a few questions ....

Pen0s

hi

i applied for computing- information services for september next year, i have the points from when i did my leaving cert. my only problem is that i applied late, is there a certain time i shud have applied for? the late cao applications go until the 1st of may and i applied in april.

also cud someone give me a quick rundown of what tallaght it is like (facilties/lecturers-wise)
and if anyone has done or are doing this course is it enjoyable do/did u like it?

Zillah

you'll not find that out here. Try CAO.ie

cr

Ive been on the course two years and both of them spent in first year (my own fault because my drink to college ratio favoured drink) but anyway, its a good course for programing and design, the lectures are easy to get on with, and theres always something happening in college!
in first year you do java and vb(linking to access databases)
second year you finish java and learn sql and oricle as well as alot of media stuff!
third year you do more media stuff and c++,
and fourth year you do alot of operating systems stuff!
As a warning though there is alot of design aspect to the course aswell but also
you do other qualifications on the side like in second year you do your cisco cert for free which in most colleges will cost you 3 grand!
its a good course as long as long as you dont mind the design side of things as there is a design type class every semister!

Jk_Eire

I completed the national cert in computing last May in tallaght.
Its a decent enough course and but its easy to fall behind because it moves fairly fast. Decent enough lecture attendance should take ya through first year with ease. But apart for attendance who'll need a genuine interest in the most of the subjects. Don't just go to college and attend the lectures like its a chore or a job you hate because your doing this for yourself. That was my problem in second year, my attendance sucked and I fell way behind and wasnt prepared to put in the extra effort myself. Although I passed the exams well enough and got the cert id lost the appetite and interest to go on in the course so I withdrew my 3rd year place and started a new course.
As regards the lecturers, they are all pretty cool and have the time for you and if your in their lectures they really appreciate your efforts to attend and will bend over backwards to help you out. The curriculum is fairly easy in first year and stays that way for most of the national cert. Except in Software Developement(Java) where you need to keep on top of the lectures and worksheets.

As regards your late application, you should ring up the CAO offices and speak someone. I applied to the CAO last July and got a place in college for the following September. But theres an extended deadline for people who are current students, which I was at the time.
The only problem you might encounter is a small fine for a late application.