Exams before or after Christmas?

CatFromHue

How long ago did UL move the Semester 1 exams to before Christmas?

Just wondering if anyone on here studied there when they were after Christmas and then before Christmas? What do you think of it all if there is?

wnolan1992

From what I gather from this thread, they changed it for the 07-08 Academic Year.

FWIW, I'd hate to have them after. Much better to get them out of the way and not have them hanging over you all during the break IMO.

Limerick91

Showing my age, but I was in UL when there were 3 semesters and while I was there it changed to 2 semesters with the exams after Christmas,
It was strange having 3 weeks off at the end of Jan/start of Feb

CatFromHue

I was there when it was exams after Christmas and I think I'd much prefer it that way.

It never hung over me at Christmas and if I wanted to do a bit of extra study over that time I could. If I didn't want to I was still getting the same amount as I was meant to.

Plus Christmas Daze where at Christmas time and you have an extra night out before the break up at Christmas.

chrislad

I have it after Christmas the first 2 years, and after for the last 2. I much prefer the way it is now. My sister is in DCU and she's been off for nearly a month and her exams are starting on the 21st. We'll have results on the 23rd.

Chimaera

I completed my undergrad and a taught postgrad under the old system and never had an issue with it. The current arrangement doesn't provide for any additional study time compared to the older system - in truth it gives less time since the gap between week 13 and week 14 is gone now.

The biggest problem I'd have with the system now is that it makes a mess of the first few weeks for incoming first years. Our first semester starts almost immediately after the second round CAO offers come out, and anyone who gets an offer in the third round is starting a few weeks late. The second round students are put under pressure to secure accommodation and get organised to start university. The third round students may find themselves in the position of having accepted an offer elsewhere and now have to upend everything and start again in UL, with the added pressure of having to catch up on two or three weeks' work.

And for what? So that students can feel less guilty about their lack of effort during the semester while they're eating Christmas dinner?

1huge1

wnolan1992 wrote: »

From what I gather from this thread, they changed it for the 07-08 Academic Year.

FWIW, I'd hate to have them after. Much better to get them out of the way and not have them hanging over you all during the break IMO.

Started my undergrad in 08, good timing, I don't know how anyone spends their Christmas holidays studying... not that working on a dissertation is any better.

Popoutman

I did my undergrad under the old system, starting the year that the current repeats scheme was voted on. I did a taught postgrad recently under the new scheme.

I preferred the current exams before Christmas way of doing things, it feels cleaner and for me anyway it was easier to do the exams with the subject matters being more current given there was less of a gap between the end of lectures and the start of exams. Under the old system I always found it quite difficult to get any study done outside of the college environment over the Christmas break. I always felt under pressure during the break as I was always aware of the upcoming exams.

Having said that, one thing I preferred was having the 3 weeks off going into February as it was a more useful time of the year for me to have off to go kayaking and to visit friends in college in the UK.

Fireball07

Fwiw, I'd hate to have them after tbh.

ninty9er

After Christmas FTW. I hated having all that study foisted on my before Christmas, on top of work, lectures, projects. I had 1/2 and 1/2. Was great to have a bit if time off after exams too without having Christmas getting in the way.

freyners

Like the system as it it now, want to enjoy my christmas break, not study during it

wnolan1992

Out of interest, when they were on after Christmas, when did the Jan-Aug co-op students actually start Co-op? Like, if you've your placement sorted in September you could very well start on 6th January in the current system. Couldn't you potentially lose 2-3 weeks of the placement over exams if they were after?

Chimaera

They usually started around the third week of January when everyone else was on holidays. There wasn't any real loss of time since the year started 3 weeks later then than it does now.

freyners

Chimaera wrote: »

They usually started around the third week of January when everyone else was on holidays. There wasn't any real loss of time since the year started 3 weeks later then than it does now.

Co-ops can start as soon as the christmas period is over, mine started on the 9th Jan for example

wnolan1992

Chimaera wrote: »

They usually started around the third week of January when everyone else was on holidays. There wasn't any real loss of time since the year started 3 weeks later then than it does now.

Oh, did classes not start until the last week or so of September then?

chrislad

The horror!

http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Academic_Calendar/2005_-_06_Academic_Calendar

Chimaera

wnolan1992 wrote: »

Oh, did classes not start until the last week or so of September then?

Yup. This is the point I made earlier in the conversation. The later start to the year allowed students accepting 2nd and 3rd round offers start college alongside their 1st round peers.

Chimaera

The later start to semester also meant that Rag Week happened much later in the year, which made the chances of decent weather for outdoor activities much higher. Stuff actually happened outside during rag week and people didn't die of exposure!! The gunge tank was always popular in the Stables courtyard, and the raft race always drew a few entries. Oh and the tug of war across the river.

This isn't to say that the terms should have been left alone in order to preserve rag week as it was, but it illustrates the other effects the changes brought about.

ninty9er

chrislad wrote: »

The horror!

http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Academic_Calendar/2005_-_06_Academic_Calendar

Ah glory days!!

SellingJuan

Before is much better than after.