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

Haven't seen my course mentioned so;

BA Th (Theology) St. Pat's Maynooth/NUIM
In first year you take two arts subjects alongside Theology which will be your main subject, in second year you drop one of the arts courses and continue until final year with your one arts subject and Theology. I took English and History in first year and dropped History in second year, continuing with English and Theology until I finshed the course.

Hours p/w (modules)
Theology was quite heavy going throughout the three years. In first year, I had four 'subjects' under Theology with different modules for each, they were Dogmatic Theology (kinda like the history of religion), Scripture (what it says on the tin really, we studied the some of the Gospels and the Old Testament), Moral Theology (this is actually really interesting, we studied loads of different things like sin & virtue, marriage etc etc basically the moral dilemmas facing Christians today) and the last is Liturgy which you only study in first year (as far as I can recall it was like the study of various Christian feasts etc). For Theology you will basically have 6 or 7 classes a week but you will have lots to do in between lectures. Tutorials are small and you're expected to hand up a summary of the topic every week. I'm kinda glad it was like that because it kept you on top of study etc etc.
English was similar but I found as much work wasn't required during the year just at exam/essay time. I'll not say too much about my English course because it's changed from when I did it!

My Opinion
I found Theology to be a really really tough going subject. I absolutely hated it in first year and contemplated dropping out lots of times but by the time second year came around I started to get more interested (moral theology is a lot better after first year) and by the time I finished I loved it! It's difficult but if you put in the effort you'll be grand!The lecturers are lovely and there's always postgrads knocking around Loftus halls if you really need help!
I always loved English and I'm teaching English so I may be a bit biased! I wasn't majorly excited by the course in first year but there were a good few modules I was interested in throughout the entire course. I loved the romanticism module and the Shakespeare module. Again, the lecturers in the English dept are lovely and will help you if you need it, so my golden advice for anyone, even if you're not doing this course is to ask for help if you need it!It will make college life a whole lot easier!
I'm not really sure what else to say, if anyone has any questions feel free to PM!:D

Course:
BArch, Architecture, DIT Bolton st. 5 years

Points:
2010: 580

You must sit a suitability test and if you pass you are invited to an interview. Both elements are marked out of 100, this is then added to your leaving cert results, basically you could get in on 380 leaving cert points if you receive full marks in test and interview although that would be very difficult to achieve. Basically you're safe with around 440.

Number of students:
Started off with a class list of 61 and about 55 now

Hours:
Lecture hours add up to about 10 a week, studio hours are 9 to 6 minimum every day with lectures in between. You can expect to stay in the studio until 9 coming up to deadlines and you'll be lucky if you can avoid the dreaded 'all-nighters'.

Course Content:
The first two to three weeks was all about improving our drawing skills. Although you don't have to fantastic at drawing in the beginning, it is expected that you improve your skills to communicate properly, drawing is seen as the language of architecture. You design with pencil and paper every day so if you work hard you'll see the improvements at the end of the year.

In DIT, modules consisted of History of Architecture, Physics, Mechanics & Structures, Structural Engineering, Architectural Technology, Theory of Architecture, Computer Applications, Graphics, Environment and Services. Every week we also had a guest lecturer delivering a presentation/lecture on content relevant to our studio work.

When you study Architecture anywhere, the studio is seen as the most important element of your education. It adds up to 70% of the years mark. Fail the studio and you fail the year. In the studio, projects are assigned by the year head. This year we had to design a small shelter in the first semester and a house and recycling centre in the second semester. Three weeks were also assigned to studying a well known house to accustom us to 'good' architecture.

In the studio, architects sit with each student two to four times a week to help them with their projects. At the end of each week there is usually a group crit (critique/review) or 'pin-up' crit. This is where architects force you to move on or rethink what you're doing. In the beginning crits are very scary and you just want to leave but as the year progresses you look forward to them and they are really helpful. Usually (in first year anyway) crits are very laid back, the odd time you can come across someone horrible.

Summary:
Architecture is a really great subject to study but if you don't think it through properly you could end up running away even before the first crit. As well as designing and drawing, architecture is a very philosophical subject at times, some people enjoy the theoretical aspects to it, others don't. You don't need to be good at maths, contrary to common belief as you're studying to be an architect, not an engineer. You should however, be able to handle ordinary level LC maths for Mechanics, Structural Engineering and Physics. In year 4 and 5, you will also study Law and Professional Studies so that you can run your own firm. Being able to use a computer isn't too important in first year but in the following years, Photoshop and CAD are very important for the presentation stage of a project. Also don't worry about buying a laptop/PC in first year as it is not a necessity. Photography is also something many people use, a good camera is handy, especcially for the yearly trips abroad, this year we went to Porto.

The course is also meant to be changing the a MArch, Masters in Architecture for incoming first years which means you would qualify with a Level 9. The final two years however, will probably be fee paying.

Be preapared to put a lot of work in but it is very rewarding and the studio has a great atmosphere. Bolton st. has a good reputation for architecture so I would recommend it to anyone interested in studying the subject.

I've completed my Bachelor of Commerce degree at NUI Galway this year, anyone need any info. just send me a PM and I will be more than glad to fill you in. Points for this course I would expect to remain at a similar level to recent years.

0987654321 wrote: »

Going out on a limb but does anybody do PE in UL?

I do Science Ed in UL and have friends doing PE, what to you wanna know?

0987654321 wrote: »

Excellent! What the course is like? Content? Timatable/hours per week?
Thanks so much!

Tough but if you enjoy it won't seem half as bad, very physics, the lads have gymnastics modules, swimming modules, all sorts of stuff! Pretty full timetable compared to business/arts, 30ish hours a week??
The education modules can be a bit boring but if you stick with it its really easy to get an A.

Check out here for all the details, click on the course structure to give you an idea of what modules you'll have. Have you picked your elective yet?

http://www.ul.ie/courses/PhysicalEducation.shtml

IM studying Maths in DIT if anyone has any questions feel free to pm mise!

icedtea wrote: »

Anyone done Science in Trinity/UCD? What are the hours/difficulty like and how would it be for someone who's only studied physics for LC?

I'm currently a JF in Science in TCD. Hours are a lot less than I expected. I'm doing Maths, Physics and Geography in the 1st Semester, and Geology in the 2nd Semester.

From now until January, I have 18 hours a week. We have yet to get our tutorials but they will only bump it up to 20-odd hours a week, which still is nowhere near what I was expecting.

Also, Science students typically have less writing "homework" than Arts students. We have lab reports once a week, essays rarely, and then assignments once or twice a week in some modules.

The course isn't too difficult yet. If you're worried about Maths, we technically do "Maths for Science" so most of our course will be used, especially in Physics. TCD also offers a Maths Helpdesk where you can drop in during certain hours and get help on anything you're stuck on from more experienced students and whoever else may be around.

You can start Biology or Chemistry from scratch if you want. TCD runs a preliminary Chemistry course the week before Fresher's Week to help anybody who hasn't studied it or was weak in it. But you do have to bear in mind, 60%+ of the year usually have studied Biology, and Chemistry is known to be challenging, so Geography is a good option if you plan on doing a Physics degree.

I only did Physics also, as did a few others in my year. You'll be grand

Any other questions PM me

Froebel student (Primary teaching). PM me if you want info Will reply as soon as I see it.

siobhanod93 wrote: »

Could any body tell me about the following courses please!

Midwifery - UCC
Arts --> History, Irish, French (UCC, UCD, NUIG, Mary I, NUIM, TCD)
Food / Nutritional Sciences (UCC, UCD)
Primary Teaching (Mary I)
Home Ec teaching (St. Angela's)

:):)

Hi! I'm in first year nutritional science in UCC. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, its a very difficult course, and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if I'd still choose it now. For first year anyway, its basically a general science degree, with a fairly disappointing amount of nutrition. If you do chemistry though, you should be fine. If not I'd strongly advise against it as chemistry makes up a very large part of the course and they teach it assuming that everyone's done it for leaving cert. I didnt do chem and I'm struggling, even those that did do it find it very difficult. And I should probably warn you that it's not that easy to get into dietetics if that's what youre interested in, there are a lot of dieticians out there with very few jobs, and you'd want a first class honours to even stand a chance. I originally wanted to be a dietician but seeing how difficult it is I'm gearing towards something in food science now. Sorry if this all sounds really pessimistic, I have heard the course gets more interesting in 3rd and 4th year..there is the 6 months paid work experience in 3rd year which is a big benefit obviously. Hope this helped, if you have any more questions feel free to pm me

In Final Year of Event Management in DIT - I've been offered a job with one of the Big 4 so it's not just for people with an interest in events. It's primarily a business degree with lots of management, marketing and accounting subjects. Feel free to PM me if you want more details on the course

If anybody is considering doing Video Games Dev in Carlow IT shoot me a pm with any questions.

I'm only in first year, but I can probably answer most queries.

I am currently studying Veterinary Medicine in UCD (3rd year), if anyone has any questions or queries PM me!

To follow on with the pharmacy post above, I can give an account of RCSI pharmacy, so people can compare them and see what the differences are in each course!

I'm currently in 2nd year. RCSI is the newest school of pharmacy in the country, the course is really interesting and I've really enjoyed my time in the college. (I'm gonna keep this post to info on the course, if you have any questions about the college itself PM me. I remember I was kinda nervous about coming to RCSI, it's a small college but I've loved it! Also it is not a private college )

The course is still undergoing some minor changes each year they bring in due to feedback on how the course can be improved, so I'm basing this on 2010. The year before us had a statistics module, but some of this was felt to be unnecessary for pharmacy students, so the important parts were condensed into our pharmaceutics module.

In first year you do:

Intro to General, Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry - Done with both foundation year med & physio students. As it is intended as only an introduction, this starts off being very similar to LC chemistry, but ends up being a step above that level. You have a general introduction, and then apply what you've learned to medicinal cases, e.g. lectures on the structure & bonding of anti-cancer drugs, learning about covalent bonding in physiologically important compounds. You finish with some in detail lectures on organic chemstry.

Pharmaceutics - You learn about factors affecting why drugs (the chemicals) are formulated into their dosage form (i.e. why they're a tablet or why they're a solution). It's quite introductory, but you learn some important things which help later on, like how you can increase solubility of certain compounds etc. 3-4 lectures are on pharmaceutical calculations, and some statistics which are thought to be useful, e.g. how to use median & standard deviation values in interpreting a group of patients blood results etc.

Anatomy - I think we're the only school of pharmacy that does this. I thought I'd hate it, but I ended up loving it! You learn about the different organs and blood & nerve supplies in certain parts of the body. The reasoning behind us doing this is if we are later working in a group with doctors/nurses in a hospital setting and anatomical structures are being discussed we'd have an idea of what they're on about....or so I think. (They emphasise teamwork between the different healthcare professionals a lot in college!).
This also involves 3-4 labs in the anatomy room! I thought I'd absolutely hate being in with the cadavers, but ended up thinking it was a great experience. You don't dissect anything, but rather have a demonstrator show you what you've learned in the lectures. You can still feel/inspect the organs if that what you'd like! (Not for the weak-stomached!)

Physiology I - Cellular physiology. You learn about differing cell structures and processes in the body linked to this. From a little bit about the immune system, to the different types of muscle cells, to electrolyte absorption in the gut.

Physiology II - More like Biophysics. You learn about how gases are exchanged in the body, the forces exerted by the heart in cardiac output and electrolyte + pH balance systems in the body.

Professional Skills - A module on an introduction to certain skills & various information you will need as a pharmacist. You learn about things like ethics, health & safety, and various information sources you will need about drugs & drug interactions. Involves a project you present to the class on something pharmacy-related.

Semester 2:

Chemical Processes Involved in Biological System, Metabolism & in Behaviour of Drugs - Mainly organic chemistry, you learn about different organic molecules, and focus on things like carbohydrate structure & metabolism. Also includes lectures on amino acids, hormones & neurotransmitters & a case on aspirin and how it works in the body.

Factors Controlling Biological Phenomena - They gave this module a misleadingly awesome name. It's mainly physical chemistry applied to systems in the body, such as rates of reactions & chemical kinetics! You learn about osmosis & others processes which occur in the body. There's also lectures on calorimetry and electrochemistry.

Microbiology Theory - This was a big module! You learn about the physiology of different microbes, moving on to antibiotic resistance, and learning about the different infections caused by microbes, CNS infections, UTIs, RTIs, and a delightfully graphic lecture on STIs :pac:
It also includes a group project on a Microbiology-related topic. (Mine was on HIV)

Microbiology Practice - The practical side, you have a lab each week & must type up a lab report. After the lecture-heavy theory side, it comes as a bit of a welcome break. You learn more about analytical assay techniques, and how important a sterile lab is, and ways of achieving sterility.

Disperse Systems - This is the follow on module from the first Pharmaceutics module. You learn about surface tension and how drugs are incorporated into systems with surfactants etc. You learn about suspensions & emulsions, and the reasons why these are made for different drugs. You finish learning about rheology, which is the physics behind how these systems flow.

Medicines from Concept to Patient - Follow on from Professional Skills. You get an introduction to drug discovery, and learn a bit about pharmacognosy, pharmacology & then finish with an introduction to pharmacist prescribing, and see examples of prescriptions and the legal requirements they must have to be valid. We also did a project with medical students on a cystic fibrosis case.

I can't remember the lab/exam marking breakdown, and I know some of it has changed for each module this year. A general guide is that the Chemistry-type modules have chemistry labs, i.e. getting % yields of chemicals etc., and the pharmaceutics modules have labs that involve making the dosage forms you learn about, including valid labels (Often the lab involves a prescription being presented to you, you fill the prescription and attach the label with the information a label needs to be valid).
For most modules there is some continuous assessment, generally the labs count for 10%, and most modules have an MCQ worth 10% a month or so before your exams. Christmas exams are after xmas, usually consisting of a 30 minute MCQ and then an hour and a half of written questions.
The projects count for between 20-40% I think. Exams must be passed independent of your continuous assessment grade. And the pass mark for pharmacy is 50% in every college I believe!

Second year has been even better I think! A lot of hours, and it was quite hard, but the course content was very interesting, particularly the "Professional Skills"-type module we've done. I'll just do a quick summary of it since 1st year would be more important to people looking at this (I think).
Biochemistry - Covered immunology, metabolism (Including the liver & drug metabolim) & clinical chemistry.
Pharmacology - Covered drug targets, receptor interactions & pharmacokinetics
Oral Solid Dose Forms - Pharmaceutics module, covers oral powders, tablets & capsules.
Topical, Transdermal & Suppository Formulations - Another pharmaceutics module, covers creams/pastes/lotions & transdermal patches + new technologies, & suppository + pessary formulations.
Analysis of Drugs - Analytical chemistry, covers IR spectra, UV-Vis spectra, NMR techniques and how they can be used to identify drugs.
Patient Care & Medicines Management - Professional module, covers what modern pharmacy is like & what the future holds for pharmacy. Learn about the various services pharmacies provide, such as contraception (Including morning after pill in quite some detail due to it being available without prescription now), the season flu vaccine, smoking cessation, blood glucose monitoring etc. We did one lab in this where I got my blood-glucose level taken, my blood cholesterol level taken, my blood pressure taken and did a glucose tolerance test. Thankfully I'm OK.

Think I've covered most of what the course is like so far (I'm currently on my break after xmas exams!) If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me!