Mediocrity

Amirani

You do have some legitimate points Jumbotron. However, you've exaggerated your points to a degree where they're difficult to take seriously.

languagenerd

No-one's claiming TCD is perfect. There are plenty of things that need improving and lots of areas where TCD is falling behind (technology use in the arts and humanities, for one thing, and admin for another; not to mention it's never been a huge sporting university). But the OP has vastly exaggerated some of their points and made a whole lot of accusations without any sources or evidence. (Grade inflation? Easier exams?).

And in many cases, the quality varies from school to school, and from department to department. It's difficult to talk of the College as a whole when practices, regulations and standards are very different across the various courses.

Drained_Empty wrote: »

They're not academically selective. Unless you mean having a good 2.1 is acadmeically selective. Which in trinity speak, is about 68% average in your subjects. Do you consider that high?

Just to point out - in TCD at least, 68% doesn't really mean you got 68 of every 100 questions right. In most departments, they mark out of 70 or 75 and write that down as your percentage - the highest scorers in most classes are given between 70 and 73 and it's very very difficult to break past 70. We were expressly told by some lecturers in 1st year that a perfect essay would score somewhere in the 70s. The assistants who come from France were told that if they'd give 18 out of 20 in France, they should give 70 here for the same piece of work. I remember a translation where I had one word wrong and was given 69% because of that. I know it sounds odd or like I'm making excuses, but anyone who's been in TCD will tell you that they very rarely give any results over the low 70s and very few people get 70 anyway.

stealinhorses

That's obviously a thing in the French department, because it's not unusual to get a grade somewhere in the 80s and 90s for lab reports in chemistry and physics, at least from my experience. Not even mentioning exams, where 100% of correct answers in a maths exam = a score of 100%, it can't be anything else.

languagenerd

stealinhorses wrote: »

That's obviously a thing in the French department, because it's not unusual to get a grade somewhere in the 80s and 90s for lab reports in chemistry and physics, at least from my experience. Not even mentioning exams, where 100% of correct answers in a maths exam = a score of 100%, it can't be anything else.

No, not just French (well the 18 out of 20 thing obviously is, but not the marking out of 70). In subjects like Maths or the grammar papers in the language subjects where there are right and wrong answers they obviously give out of 100, but in most essay-based subjects (pretty much every arts, humanities, business and law courses), you're marked out of 70/72. Take a look at any noticeboard in the Arts block where results are posted...

Lawliet

stealinhorses wrote: »

That's obviously a thing in the French department, because it's not unusual to get a grade somewhere in the 80s and 90s for lab reports in chemistry and physics, at least from my experience. Not even mentioning exams, where 100% of correct answers in a maths exam = a score of 100%, it can't be anything else.

Lab reports and questions with exact right or wrong answers aren't the same as essays. My department -a biology mod- also seem to mark essays out of 70. It's fairly common for people in my course to get a 60-70 average in lab reports and MCQs (which are worth 50% of the grade) but get II.II overall. Apparently only two people have graduated with a first in the last five years.
Tough marking definitely isn't just as arts thing

LLMMML

I think the whole "Ireland has wonderful 3rd level education" myth comes from the idea that multinationals were coming here for "our talented young people" when it was more likely to be tax issues.

Unfortunately some good points on this thread are being overrun by some obvious trolling. All this nonsense that suggests half of TCD aspire to work in the London financial industry, and those that actually do this are desperately unhappy, is really silly. The exaggerated style of those posts suggest trolling. Best not to react.

Jhax

Jumbotron wrote: »

When Mary Robinson hands you a devalued degree on your big day out in your polyester lounge suit, you'll soon realise that it's worth about the same as a degree from Lancaster Polytechnic. (About €22k a year before tax)

In what sense is a degree now worth anything, or are you just referring to degree's from Trinity specifically? If that is the case, I'm sure the hard working students of Lancaster Polytechnic won't appreciate your comments...

wtlltw

Jhax wrote: »

If that is the case, I'm sure the hard working students of Lancaster Polytechnic won't appreciate your comments...

It's know as UCLAN these days, so they won't have a clue what a Polytechnic is