Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.
Hi all, please see this major site announcement: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427594/boards-ie-2026

Why is there sometimes snobbery towards IT's?

245

Comments

  • #32
    Bridge93
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,018 ✭✭✭Bridge93


    I would imagine the snobbery comes from, in my experience anyway, the smarter students in school go to Uni and those who didn't get in went to the IT. This was especially clear for me at the end of the Leaving Cert regarding business courses or law ones. These were where many students in my year wanted to go (classic South Dublin). The points were higher in the uni's so those brightest got into ucd etc and those who had the same courses on the CAO but not enough points went to DIT.
    I can't speak for the rest of Ireland just the small area I came from.


  • #33
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    Bridge93 wrote: »
    I would imagine the snobbery comes from, in my experience anyway, the smarter students in school go to Uni and those who didn't get in went to the IT. This was especially clear for me at the end of the Leaving Cert regarding business courses or law ones. These were where many students in my year wanted to go (classic South Dublin). The points were higher in the uni's so those brightest got into ucd etc and those who had the same courses on the CAO but not enough points went to DIT.
    I can't speak for the rest of Ireland just the small area I came from.

    The ironic thing is a lot of them end up working for those who went to IT's


  • #34
    RDM_83 again
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,116 ✭✭✭RDM_83 again


    eternal wrote: »
    What are they like with research based courses? Are you glad you went there?
    Not really sure was doing semi-taught courses or research work, the plagiarism thing about the IT's is just something I know about as I was in Galway at the time. Sligo IT has a very good rep in the area I work in now but its meant to be inconsistent year to year.


  • #35
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Bridge93 wrote: »
    I would imagine the snobbery comes from, in my experience anyway, the smarter students in school go to Uni and those who didn't get in went to the IT. This was especially clear for me at the end of the Leaving Cert regarding business courses or law ones. These were where many students in my year wanted to go (classic South Dublin). The points were higher in the uni's so those brightest got into ucd etc and those who had the same courses on the CAO but not enough points went to DIT.
    I can't speak for the rest of Ireland just the small area I came from.

    That can't be true as I got offers from both ITs and University from school but choose the IT. Who would have known how smart I was?


  • #36
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    RDM_83 again wrote: »
    Not really sure was doing semi-taught courses or research work, the plagiarism thing about the IT's is just something I know about as I was in Galway at the time. Sligo IT has a very good rep in the area I work in now but its meant to be inconsistent year to year.

    All written work now has to go through an online system and it rated on percentile references. Nobody gets away with plagiarism.


  • Advertisement
  • #37
    Bridge93
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,018 ✭✭✭Bridge93


    eternal wrote: »
    That can't be true as I got offers from both ITs and University from school but choose the IT. Who would have known how smart I was?

    On your CAO you would have been offered one Level 8 and one level 6/7 unless the system has changed.
    I'm saying generally in the school I was in more or less everyone put the universities top of the CAO with IT courses a bit further down. Those who got the points got into Uni. Those who didn't went to IT.


  • #38
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 22,384 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Because back in the day NUI degrees were seen as the law/medecine/commerce type, guaranteed to get a good job, and ITs were seen as more for the manual stuff, the construction studies type ones. I say that without a hint of snobbishness, I'd like to be earning the money some of my IT friends are making, but that was the perceived wisdom of the 80s and very early 90s anyway.


  • #39
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    No one who went to trinity has ever done anything dodgy in the history of the state, didn't you know ?


  • #40
    Stepping Stone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 370 ✭✭Stepping Stone


    bogwalrus wrote: »
    I just finished first year in CIT and the truth is that UCC departments have to send pupils to CIT to get hands on lab experience. As an example. In ucc there is one microscope for every ten pupils. In CIT everyone gets a microscope. That's the analogy I was given by a CIT professor.

    Don't believe a word of what you hear about CIT/UCC from staff or students in either one. I went to UCC, my boyfriend went to CIT. The number of bizarre stories he heard about UCC were ridiculous. Like, random stuff like the library hadn't enough books (what one does?), or there weren't enough computers for everyone (ditto CIT).

    He was there when they went on a building spree, which made them superior to UCC, except UCC was getting a new building annually...it made no sense to judge anything on actual buildings!

    One of his lecturers left to work in UCC and was referred to as a traitor, even though he got his degree and PhD from UCC. Petty, childish stuff.

    If you are talking about microscopes, I suspect that you must be referring to bio med, etc. UCC students take themselves off to CIT for lab work for a few years, then the CIT students make a permanent move to UCC for their degrees. Joint programmes.

    In my opinion, they are like competitive neighbours. Neither lot knows much about the other but is happy to bad mouth them anyway. Too close together and too similar. Realistically, you do not need two places doing virtually identical courses less than a few kms apart.


  • #41
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    Stepping Stone wrote: »

    In my opinion, they are like competitive neighbours. Neither lot knows much about the other but is happy to bad mouth them anyway.

    you mean the students are


  • Advertisement
  • #42
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    There is no possessive apostrophe in labeling the plural of a technical college, please let it be noted in a thread about education. A college is not a person. Thank you.


  • #43
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    eternal wrote: »
    That can't be true as I got offers from both ITs and University from school but choose the IT. Who would have known how smart I was?

    Be that as it may, in general university students will have higher points than IT students in similar courses hence the assumption that if you're in an IT there's a decent chance it's because you didn't achieve the points for a university course. This is, of course, nonsense. However it'd appear to me to be the primary source of any superiority complex amongst uni students.


  • #44
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Stepping Stone wrote: »
    Don't believe a word of what you hear about CIT/UCC from staff or students in either one. I went to UCC, my boyfriend went to CIT. The number of bizarre stories he heard about UCC were ridiculous. Like, random stuff like the library hadn't enough books (what one does?), or there weren't enough computers for everyone (ditto CIT).

    He was there when they went on a building spree, which made them superior to UCC, except UCC was getting a new building annually...it made no sense to judge anything on actual buildings!

    One of his lecturers left to work in UCC and was referred to as a traitor, even though he got his degree and PhD from UCC. Petty, childish stuff.

    If you are talking about microscopes, I suspect that you must be referring to bio med, etc. UCC students take themselves off to CIT for lab work for a few years, then the CIT students make a permanent move to UCC for their degrees. Joint programmes.

    In my opinion, they are like competitive neighbours. Neither lot knows much about the other but is happy to bad mouth them anyway. Too close together and too similar. Realistically, you do not need two places doing virtually identical courses less than a few kms apart.
    Just pop into the toilets in UCC and you have the graffiti saying like wipe your ass with the **** that is CIT and all the rest.


  • #45
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    The Pheasant2 wrote: »
    Be that as it may, in general university students will have higher points than IT students in similar courses hence the assumption that if you're in an IT there's a decent chance it's because you didn't achieve the points for a university course. This is, of course, nonsense. However it'd appear to me to be the primary source of any superiority complex amongst uni students.

    There's a lot of excellent degrees that people want to do that are not offered in universities, so its not a "decent chance" at all.


  • #46
    Bridge93
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,018 ✭✭✭Bridge93


    Darpa wrote: »
    There's a lot of excellent degrees that people want to do that are not offered in universities, so its not a "decent chance" at all.

    Which is why he was talking about similar courses offered by both.


  • #47
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    Bridge93 wrote: »
    Which is why he was talking about similar courses offered by both.

    supply and demand, there are far more IT places


  • #48
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Darpa wrote: »
    supply and demand, there are far more IT places

    Where did you go yourself?


  • #49
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    eternal wrote: »
    Where did you go yourself?

    Universities for an under grad and a post grad, IT for another post grad. Why ?


  • #50
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    Darpa wrote: »
    There's a lot of excellent degrees that people want to do that are not offered in universities, so its not a "decent chance" at all.

    You misunderstand me. I'm speaking with regard to similar courses in universities and ITs - for example if you take a large sample of students from Business and Law in UCD and compare their points with a sample from Business and Law in DIT I can guarantee you there's a more than decent chance the uni students will have higher points on average.


  • #51
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Darpa wrote: »
    Universities for an under grad and a post grad, IT for another post grad. Why ?

    No reason. I like to get to know the people I intend sleeping with.








    *Joke.


  • Advertisement
  • #52
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    The Pheasant2 wrote: »
    You misunderstand me. I'm speaking with regard to similar courses in universities and ITs - for example if you take a large sample of students from Business and Law in UCD and compare their points with a sample from Business and Law in DIT I can guarantee you there's a more than decent chance the uni students will have higher points on average.

    Yes but far more places are available in IT's, and far more specialisms in Business and Law are available and they are geared to working in real life, not just academics, so I'm afraid your not comparing like with like at all.


  • #53
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    Darpa wrote: »
    Yes but far more places are available in IT's, and far more specialisms in Business and Law are available and they are geared to working in real life, not just academics, so I'm afraid your not comparing like with like at all.

    So what? That's not what we're talking about.

    OP made the thread asking why there's snobbery against ITs.

    Someone suggested it's because the points are lower for ITs in general so (ignorant) people assume if you go to an IT it's because you didn't get the points for uni.

    OP replied that they got offers from both and chose the IT so that can't be the root of the snobbery.

    To which I said that with regard to similar courses it is simply a fact that uni students will overwhelmingly have higher points than IT students; and it is because of THAT fact that people would feel superior about going to a uni.


  • #54
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    The Pheasant2 wrote: »
    So what? That's not what we're talking about.

    OP made the thread asking why there's snobbery against ITs.

    Someone suggested it's because the points are lower for ITs in general so (ignorant) people assume if you go to an IT it's because you didn't get the points for uni.

    OP replied that they got offers from both and chose the IT so that can't be the root of the snobbery.

    To which I said that with regard to similar courses it is simply a fact that uni students will overwhelmingly have higher points than IT students; and it is because of THAT fact that people would feel superior about going to a uni.

    You're the one that keeps going on and on about points.
    What do you mean overwhelmingly ?


  • #55
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Darpa wrote: »
    What do you mean overwhelmingly ?

    Basically the ones struggling with 250 points are looking to horse themselves in anywhere while students with 400 odd will have more choice. It's not rocket science.


  • #56
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    eternal wrote: »
    Basically the ones struggling with 250 points are looking to horse themselves in anywhere while students with 400 odd will have moire choice. It's not rocket science.

    Points don't measure the quality of a course.


  • #57
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Everyone has different skills. I made the mistake of choosing a practical course very young and later on when I was older realised I was academic. A lot of people don't know what they want when they are 18.


  • #58
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Darpa wrote: »
    Points don't measure the quality of a course.
    Suitability though. But it helps to not be stupid.


  • #59
    The Pheasant2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,699 ✭✭✭The Pheasant2


    Darpa wrote: »
    You're the one that keeps going on and on about points.
    What do you mean overwhelmingly ?

    That's because I'm saying it's the higher points of uni students that drives anti-IT snobbery! Yanno? Its the topic of this thread in case you hadn't noticed!


  • #60
    Bridge93
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,018 ✭✭✭Bridge93


    Darpa wrote: »
    Points don't measure the quality of a course.

    The question was why there is perceived snobbery not which is better quality. Points required is very much a reason why young students may develop a snobby attitude. At 18 many aren't thinking beyond 'a course requires X here and Y here so if X is higher then I should go there.'


  • Advertisement
  • #61
    Darpa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 161 ✭✭Darpa


    eternal wrote: »
    Suitability though. But it helps to not be stupid.

    They are not a reliable measure of either of those things either. They measure how hard a person worked at a particular point in time, at a particular leaving cert subject. Nothing else.


Advertisement
Advertisement