom Dunne

Do you mean in terms of assessment? It usually depends on the course and the subject.

Procrastastudy

Generally you would look at the Honours qualification of the degree (assuming it's a degree) They go 1(First) 2.1 (second class upper) 2.2 (second class lower), Third, Pass.

Generally employers want to see a 2.1 or better if they are at all interested in the grade. Also be aware that 70% is a first 60% a second etc. Different unis will have different ways your honours are calculated. In most cases if you fail a module or assignment and have to repeat it you are capped at as pass. Most don't take into account first year.

Many will disagree with me on this but:
First - grand so quite rare
2.1 - Good classification most people who tried get this
2.2 - out drinking all the time
3rd - either didn't show up or really struggled with the course

College's generally follow the HETAC guidelines which are actually stricter than most unis.

You then have Masters degrees which have different gradings but they are post graduate (e.g. you do a degree first)

As for a job afterwards - it very much depends on the course. Its nothing like school - you are responsible for your own learning and the more you can do outside class the better. Law for example - Mooting, debating - FLAC if the institution offers it, internships, contacts - all a benefit if you're looking for a job.

Your institution may have some bearing as well - depending on the subject area.

NB as for compared to others in class - thats a tough one some institutions claim they don't 'normalise' thier results - e.g. give a certain number of 1sts , 2.1s etc - implying that it does happen in some places. Trick is not to be bottom of the class regardless. I've seen some courses give credit for group work, class participation etc but it happens very rarely in law so I can't really comment. Attendce at colleges is usually monitored for no other reason than to see whether you were just d*cking about or actually tried and still failed. Also I suppose to help in a determination of whether an assignment is your own work.

It all gets explained at induction tbh.

Bear in mind a college can be quite different to a University. An example - I'm at GCD I have 20 odd contact hours a week across 4 subjects. Friends at Trinity get as low as 9 contact hours across as many as six subjects. University students are expected to take a huge amount of responsibility for their own learning more so that a college student would.

Incompetent

Wow thanks! I always got lost at the numbers (2.1 etc) so it's a lot clearer now.

It would be a degree in computer science, in tcd. I'd be looking to get a first hopefully, but I'll see how I get on. Cheers again

Procrastastudy

Firsts aren't given out lightly - its not like school where as long as you vomited out what you where taught on to the page you got an A.

A first would/should require you to go beyond what you where being taught in either width or depth of knowledge. There are few limits in TCD the rewards are there. I know of one guy who got transfered to Oxford based on his performance in Law - He'll not be having an issue finding a job at the end

Also don't be disappointed if you're getting 2.2 / 2.1 in first year - thats natural and all part of the adjustment process.

Incompetent

I'm really quite interested in comp. science and if these results determine the job I get, then I should have no problem putting the work in (I say this now... haha).

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Also don't be disappointed if you're getting 2.2 / 2.1 in first year - thats natural and all part of the adjustment process.

Would these results in first year have bearing on my final results? Like could I just pass first year and end up with a first in the end? (in theory)

Mark200

Incompetent wrote: »

Would these results in first year have bearing on my final results? Like could I just pass first year and end up with a first in the end? (in theory)

Every course and college has a different system, but for CS in TCD your 3rd year result counts for 20% of your degree and your 4th year result counts for 80%. So your first and second year results don't count towards it. But if you're struggling in first year, and don't catch up quickly, you're not going to get a first.

Procrastastudy

The results are a hurdle to overcome tbh. There will be plenty of people out there with 2.1s and Firsts - masters and PhDs going for the same job. Its the whole package - you as a person, your results etc etc. More and more businesses are looking for you to have done volunteer work as an example.

People who just pass first year tend to only scape by in subsequent years. Getting p*ssed and sh*gged every night gets quite addictive. If you don't get a 2.1 or 2.2 in first year there's no way you'll meet the challenge in the subsequent years. (in my opinion - plenty of people will disagree).

My advice, for what its worth, is limit your partying to 1 - 2 nights a week and try and do a regular 40-60 hour week as if you were working. Of course if the ad hoc party comes up where you're on a promise of course you go to it - its about being disciplined enough to then work one of your days off.

Incompetent

Alright, cheers lads! Will take it all on board

Procrastastudy

Incompetent wrote: »

Alright, cheers lads! Will take it all on board

You probably wont but then thats part of the process!

RealistSpy

I would be in favor of doing all your party and student life in 1st to 2nd year because things get very very difficult in 3rd to 4th year of a Computer Science course. Enjoy you college life and I hope your mature enough to put in the work aswell

wnolan1992

Just one thing OP, which I've noticed since I started.

In a Computer Science degree, a First degree (or even a 2.1) might not be enough to guarantee you a job (I know no degree won't ever guarantee you a job, but bear with me). You have to build up your knowledge outside of what's on the course. If it's a programming degree, you need to familiarise yourself with languages that aren't on the curriculum, you have to build sample programs in your spare time that aren't anything to do with your course.

Only just embarking on looking for an internship in the area now, but a lot of places want a "portfolio" (for lack of a better word) of stuff you've worked on. I think this is something a lot of people coming into the CS area might not realise.

That said, grades do matter. If you're consistently getting C3's then you'd need to question whether you're cut out for the course, but they're not the be all and end all.


And I'm not sure how it works in TCD, but in UL 1st and 2nd year are worth far less to your degree than 3rd and 4th year, so if you struggle to adjust to college life in first year, it won't completely screw up your chances of getting a good degree.

Best of luck with it.

Incompetent

wnolan1992 wrote: »

Just one thing OP, which I've noticed since I started.

In a Computer Science degree, a First degree (or even a 2.1) might not be enough to guarantee you a job (I know no degree won't ever guarantee you a job, but bear with me). You have to build up your knowledge outside of what's on the course. If it's a programming degree, you need to familiarise yourself with languages that aren't on the curriculum, you have to build sample programs in your spare time that aren't anything to do with your course.

Only just embarking on looking for an internship in the area now, but a lot of places want a "portfolio" (for lack of a better word) of stuff you've worked on. I think this is something a lot of people coming into the CS area might not realise.

That said, grades do matter. If you're consistently getting C3's then you'd need to question whether you're cut out for the course, but they're not the be all and end all.


And I'm not sure how it works in TCD, but in UL 1st and 2nd year are worth far less to your degree than 3rd and 4th year, so if you struggle to adjust to college life in first year, it won't completely screw up your chances of getting a good degree.

Best of luck with it.

Cheers, I should have no problem with that. With the little bit of python I learned before, putting it to use in (somewhat) practical applications was my favourite part. Once I start getting into the nitty gritty of a language and some networking I'll be putting it to good use, and it should be easier to pick up other languages (I hope). Would you say contributing to open source projects is worthwhile from an employment perspective as well?