What course should i choose?

lee711

Right, I'm sure everyone is asking the same questions but what 3rd level course is the right one for me?
My first and only option at the moment is engineering in UCD, but I want to have something else to put down on my CAO form.
My main strong point in school is maths ( as in I would happily spent every class of every day in school doing just maths), physics and applied maths, but I don't know what courses are somewhat linked to these subjects other than engineering.
Preferably, I'd like to stay in Dublin, but the thought of UCC or NUI Galway seems good too?

any ideas? please?

EliteC

You could become a Maths and Physics secondary school teacher.
Links to some degrees:
http://www.nuim.ie/study-maynooth/undergraduate-studies/courses/bsc-mathematics-education#tabs-structure

Peregrine

There are lots of maths and physics degrees in Dublin and NUIM.

Pure maths degrees
Straight physics degrees
Theoretical Physics in NUIM, Trinity and UCD
Experimental Physics in NUIM
Physics with Astronomy/Astrophysics in Trinity, UCD, DCU and NUIM
Nanoscience in Trinity
Applied Physics in DCU
Physics with Biomedical Sciences in DCU
Physics Technology in DIT


That's all I can think of at the moment but I'm sure there are more..

UCC an NUIG would have very similar courses too.

djpbarry

lee711 wrote: »

My first and only option at the moment is engineering in UCD, but I want to have something else to put down on my CAO form.
My main strong point in school is maths ( as in I would happily spent every class of every day in school doing just maths), physics and applied maths, but I don't know what courses are somewhat linked to these subjects other than engineering.

You remind me of myself. I did engineering in UCD and I can remember struggling to come up with other options to put on the CAO form. Whatever about UCC, I would suggest you strongly consider UCG and also UL - the latter in particular is making a big name for itself in the engineering world. Do some research and visit the different campuses if you can. You'll also find faculty members will generally be happy to chat to you and show you around if they can.

As listed above, there are plenty of options for the physics and maths courses, but if you're looking for a fairly rounded degree that'll give you plenty of career options, then engineering is a good choice.

But then, I'm obviously biased!

lee711

thanks for the suggestion, and i was considering teaching up until i did a weeks work experience in my old primary school, now teaching children of any age is my idea of hell.

lee711

djpbarry wrote: »

You remind me of myself. I did engineering in UCD and I can remember struggling to come up with other options to put on the CAO form. Whatever about UCC, I would suggest you strongly consider UCG and also UL - the latter in particular is making a big name for itself in the engineering world. Do some research and visit the different campuses if you can. You'll also find faculty members will generally be happy to chat to you and show you around if they can.

As listed above, there are plenty of options for the physics and maths courses, but if you're looking for a fairly rounded degree that'll give you plenty of career options, then engineering is a good choice.

But then, I'm obviously biased!

yeah i've been looking at engineering in UCD and I'm pretty sure it's what I want to do. I'd like to go to Galway, but unfortunately it looks like living expenses would be too expensive compared to staying in Dublin.

Also, any idea what engineering is meant to be like in other Trinity, DIT, or other ITs? Is a degree from one more respected than the other, or is UCD the best for engineering?

EliteC

From what we were told either UCD or UL are the most respected for their engineering degrees

lee711

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

There are lots of maths and physics degrees in Dublin and NUIM.

Pure maths degrees
Straight physics degrees
Theoretical Physics in NUIM, Trinity and UCD
Experimental Physics in NUIM
Physics with Astronomy/Astrophysics in Trinity, UCD, DCU and NUIM
Nanoscience in Trinity
Applied Physics in DCU
Physics with Biomedical Sciences in DCU
Physics Technology in DIT


That's all I can think of at the moment but I'm sure there are more..

UCC an NUIG would have very similar courses too.

I've been looking in to a few of these, especially theoretical physics, and I like the sound of some of the others. Is there any of them in particular which are heavily based around problem solving? As in, I'm looking for a course which gets you using logic and thinking laterally. Any ideas?

Also, would you be able to tell me any more about Physics with Astronomy/Astrophysics or the Applied Physics? I've had a look on the uni websites but it isn't clear on what exactly you study in them, but it sounds like something i might like.

djpbarry

lee711 wrote: »

Also, any idea what engineering is meant to be like in other Trinity, DIT, or other ITs? Is a degree from one more respected than the other, or is UCD the best for engineering?

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter. Employers don’t care what a piece of paper says you can do, they want demonstrable skills and knowledge.

But, for what it’s worth, I suspect the Trinity degree is more theoretical and DIT more hands-on. I would say UCD is somewhere between the two. Of course, it’s ten years since I graduated, so things have probably changed a bit, but I doubt the general ethos is all that different.

Personally, I enjoyed the course in UCD. I thought the balance between practice and theory was just right and I particularly enjoyed my final-year project. But, shop around. Investigate the other options, especially the ITs, where you can get a lot more practical experience than you might get elsewhere.

However, I didn’t really enjoy the social aspect of life at UCD. It feels very much like a local Uni in South-East Dublin – a very large proportion of my classmates came from schools in the area (I didn’t) and I found it very “cliquey”. I did my PhD at DIT and it did seem much more mixed and much more international. Plus, it’s a city centre campus which is a big plus – Dublin’s a cool place to be a student!

Obviously, the quality of the course is your top priority, but building a social network at uni can be valuable later in life.

saw_man

Is there a particular reason you are discounting Trinity? It seems that if you are planning to do engineering in Dublin TCD and UCD would naturally be top in which ever order you choose.
As a final year Trinity engineer here are my completely biased 2 cents. If you are a bookish type of person or a high achiever pick Trinity engineering as the college is full of those types of people. As you seem to enjoy maths, applied maths and physics and this is your reason for choosing engineering then from personal experience Trinity would be excellent. It was rated a couple of years ago at the 15th best Maths Dept in the world and all the engineering maths is taught by the Maths Dept. Also, the course there gives you the opportunity to do Computer Engineering which UCD does not. If this could appeal to you its another good reason to choose TCD. However if you like chemistry then UCD, UCC etc would be much better choices. There also doesnt appear to be any kind of south Dublin sets or anything like that in engineering. The course has a very diverse group of people from all over Ireland and abroad.
Lastly, if you plan on leaving Ireland for career purposes TCD engineering has a much better international profile particularly in the UK. I should also add that there are plenty of lecturers from top universities world-wide including UCBerkley, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford etc.

djpbarry

saw_man wrote: »

Lastly, if you plan on leaving Ireland for career purposes TCD engineering has a much better international profile particularly in the UK.

I wouldn't agree with that at all. All Irish third-level institutions are virtually unheard of outside of Ireland.

saw_man

Well, I have family members who study/work in the UK and they say TCD has a higher profile there than other Irish universities. Even if its just known as the best uni in Ireland (which all university rankings show). I didnt say it was a very big international profile but it definitly has a bigger one than other Irish universities.

djpbarry

saw_man wrote: »

Well, I have family members who study/work in the UK and they say TCD has a higher profile there than other Irish universities. Even if its just known as the best uni in Ireland (which all university rankings show). I didnt say it was a very big international profile but it definitly has a bigger one than other Irish universities.

At the end of the day, it’s not going to be the difference between you getting a job and not getting it. Choosing one course over another based on the supposed reputation of institutions is a really, really bad idea.

saw_man

It not a bad idea going by reputation. On the balance of probability a university with a good reputation will better than one with a poor reputation. That's kind of what a reputation is. They are not always accurate but they do matter. In Ireland its less of a big deal, the seven universities get a fair crack but some IT's do suffer from bad reputations. Again this is only one element. My main thrust is that Trinity is great choice for loads of reasons. Reputation is only one and a small one at that.

djpbarry

saw_man wrote: »

It not a bad idea going by reputation. On the balance of probability a university with a good reputation will better than one with a poor reputation. That's kind of what a reputation is. They are not always accurate but they do matter. In Ireland its less of a big deal, the seven universities get a fair crack but some IT's do suffer from bad reputations.

And those bad reputations are based almost entirely on snobbery – it has almost nothing to do with course content or the quality of graduates produced.

saw_man

I would suggest you strongly consider UCG and also UL - the latter in particular is making a big name for itself in the engineering world.

How is what you said here different from what I would call reputation? "a big name for itself"- This sounds very much like creating a positive reputation. The fact you know this shows that these universities have a reputation, which you are using to show that they deserve consideration. I don't see how snobbery comes into this. Reputation is based on facts and history of a given institution. They may be unfair if an institution has changed recently but they are not completely without merit. There is no smoke without fire.

djpbarry

saw_man wrote: »

How is what you said here different from what I would call reputation? "a big name for itself"- This sounds very much like creating a positive reputation.

You're taking my post a little too literally. I was actually referring to some of the research that's coming out of those faculties - for example:

While nanotechnology tools have enabled the shrinking of chip features well below the somewhat arbitrary 100nm threshold that often defines nanotechnology, this continuing reduction of chip features is causing a lot of problems brought on from excessive heat.

...

The latest report is that researchers at Tyndall National Institute in collaboration with Stokes Research Institute and the University of Limerick in Ireland have developed a novel nanomaterial based on a nanowire that reportedly provides at least a 50% better thermal performance than any other material on the market.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/new-nanomaterial-is-latest-solution-to-overcoming-heat-issues-in-chips

lee711

djpbarry wrote: »

You're taking my post a little too literally. I was actually referring to some of the research that's coming out of those faculties - for example:


http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/new-nanomaterial-is-latest-solution-to-overcoming-heat-issues-in-chips

Anyway...

basically, there's no difference between the actual degree you get in one university or another?

lee711

saw_man wrote: »

Is there a particular reason you are discounting Trinity?

Not really, other than the reason (a very stupid reason, I admit) that of the people i know who went to Trinity, the majority are very snobby. And now I have it in my head that they're all like that

and before you say that that's not the case with everyone, I know and I'm sure the majority are fine but U have it in my head that it's like the Blackrock/Gonzaga etc. kind of elitist view of everything and I hate that.
Plus my sister done engineering in UCD and said it was great..
And the sports facilities & teams in UCD are much better ( so I've heard)

So basically I'm discounting Trinity for no valid reason other than I don't like it

sock puppet

lee711 wrote: »

Not really, other than the reason (a very stupid reason, I admit) that of the people i know who went to Trinity, the majority are very snobby. And now I have it in my head that they're all like that

and before you say that that's not the case with everyone, I know and I'm sure the majority are fine but U have it in my head that it's like the Blackrock/Gonzaga etc. kind of elitist view of everything and I hate that.
Plus my sister done engineering in UCD and said it was great..
And the sports facilities & teams in UCD are much better ( so I've heard)

So basically I'm discounting Trinity for no valid reason other than I don't like it

You've got your stereotypes mixed up there. UCD is the snobby college. Trinity is just full of nerds.

Borzoi

lee711 wrote: »

Anyway...

basically, there's no difference between the actual degree you get in one university or another?

After almost 20 years post graduation experience in engineers and plenty of practice hiring, the college never made a difference to me. The candidate did.

saw_man

If sports facilities are a big deal for you then UCD all the way. TCD only has cricket, rugby and the sports centre on campus so most field training is actually done in Santry which is a trek. The one thing about the degrees is in general each college has areas which there have an interest in or a style of teaching. So investigate the modules that each degree has. Maths content can vary as can the specialities you will eventually specialize in.Honestly engineering doesnt seem to attract snobs from any college ive seen.

djpbarry

lee711 wrote: »

Anyway...

basically, there's no difference between the actual degree you get in one university or another?

I don't understand the question? A degree is a degree, but the course content can vary quite a bit from one institution to the next.

lee711

djpbarry wrote: »

I don't understand the question?

To be honest neither do I...
I'm just trying to make sure I pick the right course

djpbarry

lee711 wrote: »

To be honest neither do I...
I'm just trying to make sure I pick the right course

What matters is what you learn, not where you learn it.

Diarmuid1995

lee711 wrote: »

thanks for the suggestion, and i was considering teaching up until i did a weeks work experience in my old primary school, now teaching children of any age is my idea of hell.

I'm actually doing a maths education course (NUIM) at the moment, what specifically put you off the idea of teaching? Some people really aren't suited to teaching young children but might work better with teenagers, any questions you have about the course I'll be happy to answer.

lee711

Diarmuid1995 wrote: »

what specifically put you off the idea of teaching?

At first, I was set on becoming a teacher, but then I did a week's work experience in my old primary school during Transition Year. Safe to say that after that I never want to work with kids. I just realised that while the majority of the class are fine, there's always one or two little brats that'd piss me off too much.
And secondary school would be the same except the students are much cheekier. Basically just don't like kids

Diarmuid1995

lee711 wrote: »

At first, I was set on becoming a teacher, but then I did a week's work experience in my old primary school during Transition Year. Safe to say that after that I never want to work with kids. I just realised that while the majority of the class are fine, there's always one or two little brats that'd piss me off too much.
And secondary school would be the same except the students are much cheekier. Basically just don't like kids

Fair enough, dealing with the cheekier students can be the most fun bit at times, but I can see where you're coming from.