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My college course... (A 3rd-level student's insight)

JackKelly

AUGUST 2008 UPDATE:

This thread is for college/post college students to tell LC students about their course.

This thread is NOT for you to post what course you just accepted.

This thread is NOT for you to post what course you're thinking of, in the offchance that a college student will read it and give you information. If you want information about a course, please go to the relevant college forum and ask there first.
(There is also a thread for this, here.)

This thread is NOT for chatting in. We want to keep it clean and easy to read. If you have further questions on a course detailed, please send the poster a PM.

This is only an idea, but could hopefully be useful to those facing college in coming years.

A lot of people don't get the chance to actually talk to anyone in the college course they are looking to do, even though many career adviser's recommend getting in touch with someone "on the inside", so the idea here is for people in college to write a small description of what course they are doing in college at the moment, i.e., the points, the number of students, the lectures, hours, workload etc, and than what they think of it, their impression of it and the general quality of the course they are doing.

I guess it takes a bit of time to type out all that info so if this doesn't work out, it can be scrapped, as there are already a good amount of sticky's

So if you're in college, give us an idea of your course from a post leaving cert point of view

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Miguel_Sanchez

Seems like a good idea. I'm out of college at this stage but would be willing to answer any questions people might have.

I studied Film and Television production in GMIT for 3 years and the same thing in IADT Dun Laoghaire for a year.

Send me a PM if you have any questions.

Absolut

Course:
Financial Mathematics and Economics at NUI, Galway.

Points:
365 - down from the high 400s in previous years. [Points are definetly not an indication of the difficulty of this course]

Number of students:
Just less than 30 every year.

Hours:
From about 12 in first year to about 25 in 2/3/4 year (including labs and tutorials)

Course Content:
About a 50-50 split between maths and economics - you need a good basis in maths (higher c3 minimum) and leaving cert economics would help alot too (although it's not a prerequisite).
There isn't as much pure finance as most people would think (the influence is on the mathematics, not the finance), and alot of the financial part is geared towards the actuarial side of things.
The "pure" maths side of the course is the same as what you would be doing if you were to do an honours science/arts maths degree - lots of theoretical stuff and a near endless amount of proofs. You definetly need to like maths to do this course.
There are also two statistics modules every year in first year and second year, with one in the first semester of thrid year. These are thought from the very begining, with absolute basics in first year, so even if you dont like Leaving Cert statistics then you probably wont have much of a problem with these modules.
I didnt do economics for the leaving cert, but from what I hear it does help to have done it. I found economics to be difficult enough to study for, since there's so much information to go through and I never really liked it all that much as a subject.
There are also various exemptions available from actuarial exams (if you meet the standards), a lot of which have came in since I started the course. If you're interested, contact Donal O'Regan or Michael Tuite who are course co-ordinators for more info on exemptions.

Summary:
Good for people looking to train to be actuaries. Bad if you want a course that's more finance than maths and have no interest in getting exemptions in actuarial exams.
NUIG probably also has the best student life in the country.

PM me for any more questions.

h.waldron1

public and social policy is a 3 year BA course in nuigalway.
its divided into 3 areas: [1] law [2] economics [3]politics. in first year you get a basic insight into each area with focus main on the legal aspect with subject titles: law and social policy, pubic law, public and social policy, and irish legal systems.
the overall aim is to understand how to make good policies [Laws]. after the 3 years you can go on to to research in these areas, working in government, a post grad in economics or accounting or become a barrister or solictor.
the hours in 1st and second year are very low ie 13 a week and the class is very small though for some class's you will be in with civil law students, arts students and commerece students.
the best thing about the degree is you have a wide range of options once you finish it. i think the points this year were 300 down from 360 the year before and 390 the year before that. it is a very new course and almost unheard of but its worth it to look into it.

JackKelly

I should probably include myself shouldn't I.

Points:
355

Number of students:
Starts with around 50 in first year, usually down to 30 or so by the start or 2nd year.

Hours:
First year has 18 if i remember. There are labs in some (3 i think) subjects.Some of these are weekly labs, others are every fortnight etc. A number of tutorials also, mainly in the programming classes. 2nd year is roughly the same, if not a little greater. Not too shabby either way. You're left with quite a bit of "free" time (free time to do all the assignments in that is)

Course Content:
In first year you do 6 subjects

Maths
Java Programming
Assmebly Language
Digital Logic
Telecomms and Electrotech
Computer and Society (basically an arts module)

Depending on what you've done before getting to college, these can be easy or challenging. The Maths is fine and considering you need a higher C (i think) to get in, shouldn't cause problems. The java programming assumes you know nothing about programming and progresses as the year goes on. You don't touch on any other high level languages until second year, so you should have a good understanding by the end of the year. Assembly language is something not a lot of people would have tried before so is a bit of a wtf? to begin with. The same can be said for digital logic. You learn about adding circuits multiplexers etc. Telecomms and Electrotech is split up into two halves. The first half is a reflection of the LC physics course, with a little added on, and the second half is a beginning to networking. The final class is Compters and Society which more or less deals with the philosphy of computers and how the feature in todays world.
In general, first year sets a good basis to what's to come in the following years and will give you a good idea if its what you want to be doing. It ties in well with second year, as a lot of the courses branch off from what you have learned in first year. While what you learn could be considered quite basic in the first year, it picks up.

Workload:
Talking about first year, the workload is low at the beginning, and not a lot is expected before Christmas. It picks up toward the end though, and can be hectic enough, with various assignments all due in at the same time. The course is aimed far more toward practical work (programming and hands on) than exams. Obviously, you'll have exams in every subject at the end of the year,(which acounts for 80% in each subject - the other 20% being course work) but apart from that, everything else is assignment and labs.(Maths is the only subject to have term time exams). There are no Christmas exams. Practical work increases in 2nd year and you basically have constant assignments.
This all still only adds up to 20% or your overall mark, but its worth keeping up in, as it prepares you for the end of the year. I joined late in first year, only coming in after Christmas in January, and as a result had basically no coursework marks for any of my classes, which meant I had to effectively get 50% in my summer exams to pass. This is extra stress you dont need.
Like in all courses though, and unlike secondary school, there are always repeat exams, so if you fail in Summer, you can repeat in September. I really don't recommend this though.it sucks.

Summary:
This is a course for people interested in Computers and how they work. Its sounds stupid to say that, but It's not a course where you sit around learning photoshop (An idea i had in my head at one stage). The points don't reflect the difficulty of the course either. It's not easy. Of course, it is made easier if you have an interest in it, and I can only imagine how dull programming assignments would be if you had no interest but its not a walk in the park. You will have to put a good amount of time into a lot of the subjects, as for most people, you won't have done them before.
I hear a lot that the TCD CS course is geared toward hardware and not software, and i have to disagree. First year grounds you in programming with Java and Assembly while introducting you to the hardware side with Digital Logic and again, with Assembly (you deal with MC68k microprocessors). You also get a start in networking so it's quite diverese.
Anyway, I love the course and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I think they do a good job entertaining all the different aspects of computers ,have just the right workload and have managed to string the subjects together well, ensuring that one topic picks up where another leaves off.

Jonny Arson

Course:
Arts @ UCD

Duration:
3 years

Previous Points:
350 pts in 2006
360 pts in 2005
370 pts in 2004
375* pts in 2003
375 pts in 2002

Number of Students:
Around 1300

Structure:
Each year you are required to complete 60 credits. You will complete 12 modules per year, each of these modules are worth 5 credits pending successful completion of each module. You study your first 6 modules in 1st semester and your second set of 6 modules in the 2nd semester. Each module is assessed by examinations, coursework or a mixture of both. Exams are taken at the end of each semester - 1st semester exams are in December and 2nd semester exams are held in May.

Arts comprises of around 30 different subjects available to study including popular subjects like English, History, Politics, Economics, Geography, Sociology.
In 1st year you required to study 2 subjects which are worth 20 credits each - these are your Major subjects. The remainder of your required 20 credits can consist of.....
1) a 3rd Major subject of 20 credits
2) 2 Minor subjects worth 10 credits each or
3) 1 Minor subject of 10 credits and 2 Elective modules of 5 credits each - these 2 elective modules can be taken within your course and/or outside your course in any other faculty - for example you can choose a module in Law, Science, Commerce etc. (places for these Elective modules are limited and depend on your timetable constraints)

In 2nd and 3rd years you are required to again complete 60 credits per year. 50 of your credits must come from your course and 10 of your credits can again be used to study modules all across the college. In these years you must narrow down your subject choices to....
1) A single major subject of 50 credits - only a few subjects provide this
2) A Major subject of 30 credits and a Minor subject of 20 credits
3) 2 Joint Major subjects of 25 credits each

Once you complete and pass all 3 years and all 180 Credits over these 3 years you will have an Arts degree! Your final degree will be calculated equally from your results from both 2nd and 3rd year.

Hours:
Usually remain consistent over the duration of the 3 years. The average hours per week for an Arts student is about 13 or 14 hours (usually 12 lectures of 1 hour + tutorials and seminars. However, the amount of hours you do can depend on which subjects you choose. Language subjects can be up to 20 hours and other subjects require more student time.

Workload:
For each module you do in a semester you are expected to devote about 100 hours of time including lectures, coursework and reading but very few people will even do 60 hours per module! Arts is well known for been a subject that requires alot of independent study. You are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials and a considerable amount of reading is required in most subjects. Due to the emphasis on independent study in Arts coursework is not overly intensive but that should not be an excuse to spend all your free time in the bar!

My Opinion:
I am currently in my 2nd year in the course and my 3rd year overall in UCD. In Arts I am studying Geography and Informaton Studies and I like my subjects and what they have to offer me.
This is so much choice in Arts that it is almost impossible not to find a subject that interests you, the variety in subject choice is second to none. The varying types of subjects available should keep your interest in the course and you won't be doing the same stuff all the time!
The major negative of Arts for me is the sheer size of the course. Some 1st year lectures hold 500 students! The large scale environment of the course means that it is extremely difficult to get to know people and make friends, it can be said that Arts is a cold, informal course that has little or no social life.

My Advice:
Arts has alot going for it, there is something for everyone. I do encourage that if you want to do the course then do it but don't put it down on your CAO form because there is nothing else or because your mates are doing it. You need to be commited towards the course and if you do end up doing Arts, please get involved in college life by means of clubs/societies or you may find UCD a lonely experience.

If anyone wants to ask for any more information about the course feel free to PM me and please do check out these links.....

UCD website
Course information
Subject Choices
Arts and Humanities Undergraduate Prospectus

Good luck!

[Deleted User]

I wouldn't mind typing out what course I was doing if I hadn't done it so many times before!

For anyone thinking about heading to Trinity, there is a list (fairly up-to-date) of courses which users of the Trinity forum has contributed to. Linkee: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054901993

deisedolly

Course:
M.Sc. Multimedia DCU

Points:
410 for me i think, they seem to be falling by about 5 r so every year

Number of students:
Around 50

Hours:
I'm in 1st year and we have about 16 i think? Not quite sure, it's not alot anyway!!

Course Content:
I'm in 1st year and so far I've made a really cool bebo flashbox using Macromedia Director (really hard to get the hang of but great when you do!), made a 5minute radio show using protools (again it was hard to get the hang of but it was a really good laugh putting it all together), learned how to use photoshop, the basics anyway, cool aswell! ATM we're in the middle of learning how to to edit video clips, we're not getting to film anything in first year though, we're learning HTML and beginning to make our own basic websites.
There is also a boring side to the course (hey it can't be all fun!), we had to learn about sociology and make presentations on it and write essays and there are some crappy modules with a whole lot of writing involved aswell but they arent so hard... We're told that all the boring stuff is to give us 'a well rounded degree' which is fair enough I suppose!

Summary:
I'm really enjoying it so far. Learning how to do all the 'cool' things is a bit scary at first but it's great when you get the hang of them e.g. director, protools, photoshop.
This time last year I had my heart set on doing Communications in DCU, with Multimedia as my second choice. I'm much happier now that I'm doing Multimedia instead. MMA concentrates on the more technical side of the media which can only be an advantage when it comes to looking for jobs in the media.
The class size is great, everyone knows everyone and most people get on great.
I'm going to have to decide whether to do Imaging, Video or Audio next year but I really don't have a clue what I'm going to pick yet!

If any of ye have any questions about Multimedia or DCU ye can PM me

P.S. Live in Larkfield in 1st year, its really small but its a great laugh. I ahd to share with a stranger but we're the best of friends now so it's great!

~Ellers~

This is a very helpul thread for future college students, fair play!:)

Well at the mo i hav just completed my first year in Arts or (Orts!):p in NUI Maynooth..and i must admit i have had the best year of my life..and another 2/3 to go! the time went so quick..but i am so happy with my choice of Arts, especially in this lovely, friendly town.

First of all as an Arts student one can pick from a variety of subjects, the most popular in my opinion would be Geography, History, Anthropology to name but a few. You pick 3 subjects in first year and carry on with your 2 favourite onto 2nd year. We would have a lecture each day lasting an hour and then a weekly tutorial for each subject. The lectures are handy enough excellent notes..and the lecturers do a top job!

Each subject varies on according to how many people would do it..but in many cases it would be well over a hundred..and then divided into groups for the tutorials.

The amount of time altogether in Arts in first year would be 17hours..however it does depend on the subject one is doing!

Maynooth as a town is a lovely, quaint friendly town however in many ways it lacks amenities and entertainment but Dublin is only a short trip away! The nightlife i must say is excellent,pubs close at one but it is pretty good in first year. I love the friendly atmosphere and it's really easy to get to know new people. I have made some wonderful friends here and it is true that the 'friends you make in college are the ones that you will carry through life!'. Campus Accomadation in Maynooth is excellent, very well kept and as you walk it you are bound to bump into someone you know.

Hope this helps!

:cool:

I-like-eggs,mmm

Hey there,

I'm doing general nursing in DCU.

my advice, if you're thinking of doing nursing go to DCU because after you complete your 4years, you end up with a BSc. degree (bachelor of Science), this is better if you want to branch out of nursing totally yet stay in the science/ health field.

TCD offers a BNS. degree which is a bachelor of nursing studies so if you want to continue your education you will have to keep within the nursing field.

The DCU degree is harder and has more assignments but it's better.

I'm only saying this because, I am 3years into my nursing degree and I absolutely don't want to be a nurse anymore, I'm sticking it out and will use my degree to branch out into something else, not nursing. You see, this could happen to any of you thinking of becomming a nurse, you may end up 3years in2 your course and decide you don't want to be a nurse either.

Oh and ALSO- if you aspire to become a doctor but maybe you don't think or wont get the points, then apply to do a BSc in general nursing,get a 2.1 in your degree and after that there is a 3year course in medicine.

You see, there's always other ways;)

Rineanna

Title: Business Studies
Points Dropped to 390 on second round
Students Circa 350 students, but we're never on our own for any module so it can range from 350 to 500.
Modules

First Semester

Financial Accounting (Financial Statements)
Microeconomics
Business Information management (Computers and processing Info.)
Communications
Management Principles

Second Semester

Managerial Accounting (Stock keeping, costing, budgeting, etc)
Macroeconomics
Business Information Management 2 (Yeuck!)
Marketing
Organisational Behaviour
Business Mathematics (Maths and Stats)

Hours 16 hours in 1st sem, 20 2nd sem

Ballerina

if anyone wants any information about doing Physiotherapy or UCD then give me a shout.

just a random bit of advice,if your living on the northside,think carefully about how much you like public transport before putting UCD anywhere on your cao,put it down as my second choice and never thought about it,now i have lots of time to think about it every day while sitting on buses!!im so glad i went to UCD because i LOVE it but maybe look at accomodation if you live on this side of the liffey!

and another bit of random info-i would only advise coming to UCD if your doing a course with a small class ie less than 100 because otherwise it can be hard to make friends.you always hear lots of people saying UCD is a cold,lonely place but not if you have a small class!i have friends in many colleges and everything really is bigger and better in UCD!:D

bazzer06

Hey everyone - i'm doing law and french in TCD (just finished second year) so anyone looking for info just give me a shout!

Generally though...

Points
Law - bank on around the 550 mark, though i know people who've gotten in on as low as 520
Law and French - always at least 560 on the first round but theres people in my class who got in on second/third with around 540
Law and German - usually about ten points lower than law, but that changed last year as far as i know - to be safe youd want 540, could probably get in on 520 if the applications go your way

Course content

For Law on its own, its obviously very difficult to judge whether or not you'll like it (as compared to courses such as geography etc whre youve done the subjects before) but i would say that first, you need to be good at english, second, you need to have an interest in justice or public administration and third, you need to be able to read a LOT!
However, many people dont tick the second option and just do a law degree as a means to an end - there are many job options available at the end of the road, in international affairs, politics, teaching, journalism, business and other disciplines where a law degree is thought to prove good analytical skills etc
Law and language is a whole different kettle of fish though - tbh most people in my class did law and french coz they wanted to keep doin french but didnt want to do an arts degree! However, an interest in law is helpful.. Law and language have a bit of an edge in terms of jobs in international organisations and the EU. Also, dont be expecting french literature or anything like that - you have no language classes (you need to do that yourself) and all french topics are in lectures given in french and relate back to law or civilisation.

Workload in pure law is quite acceptable if you're willing to spread the study out over the year - you only have four subjects per year - and also if you're not aiming high its perfectly possible to pass every year with a couple of weeks cramming in the last few weeks (which is actually what most people do) Some would say its almost impossible to fail... to which i say yes for first year and NO to second year. Timetables good too - maximum of 12 hours in any given week when tutorials are taken into account.

Law and language is a bit more strenuous - you do 6 subjects per year - 3 law 3 "language" ie french/german law and civilisation so you've a lot more on your plate than pure law students. Hours per week can be as much as 16 or 17 which is a lot for a law student due to the amount of reading necessary. However again, it is perfectly possible to pass on minimal work - if a pass is all you want.

All in all, i'd highly reccomend law and language in trinity - ya can have a lot of fun and end up with a mighty sexy degree at the end of it. Also, no matter what ya do a year abroad is an option so dont do the language just for that. law is basically an arts degree for people who dont want to do an arts degree, if more difficult! Of course, any other TCD students in the course are welcome to disagree with whatever i said!!

hardCopy

justbringit89 wrote:

Hey just wondering about Computer Applications In DCU!!! Is is any good . what are the hours like , Course content.etc!

I'm just finished CA, I did the Information Systems (IS) stream.

The information systems stream mixes computing with business/management modules, lot's of essays, research, presentations etc. Whereas the Software Engineering (SE) stream is more programming oriented.

In first year you'll have some compulsory modules like programming, computer arcitecture, maths and a set of optional modules to choose from. Be sure to pick business game, it's all continuos assessment and actually fairly fun.

By the end of first year you should have an idea of whether or not you like programming. If you don't want to write code all day but still want to work in IT then IS is the best bet, if you want to be a very good programmer then pick SE as you won't really get as much practice in IS. Second year modules are all dependent on which stream you choose.

When you're picking optional modules in 3rd and 4th year try to suss the modules out properly so you can avoid the types of modules you don't like.

The continuous assessment workload is manageable but you do have to be careful as you will end up having several projects due for submission in the same week or even the same day, so start them early. It's not so difficult to manage in first year though because the course work is more spread out and deadlines don't clash as much.

The INTRA placement is really valuable in my opinion, if you get an employer who will let you vary your work you can gain some great experience to put on your CV.

I have a job lined up to start in September where I will be using a mix of programming and business/management skills, so as far as I'm concerned the course seems pretty good as far as employment prospects are concerned. Start looking for graduate jobs early in 4th year. I don't know about SE, but I know a lot of very good jobs suited to IS graduates stop accepting applications as early as october, so be early as the applications can take a lot of time and clash with course work.

The lecture hours reduce as you progress but the continuous assessment work load increases accordingly. I think I had about 18-20hrs of lectures in 1st year with small assignments every few weeks but only 6hrs at the end of 4th year with 1 big final year project and a couple of small assignments.

That's probably a bit rambly and hard to follow but they're all the useful hints I can think of after 4 years. Choosing your modules to suit your interests/abilities is about the most important thing. Also be sure to go to tutorials if you have any difficulty in a subject.

Attractive Nun

Not the most popular course in the world, in itself, but if you're thinking about doing/have applied for single honours history in Trinity or history through TSM, this might be useful. And if you're thinking about Philosophy & Political Science or BESS, the info on the political science department might be of use too. I'm only just finished first year.

Anyway...

Course:
History and Political Science, at Trinity

Points:
I think it was 495 this year, down from 525 and 545.

Number of students:
There's about 25 in my year. The old prospectus said there were 14 places so I guess that explains the points dropping.

Hours:
14-16 a week. History tutorials aren't in every term, politics tutorials are "non-compulsory" and there's a random class called 'Learning for Historians' which doesn't last all year, but 14-16 is probably about right. 10 hours of lectures per week anyway. Even less in subsequent years, I believe.

Course Content:

In first year, you do either two history courses and three politics, or vice versa, plus 'Learning for Historians'. This gives you all the information about the various subject choices and such.

Summary:
History in Trinity is pretty great. The choice isn't great in first year, but looking ahead it gets a lot better. I did the two European history courses of those outlined above (and by all accounts they are the two best of those on offer to Histpol students) and I really enjoyed both of them. The lectures are near impossible to follow if you're not paying full attention - the lecturers don't e-mail notes or use overheads to the same extent that others do - but if you do manage to follow them they are very rewarding. The tutorials are excellent and the workload is very manageable (probably too manageable really) - you only have to submit one essay for each history subject in the year, plus some tutorial work. I would advise that this extra time is used in the library, because the topics you study are really interesting and reading about them is actually surprisingly enjoyable. Nobody really does this, of course, until about a month before the summer exams - I certainly didn't - and by then it's kind of too late. That's certainly my regret of the year, anyway, because there is some great stuff in the library - the library itself is probably the best reason of all to study arts in Trinity. The course does allow you, and encourage you, to pick specific areas of interest if you want, so that's another plus. The history department is a bit disorganised at times, but everyone is very helpful so I really don't have a bad word to say about them. And, finally, the first year exams are fairly easy if you put any sort of effort into them and, although firsts are hard to come by, nobody fails them. Literally, nobody.

I can't say that I have as much regard for the politics side of things, to be honest, but it's alright. In first year, you do two introductory courses (sociology and politics) with 400 other students - mainly BESS - and quite frankly they're poor. It's understandable with the amount of students they're trying to cater for, but the lectures are very basic and oftentimes just not worth going to. If you're interested in the subjects being covered (which you really should be), the library is full of great stuff that is well worth spending your time reading - and I feel you're better off spending time there and just using the lecture notes (which they e-mail to you) as a guide. The exams allow you to answer pretty broadly on questions so I must give them credit on that one. Again, the workload is minimal - one essay per subject per year - and you could probably pass the end-of-year exams with just a few weeks work. The tutorials aren't as good either. HOWEVER, looking forward to the next few years, things do seem a lot more interesting. Introduction to Economic Policy, the other course you can do, is a lot more enjoyable - though similarily easy.

Learning for Historians is just terrible - could be taught by giving out a small pamphlet.

Overall, I would recommend the course. If you approach it in the right way, it can be hugely interesting and rewarding. My main criticism, from an acadmeic point of view (an opinion that I am hopelessly underqualified to hold) is that it is probably a bit too easy, but believe me you won't be complaining.

A note on general life in the course:
Being quite a small course, it is very easy to make friends and such - my year were all very close. If you're living at home and travelling to college every day, it can even become a bit insulated, which is bad, but like anything if you play it right you'll have a great time. There's loads of time for joining societies and such (I joined them all, practically, but didn't involve myself in any of them really - probably a mistake) and college life in general really is great. I'm sure it's the same wherever you go in reality, but Trinity is great fun and in the summer there is no better place just to hang around doing nothing. It's just a case of making the best of it, I guess, but histpol does give you buckets of free time to do that.

Spektator

experiMental wrote:

Interesting... Tbh, I haven't heard anything about The Liberties college before your post.

I would recommend you to go to an official PLC college where portfolio preparation is taught. The whole process of applying and getting in is quite straightforward. The plus side is, that you'll get an industry-recognised qualification at the end, that could also boost your chances of getting into a third level art/design/architecture course.

A bigger plus is a PLC graphic design course with work placement module. It would be great to try some real design work, especailly before college, just to see whether you'd be fit for it.

The Liberties College is an "official" PLC College, although there is technically no such thing as an official PLC college. It provides fulltime FETAC Level 5 and 6 courses. Portfolio preparation (Art/Craft/Design AACDX FETAC Level 5 NVQ Level Two) is taught through two different classes, 2D Portfolio Preparation, and 3D Portfolio Preparation, each with twenty four places. The modules differ slightly for each class, in 2D the syllabus is as follows:

Mandatory
- Drawing
- Painting
- Design
- Ceramics
- Portfolio Preparation
- Appreciation of Art and Design
- Communications
- Work Experience

Electives
- Photography
- Combined Materials
- Textiles
- Technical Drawing

The 3D syllabus is slightly different, the painting module is replaced with jewellery and the ceramics module replaced with sculpture.

As with all FETAC Level 5 certificates, one must take five vocational modules, two general studies modules, and one work experience module.

http://www.fetac.ie/guide/AACDX.HTM

The whole process of applying and getting in was really quite straightforward. Application forms can be found at:

http://www.libertiescollege.ie/

The FETAC modules are examined in April, a Pass is 50% to 64%, Merit is 65% to 79%, and a Distinction is 80% to 100%.

NCAD accept five distinctions out of eight modules for First Year Core, as well as your submitted portfolio. IADT accept three distinctions out of eight modules for the Visual Arts degree, as well as your portfolio. The alternative is to apply to the aforementioned courses with your LC points and portfolio. DIT do not accept FETAC Level 5 courses in their admission process to their Fine Art degree.

The Liberties College is situated on Bull Alley, near St. Patricks Cathedral. It has 780 students studying courses in the areas of Childcare, Art and Design, Theatre Performance, Tourism, Media Studies and Counselling Studies.

deek

Hey everyone

I studied dietetics in DIT , just a warning for people who may have put it down I would really advise that you should have a strong interest in Home economics. I have always been interested in science and health but found this course didnt interest me. Mainly my problem was that I just wasnt interested enough in food to carry me through, there are chemistry and biokogy lectures but there are also cooking classes.

Also if you are not familiar with DIT go have a look at Kevin street before you apply....

Having said this most of people stay on in the course and are still just as interested in it as they had been.....basically make sure you are interested in food!

balzarywex

Hi Splicer,

Just after finishing my first year of human genetics at TCD. Nope, genetic counselling is a major (and rapidly developing) area for human geneticists. Indeed, you also have genetic screenings, paternity tests, biochemical assays, forensics etc. The majority do go onto further education (masters or phd), I think the figure is about 70%, so this will obviously steer you towards one career path. Some may do further studies in closely associated areas, such as molecular medicine, biochem etc or different areas, medicine and as far a field as banking. Then of course, there's research also. So far I think I'ld be interested in specialising in immunogenetics, oncogenetics or neurogenetics but as of yet I'm quite unsure, early days anyhow still!

Schlemm

jaydigity wrote:

Anyone studying veterinary UCD?
I've done work exoerience etc, but am having some last minute doubts about my suitability to the course. Has anyone else been in the position where chemistry was not their strong subject in school and has gone on and done vet?
I find,basically, that my brain just isn't suited to learning chemistry, even though I do think some of it's interesting.However, I absolutely love biology, and find it really easy to grasp. From looking at course structure,I can't really see many areas of the course that don't appeal to me, but,in your opinion, do you think that the course puts a lot of emphasis on chemistry, which I might struggle with?
Really appreciate any help, esp. before July 1st (CAO deadline)!

Hope you left veterinary on your CAO, it's a great course! Loved Chem in school and didn't do biology, but TBH you don't need the chemistry hardly at all, biology is the more important subject I'd say. Was actually kind of dissapointed that there wasn't more chemistry on the course, but I love doing biology stuff anyways! But I'd say if you like biology you'll be fine. Get plenty of practical experience in as many areas as you can, i.e., small animals, large animals and horses, even if they're not your thing, you still have to learn about them! It's a great course and there's a great social side to it as well. Good luck with the results, and even if you've changed your mind and you don't get it, don't be afraid to reapply (I transferred from another course myself, had to pay fees but it was worth it!) or repeat, cos loads of people repeat (some even repeat twice) to get in. Best of luck!

R0C0

I.T in NUIG for anyone thats interested!

Very small course, though there is a very big quota for places, there were 11 of us at the start of last year, 4 have left, myself included!

Hours aren't bad at all, I don't remember exactly what it was, I think it was like 13 or 14 hours plus a couple of labs! Late starts and early finishes every day bar Tuesday.

Maths is where most of us seemed to struggle cause you have to take honours maths, which is a pretty different kettle of fish to Leaving Cert honours maths! Programming and Algorithms we're fine, enjoyable even! I wasn't a big fan of Electronic Engineering, but you only have to do that up to Christmas when you swap it for Physics!

The course can be done in 3 streams, with a language, with business, or with a next generation technology (ie. Artificial Intelligence, Medical Informatics, Scientific Computing and Semantic Web). With a Next Gen technology you do all four in 1st year and specialise in one after that!

I found it a good course bar the maths, you gotta keep an eye on your assignments though or they'll quickly pile up on you! Socially its fine aswell, easy to make friends given it was such a small class, out of the 11 of us I think it was 5 that were mature students. Just 2 of us were from Galway too, if that makes any difference to you!

I highly recommend NUIG, great University! Galway is a fantastic place to live too, excellent nightlife and a really unique city!

Hope this helps someone!

snickerpuss

LINKY.V.18 wrote:

anybody doing culinary arts in dit or know anybody doing.

My best mate is going into the final year of this course.

It has low points but that in no way reflects the amount of work you have to do.

You will study subjects such as Gastronomy, Aesthetics, Nutrition, Science, Accounting, Management, Computers and you must also do a language.

Later in third year you will specialise in 2 subjects of Pastry, International Hot Kitchen and International Food. You also develop your own product and start your own business around that product.

Depending on what language you do in the summer of third year you go abroad to work in a kitchen, largely unpaid.

In final year you have to do an 18,000 word dissertation in a very short amount of time, while doing 3 or 4 other projects. Don't ask me how this is going to work, it is now to be handed in by December rather then May.

It isn't particularly going to train you to be a chef but management, criticism and all sorts of foodie careers are open to you.
You have to be prepared to work hard though, some days she has classes from 9-6. (I'm an arts students so this appals me!)

Anyway, anyone interested in Irish or Art History in UCD let me know.

ApeXaviour

SligoBrewer wrote: »

I'll be doing Science in TCD I think.

Although I may change my mind to Theoretical Physics depending on how I find Maths for the leavin'

Both good courses, but the former obviously gives the greater choice in the long run.

I did Natural Science, specialised in Physics and now just started a Ph.D in it, still in Trinity. My choice of research topic could have been entered with a degree in Chemistry, Advanced Materials, Physics or Theoretical Physics, though what I'm doing would be classified as Experimental Physics. Your graduate choices are often not limited much by what degree you, once they have similar scope.

On my CAO, TP was my moot second choice, but that's how the CAO works, you chose your courses by preference.

Anyway if you have any questions about the courses, what they're like, what you can do with them, feel free to reply here or PM me.

Chunky Monkey

Course: Natural Sciences
University: Trinity
Points: 2005: 440, 2006: 415, 2007: 440

I was doing this course, I dropped out for many reasons...
- I didn't like it. For instance, in my biology lectures there were more than 400 of us. The seats weren't tiered so if you were at the back it was hard to see and to hear. For the chemistry tutorials I think there were about 200 of us so it was basically like another lecture. The chemistry notes were given to us on line and I didn't have internet access and very little money for an internet cafe at the time so I couldn't get them. The material of lectures varied too much. One day it was very easy, the next very hard. I felt there wasn't enough structure and that it was poorly organised. The lab equipment was quite cool but for the practicals we were told what to do in our manuals and the homework we got on it was ridiculous, far too easy and the answers were given to us.

- I want to do medicine. Undergraduate medicine is free here for Irish and other EU students. But for graduate entry the fees are €12,000 a year and the competition is very intense for the few places available. They say all they require is a 2:1 in your degree but realistically I'd say a first is probably needed and an excellent score in the GAMSAT. These are harder to achieve, I figured, than repeating the leaving cert so this is exactly what I'm doing (for the third time) and I feel I'm in with a chance this time as I did quite well last year

ApeXaviour

Chunky Monkey wrote: »

Course: Natural Sciences
University: Trinity
Points: 2005: 440, 2006: 415, 2007: 440

I was doing this course, I dropped out for many reasons...
- I didn't like it. For instance, in my biology lectures there were more than 400 of us.

AFAIK trinity offer at least 10 different biology degrees from Natural Science, as you progressed and specialised you would have found yourself most likely in a class of no more than 15-20.

The chemistry notes were given to us on line and I didn't have internet access and very little money for an internet cafe at the time so I couldn't get them.

Odd complaint... considering there are many computer rooms in Trinity, some 24hour, with 10Mb connections. Even at peak times, it's always possible to find one somewhere.

The material of lectures varied too much. One day it was very easy, the next very hard.

I often found what one person would consider much easier, another would consider a lot harder. Take organic to physical chemistry for example.

I felt there wasn't enough structure and that it was poorly organised. The lab equipment was quite cool but for the practicals we were told what to do in our manuals and the homework we got on it was ridiculous, far too easy and the answers were given to us.

Again, as you would have progressed through the years, the difficulty escalates exponentially. You would have gotten a hell of a lot more leeway with less supervision too.

Chunky Monkey

10 mb aren't available in this country yet, 6 is the max. But yes you had to pay for print outs. These notes were pages long and I had no money at all. Can't argue with everything else you have said. I've heard the course gets a lot better after the first two years and you go into the specialised areas like immunology or neuroscience. But I wasn't willing to stick it. I could see myself doing badly, in the first year at least, because I hated the way it was run and this would affect my end result meaning I couldn't get into graduate entry medicine (which was the only reason I was doing it in the first place).

goodgodholmes

For those who are interested:

Course:
BA Communication Studies, DCU.

Points:
440 - Have been about that mark for about 3 years now.

Number of students:
Around 80, divided into smaller workshop groups for some modules (about 25 in these)

Hours:
13 per week in first year (8 lecture hours, 2 workshop hours, 3 seminar hours). Seemingly about 16 in other years

Course Content:
This is only a first year's experience! The first semester has a lot of theory subjects, for example Sociology and Psychology. However these are literally for 12 weeks so that's fine. These are also balanced with practical subjects like Media Practice and Media Technology. In first year, you study Video Production, Audio Production and Photography, and then choose one of these fields to specialise in for the next 2 years. Usually Video is the most popular and places are limited, but this year it seems that photography will be far more competitive than video. For the first semester in Media Practice, you acquire a lot of content by shooting videos around campus, having photography classes and workshops and taking photos near campus, and doing radio shows. In the second semester you put all this into post production in Digital Media Skills. There's basic web design in the Media Tech module as well. We have some other modules like Analysing Media Content, in which we basically... analyse media content! Apparently this involves a lot of studying photographs, radio samples and watching video clips to establish messages. The second and third year modules are a lot more practical and hands on, and specifically to do with video, audio or photography. There are a lot of theory subjects in first year (5 out of 12), but it's a lot more practical after that.

Workload:
The CS course is very focused on continuous assessment as opposed to exams. There are no exams for the first semester of first year, and only one in the second semester. While the idea of continuous assessment scared me because I thought I wouldn't be bothered doing anything, it's actually fine. For the theory based subjects of the first semester, for example,(Language Culture and International Communication, Sociology and Psychology), they were marked 30% on a presentation and 70% on one course essay. The essay was 3000 words for LCIC, 1500 for Psych and a group essay for Social. For Media Tech we had weekly online quizzes (50%) and the other 50% was a web design project, and for Media Practice we were marked on our videos and stuff.

My Opinion:
I would definitely recommend this course to anyone. I was a bit disheartened that he have 3 theory subjects in the first semester, because I thought I would be doing pure production. However, it all balances out because we have as much practical as we do theory. Also, at 80 people, the course has a nice number. Not that small, but not so big that you're lost in a sea of people. It's like the size of a year in school. The class is divided into smaller groups for workshops and seminars anyway, so you get to know smaller groups there. They're a lovely bunch of people, generally people who are passionate about media. Out of the 80, there's about 8 mature students in the class. DCU is a great college as well, everyone's absolutely lovely and there's always a good, friendly atmosphere about the place. A lot of my friends in the class had CS as their 2nd or 3rd CAO choice and are now glad they got it as they absolutely love it. There have been no dropouts in my class so far which is pretty rare for any course. I would definitely recommend the CS course to anyone who's interested in the media. It opens up a wide range of jobs, everything from PR and advertising to teaching to hands-on production.

Also, a word of advice that I cannot stress enough: If you end up in DCU you'll be hearing this a lot anyway, but GET INVOLVED IN CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. They seriously add so much to the college experience and you make so many friends that you wouldn't have met in your class. No matter where you go, really get involved in college life and put yourself out there in first year. You'll have such a ball at college!

PM me for any more questions. Good luck everyone, and give your CAO some serious thought, a few of my friends didn't really think it through enough and they're absolutely miserable now.

Overheal

mahamageehad wrote: »

Am hoping (i think) to do animation in Dun Laoighire, has any1 here done that or know any 1 who did??! Or software development in LIT. Is it very technical etc?? is there much difference between the game development and software development courses?? Would limerick be one of the better places to do these courses or would it be cork waterford dublin etc??

Dean-16 wrote: »

any one got snything on computer games development in lyit?

Don't know anyone that successfully got into Animation mate; and everyone I saw try was pretty grade A. The single biggest complaint about fine art courses is that it has so much more to do with the technical aspect of things than the creative aspect: A mind blowing, wild and varying portfolio full of color and inspiration can still be won out for a place by an entire portfolio about a single piece of fruit. Else I might have tried for animation myself.

I can't fully comment on the games courses in Limerick except to say, living in Ennis, I was very tempted to make them my first choice. However, the course provided in ITC has proven very valuable. I've known a few guys who have tried the 2 though: none of whom have been very enthusiastic about it at all. One even dropped out and came here: his biggest complaint was that the Games course was really just the Computer Systems course with a new layer of paint.

As for the course provided here at ITC: I like it. And Carlow is not a bad town at all. Very college orientated.

This course will provide people with all the skills they need to become professional games software developers. Students will develop skills and expertise in areas such as software development (software design and programming), game design, graphics programming, modeling, simulation and animation, and will have produced several complete game concepts in a playable form. Graduates of this course will be able to develop games software for all the major gaming platforms including PC, console (e.g. X-Box 360, Game Boy) and mobile.

WHAT SUBJECTS WILL I STUDY?

YEAR 1: Mandatory Subjects: About 30 hours per week

Computer Games - games appreciation; game balance; level design; etc.
Computer Graphics - theory; history of graphics; how graphics work
Applied Mathematics - Matrices; Ray Tracing; Co-ord Geometry; etc.
Programming - C/C++ (I think 1st year has changed to C#..)
Computer Architecture -Binary and Machine Code; Computer fundamentals; Circuit Logic

Projects: Create a Board Game; 2 Mid-Year games (text-based); Level Editing (Quake 2); 2D scrolling game; End of Year Game (eg. Asteroids)

YEAR 2 (thats me!): Mandatory Subjects: 20-30 hours

Programming and Operating Systems - Object Orientated Programming; C/C++; 3D Learning Engine; Torque Engine 3D game editor; Script Language
3D Graphics and Audio I - OpenGL engine ; Primitive Shapes and Textures; Basic Audio
Data Structures & Algorithms - How your computer/program stores and executes data
Games Engineering I - What methods the industry uses to produce games and other software
Applied Physics I - Momentum; Friction; Projectile Motion; Differentiation
Human Computer Interaction - User Interface; GUI; Use Case Scenarios; Prototyping; Macromedia Flash (2D animation and flash games programming)

Projects: 2D OpenGL game (eg. Bomberman); 3D OpenGl game; Level Editing; etc. etc. etc.

YEAR 3: Mandatory Subjects:

3D Graphics and Audio II
Games Engineering II
Network Programming
Applied Physics II
Animation
Project I
Industrial Placement

YEAR 4: Mandatory Subjects:

Programming for Games Devices
On-line Gaming Technologies
Real World Modelling and Simulation
Artificial Intelligence for Games
Project II

This course was developed with Microsoft, the makers of the X-Box®. This is the only degree course in Gaming that Microsoft has helped to develop and given its backing to. This course also includes a six-monthwork placement.

Note the work placement is not strictly with Microsoft: students have gone on to work with Vivendi (Blizzard, WoW, Starcraft) for the most part as they have a couple operations happening around the country. One allumni (*cough* dropout) is currently working as a WoW moderator down in Cork

3 students every year so far have been given placements in Hawaii and Alaska - the continental US is off limits due to visa restrictions (not for me though... yank ftw)

Now the important thing to note about this (and hopefully any other Games course) is that the primary focus is not on teaching you how to design a game: Its mostly about teaching you how to develop one. You're of course free to do whatever you please for some of the project work but the most that will be asked of you is to create a reproduction of an existing title (like Asteroids or Bomberman)

When you graduate the thing is you will not be thrown into the design aspect of games: 99% of all graduates that find placement will be working in debugging; beta testing; programming; etc.

You will be given all the skills necessary, of course, to build your own title from the ground up - including all the animation, scripting, 3D modelling, level creation, etc. etc. etc. But you cannot expect to be put in charge of any multi-million dollar games when you graduate: it could happen, but it will require a couple years of industry experience before an employer will give you that luxury.

At the end of the day, Games Development is a desk job. Theres plenty of fun to be had but theres also work to be done. The course has nothing to do (really) with playing video games. You will not be given video games to go play - thats not how the course works. You will be given games to go make: its up to you to make those playable. The drop out rate on the course has been dynamic thanks to prospective students not knowing this: they come here expecting to be given a degree in how to play video games.

The college itself about as big as LIT - just a lot more open: I cant stand that finnicky big narrow hallway they have there

Statistically the college has more Computers in it than any other college in the country so you're never stuck for a station to work at. The hardware is upgraded every couple years so youre never stuck with an out of date machine.
Also as part of the games course you will have access to the Games Library: a personal collection of Consoles and Games kept up to date by the Course Tutor and the students. I've seen everything in there from an SNES up to a PS3. Loans are on a weekly basis (and free).

Not sure what else to say. I have work to be doing...

KnifeWRENCH

eZe^ wrote: »

Basic topics covered in first year;
(Some are just introductions to said topic)
Classical Mechanics
Special Relativity
Thermodynamics
Electromagnetism
Contiuum Mechanics
Quantum Mechanics
Electromagnetism
Quantum Statistics
Atomic Physics
Calculus and Analysis
Math Modeling
Math Software
Linear Algebra

We also have a module where you study modern questions and topics in physics, we have done nuclear energy, introduction to microelectronics, astrophysics.

I haven't thought too much about jobs but one of my lecturers spoke about how physicists are basically required in most situations. He wrote up two black boards worth of areas that physicists can work. All quite interesting so Ill see how it goes.

Hey everyone I'm in this course aswell (Physics & Astrophysics @ UCC)
eZe^'s post is a very good summary of 1st year.
Also, you have optional modules in Chemistry, Computer Science (Internet & Web Design, C Programming etc.) and Statistics.

The best thing about this course is that there are a lot of options open to you after 1st year. You can do a Single Hon.s Degree in Physics, Astrophysics or Chemical Physics. You can also do a Joint Hon.s in Maths & Physics OR Applied Maths & Physics. There's also a degree for specialising as a Science Teacher.
The standard of lectures is mostly excellent, with only 1 or 2 exceptions!

The downside? Quite a lot of hours if you go to all your lectures & tutorials (I didn't! Not even close!!

) Plus labs are a pain in the ass at times. Some of the stuff is quite difficult, while some of it seems quite pointless (I still don't know exactly what the purpose of linear algebra is!!)
It's a tough course, but if you enjoy Physics, Maths and Applied Maths it's definetly a good choice.

Hope this waffle has been of some benefit to somebody!

im...LOST

mahamageehad wrote: »

I know someone asked for this already but i didnt see any reply! Is anyone thinking of doing multimedia in CIT? Or even better has anyone actually done it/doing it now??! Also, if you did a multimedia degree anywhere else can you tell me if you liked it or not??! Thanks!!!:):):)

Well, I'm doing Creative Multimedia in Dundalk IT and I'd imagine is much the same.

I've completed first year there and I'll give you a run through of what some of the modules consist of.

Creative Design
It's just like an art class. We drew, painted and made puppets.

Introduction to Graphic Design
This was a Photoshop class. We learned how to fix imperfections in photos.

Media Studies
We learned about Audiences and how people interpret the same
information differently.

Media Theory
Much the same as Media Studies but more in depth.

Film Studies
We watched and analysed films.

Audio Visual Techniques
We used a camcorder to shoot an interview. We learned about lighting,
sound and editing in iMovie.

Writing for Multimedia
We learned how to write blogs and how to limit what we write to be
more effective for our audience.

Interactive Authoring
Website design using Dreamweaver. Only basic stuff really, we will be
learning more next year.

Audio 1
We recorded and edited audio. This audio included, vocals, ambient
sounds and sound effects. Edited using Pro Tools.

Overall though, I absolutely love it. I can't wait to do more web design next year and I'll miss the whole college atmosphere over the summer for sure.

Any specific questions that you have?

hockeygirl

Well

I am a college graduate:

2004 - DT273 - Technician Diploma in Applied Science (2.1 physics)
This couse is now called DT212 and is called an ordinary degree

2006 - DT222 - BSc Physics and Physics Technology (2.2)

Both of these courses are good but you should think about exactly why you want to do the course.... ie what career you want or think you want.
Generally pure physcis graduates need to go on and specialise though a masters unless you get in on a graduate program.

Now that Ive gone through the motions I probably would have gone down the engineering route if id known then what I know now.

You have more options with engineering ... try the general route here and then specialise.

Electrical engineering is good. There are alot of jobs out there for Mech&Elec engineers... ericisson, construction, esb etc

Smashing pilot id i were your definately stick with engineering

DT235 Physics with Medical Physics and Bioengineering - this course is good but it targeted towards medical physics... medical devises etc.
If you want to work as a medical physicist in a hospital this is a good route although the hospital jobs come up maybe 4 jnr positions a year countrywide if your lucky. But they are screaming out for medical physicsts in the UK. Plus the work in the uk is better as you have more research time allocated otherwise you could be stuck in a role as a basic technician.. great money but zero job satisfaction.

I was going to take this route. I would recommend if medical physics is something your interested in work really hard to get a min 2.1 in your final year and apply early sept for a position in the UK NHS training program which is 2 years during which time they pay for you to do your masters part time and you buiold up experiecnce

feel free to pm if anyone has a specific question about the courses Ive done or any physics based course in DIT Kevin st.... or questions about the college in general

steoucd

Since I did my final exams in this course just last month I thought I'd share my experiences. I've had an incredible three years doing this course and couldn't be happier with my choice. To help those of you considering it I'll go through it Semester by Semester. Before that just some general info...

Quinn School of Business is a great facility, if you're considering a degree here you should really come visit, it has lots of study areas and places for group meetings. Nearly 300 people start in commerce every year and these are split into 6 groups of just under 50, you will be with the same group for all classes for the first two years, meaning you make great friends with them. The classrooms are small (holding about 50) with comfortable seating and connections for internet and power supply at every seat. If you do a course in Quinn you'll have to have a laptop with the required software installed. You can buy a new vendor laptop from Dell at a discounted rate and if you need any service on this it can be done at ILTG which is a room in Quinn, they also give you a lend of a laptop to use if yours needs to be repaired. If you have a laptop already and it is up to spec you just need to get it on the network which is simple, but you may also need to buy and install essential software.

UCD is a massive campus with a diverse student body. Of course the stereotypes can be found and noticed but there're actually LOADS of different people with many different tastes. Plus you'll have plenty of opportunities to mix with people doing other courses, by just getting involved in student life you'll get to know people doing all sorts of things from Medicine and Science to Arts and Engineering.

The way stages and semesters work in the college: A stage is a year, which is split into two 15 week semesters, which cover 12 weeks of classes a one week study break and two weeks of exams. Semester One runs from the second week in September to just before Christmas. All exams will be complete by the Friday before Xmas, with some finishing up well before this. This means that the whole semester and all six modules (courses) in that semester will be fully complete before Xmas and you can enjoy your Xmas and New Year break without having to worry about assignments of exams coming up at the start of the New Year. The Xmas break lasts about a month then towards the end of January you start back for Semester Two with completely new modules. Semester Two usually runs for seven weeks of classes before taking a two-week study break in March, then the last five weeks of classes are covered before the one week study break and two weeks of exams to wrap up the year by the second week in May.

Stage One - Semester One
You get to know your classmates, your laptop, the campus and the system. There's the whole UCD Horizons Elective thing to get used to and find out about, this is where you can pick a module from anywhere in the university (or within Quinn if you wish) to do in addition to your business subjects which currently are:

Maths for Business 1: Basic algebra/calculus and how they relate to the business world, delivered through large lectures and small tutorials, assessed through weekly tests, mid-term & final.
Business Law: Covers contracts, the Irish legal system etc. Delivered through small class groups, assessed through assignments, field trip report and final.
Management: Covers basic management, such as models from Porter. Delivered in small groups, assessed through weekly online tests(Multiple Choice Questions/MCQ), reports and final
Micro-Economics: Intro to Economics at a micro level. Delivered in large lectures, assessed through mid-term and final exam (all MCQ)
Computers and Information Systems: Intro to computers. Delivered through small groups, assessed through group work... presentations, reports, building a website & final.

Stage One, Semester Two
You'll now know the system fairly well and get on with your classmates. There's more group work, presentations and reports this semester.

Macro-Economics: Intro to economics are a wider level. Delivered in large lectures, assessed through mid-term and final.
Financial Accounting I: Gives basic introduction to Financial Accounting. Delivered in large lectures, assessed through mid-term & final exam.
Organisational Behaviour: Covers the ethics involved in business and HRM. Delivered through small groups, assessed through group presentations, reports and final.
Quantitative Analysis: Lots of Excel work with numbers. Delivered to small groups, assessed through group project and final.
Applied Business Competencies: Teaches practical aspects of business such as giving presentations in groups and individually, writing reports, analysing annual results and using stock exchanges.

Stage Two, Semester One
· Financial Accounting II: Covers financial accounting in a more applied way, instead of just doing the equations you'll do some analysis. Delivered to small groups, assessed through essay, mid-term and final.
· Operations Management: Covers Supply Chains and how to handle multiple tasks. Delivered to small groups, assessed through group work and final.
· Finance: Covers a lot of the stuff used by top financial firms to assess potential of investments. Delivered through large lectures and small tutorials, assessed through final.
· Marketing: Intro to the basics of marketing. Delivered to small classes, assessed through presentations, reports and final.
· Cross Cultural Management: Gives some insight into how management can be different in different cultures. Delivered through small groups, assessed through presentations, debates and final.

Stage Two, Semester Two
This is where you'll have the opportunity to go on international exchange. Destinations include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Netherlands, Norway and the UK. Where you go depends on your preferences and your performance in first year. I went to Vancouver for four months which was an incredible experience. When you're on exchange you'll do the equivalent of the courses people who stay in Quinn School.
The Quinn courses are Database Systems Development, Managing Employee Relations, Management Accounting, Understanding Entrepreneurs and Intermediate Micro-economics.

Stage Three
You will choose if you want to specialise in Accounting, Banking and Finance, General Management, International Business, Human Resource Management, Marketing or Management Information Systems. You decide in semester two of stage two, by which stage you will have experience in each of the areas, which to do. The one you choose still doesn't tie you into a career and there are plenty of postgraduate opportunities.

Hopes this helps, PM me any questions or join www.bebo.com/UCDBusiness and comment your questions there!:D