why is dcu so dull?

Flex · 27-02-2005 12:48AM

Well actually I passed up an oppertunity to apply for a cadetship bacause I want to have a 3rd level qualification before i enter or if i get in.I used to be in the FCA and they knew how to spend a good evenin by being at a totally **** bar and enjoying one anothers company.Lots of comradeship aswel, but I suppose thats an army thing.

Pauleeeeeeee · 27-02-2005 01:17AM

thefuturehead wrote:

ah college is great.

it's just not how hollywood movies make out. mainly cos we don't have frats etc.

That's what you think...You'll be hearing alot about a certain frat around DCU anytime soon now.

cregser · 27-02-2005 01:17AM

I'm in final year of DCU now. I really don't want to go into work next year. I feel like I want to live a bit more before I tie myself down to a job. I really feel somehow unfulfilled from my college years in DCU. This thread is helping me realise why.

The social life within DCU in first year was a definite let down but I put that down to being underage and fairly broke at the time. It didn't really pick up in 2nd year but I blamed it on the fact that I couldn't go get pissed with everyone in 1st year and get to know them. So I concentrated on my studies and my old sport club outside DCU.

Now it's final year, and I get on with everyone, and I realise I always have, from Mayo to Cork to D4 to Nigeria! Maybe it's because I do engineering and were forced to work in teams! But the social life within DCU is still crap. I really don't like the Old Bar. Never did. They pull a s*** pint. Any time we organise a night out it's always away from DCU. BTW, everyone seems to go to Barcode these days. Barcode will get old and then everyone will go somewhere else. It used to be the Palace (is that making a come back?) then other places. But the Old Bar is only ever used to gather people.

I've heard it before that DCU can't organise a piss up in a brewery. I put it down to the fact that about 5,000 students go to DCU and the SU fails miserably to accomadate them all. It is a tough task. And as far as DCU is concerned, the number of students is going to drop in coming years, so they're not gonna set up more facilities for thousands of students. US Uninversties are used to thinking big. DCU was still a building site only 2 years ago.

So at least it might get better as student numbers drop. If you want the social life I suggest Maynooth or DIT or any small college and hope you get a good group of people.

Mater Dei is a part of DCU (St.Pats College) located in Drumcondra. I know two people there, and they love the social life. The put it down to the fact that there were only 60 students in the whole of first year! So everyone knows everyone, and they all get on great.

thefuturehead · 27-02-2005 01:20AM

yeah, what's the ****ing story with barcode? what's so great about that place? i know people willing to queue for 2 hours to get in. good lord.

steveland? · 27-02-2005 01:27AM

thefuturehead wrote:

yeah, what's the ****ing story with barcode? what's so great about that place? i know people willing to queue for 2 hours to get in. good lord.

Three quid a pint

It's like everywhere else though, it depends who you go with. Tbh any time I go there I only really go with 2 or three people from college plus other people not from college.

cregser · 27-02-2005 01:28AM

I heard on results night that you literally couldn't move in the place, but they packed people in till about 1am aynway.

Another thing, there was this guy in engineering who never spoke to anybody. Richie or Ricky I think his name was. I think he had one friend. Then one day before a lecture he had his head shaved and walked up to the top of the class (i was out that day) and started on some election capaign speech and then sat back down. Next thing we know, there was a load of posters everywhere saying "Vote for the bald guy" and loads of emails to eng students to vote for him. He got elected. He went from nobody to some face in An Tarbh every week. So anybody can get into SU. The problem is the with the people that bother to and eventually run the shagging thing.

Polititions are strange...

Lord Panic · 27-02-2005 12:33PM

Amz wrote:

That's my point, many courses in DCU haven't as many hours as science and nursing and some others. We have very little time to do anything outside of our training and study etc.

Well, for the first two years of my course the hours averaged around 25 a week! Though I do have to agree with ya, I didnt bother with much work in the first while, and unlike alot of people, I was living pretty close to the college anyway. For anyone who has to travel, there's no point in being around the place in the evening, its just not fun enough to warrant coming in and out twice or three times a day!

MrPinK · 27-02-2005 07:49PM

I think people just expect too much. It's not unreasonable to expect to have a great time in college, but I think it is unreasonable to expect a great time to be organised for you. I can honestly say that the four years I've spent in DCU have been the best of my life, and I will really miss the place when I graduate. But you really do have to make the effort. I can recall some great DCU events, but if you're just going to rely on them than you are gonna be dissappointed. We're 20 minutes away from the city centre, and hundreds of bars and clubs. You just pick a night and a venue and get some people to go. I think a great on-campus bar is only necessary if your college is out in the middle of nowhere. But if you have good company then it doesn't really matter where it is you're drinking.

cravian · 27-02-2005 08:11PM

I have to disagree with the quote that Universities only need a campus bar if they're in the middle of nowhere. A campus bar should be a focal point for all of the people on campus, beit in Dublin or London or any other City.
Just look at University College London, Edinburgh University, Queen's and the like.

Above all a Campus bar should server cheaper beer and have good entertainment that keeps students together promoting spirit and a sense of belonging. DCU has none of these.

Twenty minutes away from the City? Why bother with university at all then if you're going to drink in the city all the time anyway. Dublin's too expensive and too far away for the standard student budget - or are you getting more money thesedays?

dregin · 27-02-2005 08:52PM

We should all get together and start a socialising society. Have getting to know you event where people are split away from people they know and have to get to know other people. Team building games. Stuff like that. Not a big píss up society, just somewhere that people can come and meet loads of different people from different courses that they wouldnt usually come in contact with at all. Maybe organize nights out and stuff. I dont mean hiring out a huge venue, just everyone going to the same place and having a laugh.

and stuff....

Amz · 27-02-2005 08:54PM

I bags being secretary!

MrPinK · 27-02-2005 09:01PM

cravian wrote:

I have to disagree with the quote that Universities only need a campus bar if they're in the middle of nowhere.

The quote was that you only need a great campus bar if they're out in the middle of nowhere. I can go there for lunch or a nice relaxing drink in the afternoon. That's all I require of a campus bar, I don't think it need promote unity or college spirit. Is it the sort of place I want to go to for a night out 2 or 3 times a week? No, but it doesn't matter when I can just jump on a bus into town.

Twenty minutes away from the City? Why bother with university at all then if you're going to drink in the city all the time anyway. Dublin's too expensive and too far away for the standard student budget - or are you getting more money thesedays?

You get drunk before you get to the City. Off-licence 5 minutes away.

Flex · 28-02-2005 12:02AM

dregin wrote:

We should all get together and start a socialising society. Have getting to know you event where people are split away from people they know and have to get to know other people. Team building games. Stuff like that. Not a big píss up society, just somewhere that people can come and meet loads of different people from different courses that they wouldnt usually come in contact with at all. Maybe organize nights out and stuff. I dont mean hiring out a huge venue, just everyone going to the same place and having a laugh.
and stuff....

Good idea actually and quite intriquing(spelling?).Someone already claimed secretary, so Ill be President of the council.

OFDM · 28-02-2005 12:17PM

dregin wrote:

We should all get together and start a socialising society. Have getting to know you event where people are split away from people they know and have to get to know other people. Team building games. Stuff like that.

Kum ba yah

steveland? · 28-02-2005 01:43PM

Flex wrote:

Good idea actually and quite intriquing(spelling?).Someone already claimed secretary, so Ill be President of the council.

I call Chief Whip

Gavin · 01-03-2005 01:04PM

I'm in DCU a long time now and will be here for another 2 and a half years, at least.

I did not like first year. I studied CA, there was a huge amount of people and It was tough getting to know people, the clique thing does cause trouble. Come second year I decided that I was going to make an effort. Myself and some mates setup, or re-setup the pool & snooker club. That took up a fair bit of time, and was good crack. Meet a decent bunch of people, went on trips and had a laugh. I did a bit more of it in third year and pulled out in fourth year to do work and try and get a decent degree.

A big part of enojying college for me as well, was moving out of home. Living at home during college is just pants. I had a part time job, payed for my rent and my parents paid for my food. I know I was lucky and a lot of people aren't in that sort of situation, but moving out of home is a definite was to enjoy college. Even if college is crap, you still have a bunch of mates at home that are good fun.

I did a masters in dcu, which was alright, nothing exciting, I kinda put my head down for that as well. I'm studying for a PhD now, and am sticking my head up a bit for air, getting a little bit more involved in what's going on in college. What makes things good are having a decent bunch of friends, not being afraid of talking to new people, getting over stupid opinions from school of avoiding nerds/geeks/coolers etc. Take peope for what they are and how they treat you.

In summation. Get involved, and you will enjoy college. It may not be amazing, but you'll have a decent time ! If DCU pisses you off about cost of things, then don't use their facilities. I don't eat canteen food, and rarely go to the old bar.

Meandering Gav

01-03-2005 07:23PM

I spent a fabulous 6(dont ask) years in DCU, and it was great.

Here's a few things I learned

Yes, the campus is quiet in the evening
Yes, the authorities aren't very focused on student life as a whole
Things aren't buzzin at all times to get sucked into like in some other colleges
There isn't much social space to just chill out in with your friends

What I did learn that it's getting better. DCU is a young college and they're coping onto that fact. Year in year out people complain aboutthe above things and there's small little changes all the time. I was in DCU yesterday actually, visiting some friends and I noticed the bar is serving food in the evening now!

Now, too all of you that moan. DCU has the potential to be great.

In spite of some impediments in DCU Clubs & Socs are decently funded and very active.
DCU clubs & socs have won huge awards on a national level for the last few years
Get involved. You won't get automatically sucked in, in DCU. But if you put yourself out there, you'll be welcomed with open arms.

Website for some clubs/socs. There has to be something you're interested in there:
http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/community/webpages/clubs/
http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/community/webpages/society/

Join a club or society, (or become a class rep) or a few and go to events, offer to help out and I guarantee you, that you will meet lots of people outside of your course, and have a great time.

Student life is out there, it's just waiting for you to jump on board!

thefuturehead · 01-03-2005 10:28PM

point taken.

but i wasn't talking about socs and clubs, which can be great fun admittedly.

i'm just talking about generally, dcu's social life is pretty rubbish.

steviec · 02-03-2005 01:25AM

I like that idea of a socialising society.

Societies might be great for meeting people, but they're all about some niche that you'd have to be interested in. The only ones that appealed to me were Filmsoc(which doesnt exactly promote meeting people), Karting(which I'd probably love but they get together once every two weeks and it manages to clash with other things every single time gr) and Redbrick, which is the only one I've really met people through and it's not all that great, 'lets all sit in the CA labs together!'
The fact I live with my parents in Dublin means I've spent most of my time away from college really, I'd rather be more involved but there's not too much that appeals to me. I went drinking with my classmates more often when I was in school, and I was underage then!

lad12 · 02-03-2005 11:33AM

I like that idea of a socialising society

Yeah its something like this that is needed..a nite organised out town(So everyone could make it) every week or every 2 weeks..

Flex · 02-03-2005 10:21PM

There was a party organised for tonite but none of my mates are going to it because they expect itll be crap.The dullness of DCU prevails again!

lad12 wrote:

Yeah its something like this that is needed..a nite organised out town(So everyone could make it) every week or every 2 weeks..

I agree.A soc that organises at least 2or3 nights out a month is exactly whats needed and would solve lots othe current problems

lad12 · 02-03-2005 10:28PM

There was a party organised for tonite but none of my mates are going to it because they expect itll be crap.The dullness of DCU prevails again!

Never even heard about it.Where was it on?

Flex · 02-03-2005 10:32PM

lad12 wrote:

Never even heard about it.Where was it on?

Originally on at Redbox but moved to Pod and Crawdaddys.My mates wont go because they expect itll be ****.I was gonna go but Im not goin alone.It was a BS party.

lad12 · 02-03-2005 10:38PM

Originally on at Redbox but moved to Pod and Crawdaddys.My mates wont go because they expect itll be ****.I was gonna go but Im not goin alone.It was a BS party.

Well its gonna be crap if everyone thinks like that(Its the general DCU way of thinking though).Was it a class Party for yee or something.

Flex · 02-03-2005 10:42PM

Yeah it was a class party (thats what i meant by BS-not bull****)but we were allowed to bring other people if we wanted.Personally i would have preferred to go but like i was sayin...

lad12 · 02-03-2005 10:49PM

Yeah it probably would have been good nite alrite.Ya may jus sit your mates down and have a serious conversation!!Many women in that class?

Flex · 02-03-2005 10:54PM

Yeah the class is about 50:50 in that respect, so I figured that was enough of a reason to go out anyway

.Very disappointing that most of the lads have already developed such apathy and lost such enthuasiasm already, we really need that soc up and runnin.

PS Dont anyone forget I already bagsied President of the council

lad12 · 02-03-2005 11:08PM

Yeah the class is about 50:50 in that respect, so I figured that was enough of a reason to go out anyway .Very disappointing that most of the lads have already developed such apathy and lost such enthuasiasm already, we really need that soc up and runnin.

PS Dont anyone forget I already bagsied President of the council

Yeah yis missed a good nite there i'd say..Its a bit late to be setting up a new soc now..but it shud be done for next year!!

Flex · 02-03-2005 11:12PM

lad12 wrote:

Yeah yis missed a good nite there i'd say..Its a bit late to be setting up a new soc now..but it shud be done for next year!!

Yeah, Ill be cryin myself to sleep tonite :rolleyes: .Whats the procedure for setting up a new soc anyway.I think we need 20 people to support it at first or somethin, probably wouldnt be hard gettin 20 people though.I presume it would cost somethin and have other clauses and stuff though, would it.

lad12 · 02-03-2005 11:15PM

Yeah, Ill be cryin myself to sleep tonite .Whats the procedure for setting up a new soc anyway.I think we need 20 people to support it at first or somethin, probably wouldnt be hard gettin 20 people though.I presume it would cost somethin and have other clauses and stuff though, would it.

Not sure but i dont think it would be that hard to get members if ya PIMP it enough about the college..I wonder is there anything like this in the other colleges around Dublin.

why is dcu so dull?

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