Useful Info For New Maynoothians.

itchyblood wrote: »

They're literally a plain hoody with the NUIM crest I think. They get cheaper towards the end of the year to allow them to sell off stock. I may get one this year actually.

Ah okays, thank you! I'll wait and see how much they are this year although I might hold off till the end of the year

mickstupp wrote: »

^Regarding that...

Any idea where [APT] is? It says: 'Student Apartments North Campus', but are there not squillions of Student Apartments?

It's around the back of the Residence Office. You know if you drive past it on the road (not through the apts) as if you were leaving the college, and there's a teeny tiny door between the bit that's the laundry room and the red brick bit? That's APT.

Anyone know how I go about getting a locker?...dragging a laptop around 2days a week isnt good for the back.

Both of them do.

allandanyways wrote: »

Both of them do.

Ah cool thanks, I may head out for some retail therapy some time

Rafcam wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where the Anthropology Department is? It says on the map that it's in Education House but I wandered around the building and couldn't see any signs for the Anthro dept at all. Does anyone know where abouts it is?

It is in Rowan House, the new building beside Education House.

I know when I went into first year last year I was chock-full of questions, so I gathered together all of the information I found to be perused at your leisure :P Even people who aren't in first year may want to look at this again

*Disclaimer* I did not write this, merely combined it all in one handy place

Don't take first year too seriously, but at the same time keep up with the work. Go to your lectures, do your assignments and you'll be grand Just remember, this year doesn't count towards your degree!

If you are doing Arts, try to have picked what you think you might want to do by registratrion. As far as I know/remember there are enough places for everyone, no first come first served, especially seeing as registeration is done in alphabetical order. If you are not sure of your subjects, you can move around and try others for up to 3 weeks (I think), and once you have decided for definite you can change them/keep the ones you want.

Check the submission guidelines for your particular department, some (e.g. music dept) don't allow online submissions. I'd be wary of sending it just as a soft copy.

If there's no possible way you can get your assignment in on time, don't panic! E-mail the lecturer/tutor, explain the situation (and send an attachment to prove the assignment's done), if you're sick get a doctor's note, and just get it in as soon as you can. There's no point stressing over something that's out of your hands.

It's a good idea to get an A4 pad for each module, or if you're gonna keep up with your notes, get one A4 pad and rewrite your notes that night. I swear, no later.

If it's easier for you to use a laptop in lectures, use it. But don't start pissing everyone off by using facebook etc.

Don't just wander into a class looking for something you think you might have forgotten maybe. Especially when that class has been going on for half an hour and you're disturbing everyone in the room. Wait till it finishes up at five to.

Generally, attendance is marked, and in some departments (like the German dept), if your attendance drops below 70% (without a good excuse), you get an automatic 0%.

Find out when you need to sign up for tutorials/labs in the departments (usually told in the first lecture) and sign up QUICK if you want a good time.

PACR - Public Access Computer Rooms. You can use teh internetz here. But don't hog it using things like facebook (or boards!) on people that genuinely need it.

You can borrow laptops in the library for up to 3 hours at a time. Ask at the desk.

Consider the other people around you, the ground floor of the library is there for a reason.

Do not powernap during class

Go to fairs day. Join clubs and societies. Have fun.

DO NOT TROLL MOODLE. It's for genuine questions. You will get into trouble.

If you've been promised certain things in your lease, i.e. cutlery in your drawer, not broken furniture etc., don't be afraid to fight and nag for it!

If you can't live in Maynooth, make friends with some people who do. They're invaluable resources

If you're living on campus, the ovens tend not to have markings on them, go to the Residence office and they'll give you a printout explaining the knobs

If you're living off campus and walking to college every morning ... always, always bring spare socks.

Good Pizza Places: Rebel Pizza/Papa Johns(Supermacs pizza place, surprisingly nice!)/Mizzonis

Good Pubs/Bars: O'Neills/Bradys/The Roost are excellent =D Mantra not so much :rolleyes:

If you enjoy writing or generally working with the media, send your details (i.e. name, email, phone number, area of interest) to communications@nuimsu.com

NUIM Medical Centre is behind JH. If you go out the back exit of JH it's the closest building to your right. http://studentservices.nuim.ie/medical-centre
Opening hours are half nine until 16:45 and they take lunch from 12:45 until 2 pm.
If you need a doctor after hours, call 01 6291169

It can get really stressful, don't be afraid to avail of the counselling service. http://studentservices.nuim.ie/counselling

If you have a problem, go to your first year rep! They're there for a reason! Also, don't forget to vote for them at the start of the year!

If you need it, use the maths support centre, nearly everyone does anyway, it's not shameful! http://supportcentre.maths.nuim.ie/

The pool and gym and astroturf are free, book the astroturf in advance though.

How to get a locker in the Arts block: http://campusservices.nuim.ie/StudentLockers.shtml
DON'T leave your stuff in the gym lockers, after two hours they lock tight until 10pm.

Visit the SU shop in the Arts Block! NUIM Hoodies are only €25!

For anyone living in Meadowbrook, Beaufield, Cluain Aoibhinn or any of the estates around there you might see the odd student on their walk to college hopping the wall the lines the back of the South Campus. They are taking the infamous short cut, there are a few ways to take this but I myself find walking down the Canal a bit and then hopping the wall the best option but you do have to hung a wall for dear life and jump about 2 meters but its well worth the risk of your life to shave off 3 minutes of your walk into college.

Pay parking is now in place, so get the bus/train or carpool pleaseandthankyou Don't park in estates/Aldi, you will be caught

Tesco is 24 hour. Dunnes is not. =D

Monday/Tuesday: 8.30 - 8
Wednesday: 8.30 - 9
Thursday/Friday: 8.30- 10
Saturday: 8.30 - 8
Sunday: 10 - 8

You can get free refill pads and highlighters in the Academic Advisory Office!

Make sure your mobile is on the best network and price plan for you and use your free webtexts!

Don't rush out and buy books straight away, wait a week or two and see how essential it is - i.e. are you using it constantly for the subject or are you more likely to be dipping in and out of it in which case if there are a few copies in the library you may not need to buy the book.

Sell the ones you don’t need at the end of the year, don’t dump them!

Return your books to the library on time, especially short term loans - the fines really add up!

If you are buying a book check out the second hand shop on campus, the notices on boards.ie, keep an eye out for notices on notice boards in the department and try websites like bookswap.ie, adverts.ie, jumbletown.ie, apebooks.com, eBay and Amazon - you'd be amazed at the savings.

If you are going to buy some new books, Hodges figus on Dawson Street have a loyalty card so for every €80 you spend you get €10 off your next book. It comes in handy if you are doing a subject with expensive text books like economics, law or medicine.

Bring your lunch to college with you, if not everyday then at least a few days a week. It'll be better quality in many cases and if you are like me and a bit of a fussy eater it will make food much more interesting - I don't eat meat so lived on egg mayo sandwiches (only vegetarian option) for much of first year! Also take an extra sandwich/something to snack on incase you’re caught up for an extra few hours for whatever reason, that’s the time the temptation to buy something hits! I tend to keep a bag of grapes with me to pop in my mouth.

Find the pharmacy/doctors with the best discount, locate your nearest Lidl or Aldi, and get your Dunnes/Tesco clubcards and use them as much as possible. Look out for special offers and use your coupons BUT don't buy something you wouldn't normally buy just because it is reduced! DO NOT do your groceries in Spar or Centra, and buy shop own brand where possible.

Remember freebies and samples are your friend. Yes the company's produce them to introduce a new product and make you want to have it but if you stay strong you don't actually have to purchase the product once your sample is gone.

When you want to buy something, ask yourself “Do I need it?” If you think you do, then wait. Don’t buy on impulse. Write the object of your desire on a piece of paper and pin it to the wall. Look at it every day for a week. If, at the end of the week, you still think you need it, then consider purchasing it.
If you are living with people you get on with consider having a kitty for things like tea bags, instant coffee, sugar, milk, salt, pepper, bread and butter - often cheaper to buy larger amounts AND things like a bag of sugar or big thing of salt will last a fair while so no point in everyone getting a bag and maybe throwing it out when they move out at the end of the year.
You don't need to be a brilliant chef to be able to cook decent cheap food for yourself so try and cook for yourself as much as possible rather than buying ready meals. If you find cooking for one boring, try getting together with housemates or friends few evenings a week to cook up a big pot of something. Or cook enough for two or three days, which is especially good if you have a freezer.

Use your student discount - most shops advertise them but don't be afraid to ask if you don't see a sign!! Discounts in some places are as much as 20% and Topshop even give you the discount on sale items which many other shops don't!!

If you’re one of those fortunate students with a car, use it as little as possible, for obvious reasons! If you are getting a bus/luas/train, check and see if a student monthly ticket will work out cheaper than just paying cash each time but be warned you do need to have a student travelcard for it to be valid and the inspectors are often to be seen on buses around September time. Cheaper again, invest in a bike, and a good lock.

I think it is VERY important to take advantage of the student travelcard (studenttravelcard.ie). It gives you various bus and rail discounts and money off in places like Heatons, HMV, Mc Donalds, Boots, Topshop/man etc. and some Dublin pubs. The student travelcard does cost money (€12 + €3 if they take your picture for you), and it lasts for 16 months if you buy in September (i.e. until next December) and there is new card produced every September to validate student status.

Cut down on your electricity bill by making sure there is a lagging jacket on your hot water tank - if there isn't, ask your landlord to get one. And also if there is a timer on the emersion, use it rather than leaving it on all the time - chances are no-one will need hot water at 3am!!! Take quick showers, turn off lights and most importantly, if it’s cold, put on a jumper or hoody, not the heating. I got a snuggie for Christmas, it’s perfect! Switch off the radiators in the rooms you’re not using, get yourself a hot water bottle! Charge your laptop, iPod, phone, digital camera etc. in lecture theatres.

If you have a fireplace, grab a couple of Argos catalogues, tear ‘em up and you’ve free heat!

Student houses can have a lot of bills, gas, ESB, sky, and internet. Most companies want bills paid by direct debit from a bank account. I would avoid being the person who takes responsibility for this. If it's your bank account the bills are being returned unpaid from this could affect your credit rating when applying for loans in the future. If at all possible have the landlord in charge of bills.

When you’re in college, if you have more than one friend, birthdays and Christmas can get expensive, so agree not to buy each other presents! Yeah you won’t get a few presents, but it’ll save you money through the year!
If you are going out it is far cheaper to have drinks at home first. Not saying you need to drink yourself stupid but few people can buy bunch of frozen pizzas (or whatever), drinks of choice and have dinner and drinks for a fraction of the price you'd pay if you went out, and then just get bus into town for dancing/craic....

Instead of going out to dinner or on a date, try cooking for someone/friends, its way more impressive (or romantic) and friends can even help in the kitchen. Rent out a movie (or download if you’re computer savvy =D) for after instead of going to the cinema.

College can be really hard on the pocket, and liver! So take one week out of every month to resist alcohol (or even alcohol and cigarettes) and allow your body (and wallet) to detox. Don't give into peer pressure.

Haha I was thinking maybe that this could be stickied so that it doesn't have to be done again?

squishykins wrote: »

don't start pissing everyone off by using facebook etc.

squishykins wrote: »

don't hog it using things like facebook

Weird I would have thought that facebook was banned in most Irish third level institutions.