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

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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11 xxniamhxx


    Im in first year!
    Mary I is fantastic. Points were 475 last year.
    Theres 501 of us in the course and we are split into 8 groups - about 60 in each group. The college is fairly small so its fairly easy to make friends.
    Course can be very intense and there can be lots to do with assignments, projects etc but its still great fun!
    Lectures are usually 45 mins long. We do all the education subjects -teaching of... english irish maths sese (science geography history) sphe music drama art p.e. and then 3 academic subjects one of which is irish - you can choose from others such as maths english philosophy history geography etc. (check out the www.mic.ul.ie)
    workload can be very heavy at times but overall is manageable.
    need to know anything else p.m. me!
    xxniamhxx


  • Registered Users Posts: 23 lovemaths


    amazing course! deals alot with psychology,child health,social policy and studies and education in the first year.
    Child health is divided up into 3 classes - paediatric nutrition, illness and accident prevention and growth and development.
    Education - history,psychology of instruction,curriculum, and you have workshops up in st vincents school once a month dealing with the children
    Psychology - psychology in context,human developmental psychology,social psychology and psychology for ecs. Psychology is a huge part of early childhood so you'd really need to like it!!
    Social Policy & Society - only one class a week for 2 hours and a tutorial every week deals with obviously social policies...aswell as the famine and the industrial school...basically irish history and policies!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,811 ✭✭✭deisedude


    I've just completed 2 years of my degree and absolutely love it.
    4 year degree. The points have been 445 the last two years.

    Subjects covered in first year include: law, government, business maths and statistics, management, marketing, food business, management information systems, market economy and financial accounting.
    First year is very much exam orientated, most continuous assesment are exams with the exception of statistics, management and marketing where there are projects. Law is the only 100% end of year exam

    Subjects covered in second year: People and organisations, consumer behaviour, market research, enterprise planning and processes, written and oral communication, Business system analysis and design, management accounting and economics of enterprise.
    The following subjects are optional, students can pick any 1 of the following 3:
    1) Law (worth 10 credits) 100% end of year exam
    2) 2 government modules (worth 5 credits each) essays and presentation for continuous assesment and end of year exams
    3) Statistics and Maths (5 credits each) continuous assesment are tests and project i think and end of year exams
    Second year there is more continuous assesment. Consumer behaviour, market research and enterprise all involve group projects.
    People and organisations has an essay and case studies.
    Written and oral communication which is basically english involves in class tests, reports and giving presentations with a percentage of final grade for attendance and in class contribution

    Going in to third year. You have 3 options:
    1) Pick major field of study and minors and do half year of college and 6 months work experience
    2) Pick major field of studyand minors and do half year of college and 6 months reseach project
    3) Do 3rd year in college in America or Canada. (which i am going to do!:D)

    Dont know much about fourth year. Will worry about that when i get to it!

    If you have any queries about the course, subjects, UCC in general feel free to PM me:cool:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10 David McArdle


    Just want to point out, that for the academic year of 2009/2010, the Arts structure in UCD is changing.
    Students register for 4 semesters now instead of 2. Basically 120 credits instead of 60!
    So students are able to do 3rd year modules in 2nd year if they wish!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,488 ✭✭✭pikachucheeks


    Hi.

    I study a course called Creative Digital Media - in ITT Dublin aka. The Institute of Technology, Tallaght.

    The course used to be called Audio Visual Media, but was updated to CDM last year.

    Basically, the course surrounds the whole media area - TV production (creating your own shows, producing material, editing), Radio (writing and producing radio shows on your own, in teams, taking part in the college's ITTfm radio weeks in Freshers' Week and RAG Week), Photography (using both 35mm film and digital cameras to complete briefs such as "Sense of Place" and Portrait projects), Multimedia (learning to use Adobe CS3/4 programmes such as Illustrator, Flash, Photoshop)and more theoretical aspects of the media like media politics, media studies, film studies.

    The course is continuous assessment, meaning that students have assignments during the year which make up their / part of their final grade. Ie. In photography, there is no exam - just projects and workbooks which make up your end of semester / year mark.
    In other subjects such as Media Politics, you have one assignment during the year which is worth 30% and an exam at the end of the semester worth 70%.

    On average, CDM students have two exams per semester.


    As you advance in the course, it becomes more specialised. In first year, you choose to study a language ; French or German or a subject called Audio-Visual Technology, which covers material such as sound waves. At the end of second year, you chose to study either Audio or Photography for your third and / or fourth year. Then in fourth year, you decide between Multimedia and TV.

    At the end of third year, you receive and Ordinary Level Degree, and if you stay on to complete fourth year, you receive a Higher Level Degree.

    In third year, you are required to write a thesis and in fourth year, you have a dissertation.

    I would recommend this course to anyone with an interest in the media. The course is quite broad, so if you're not sure which area of the media you'd potentially like to work in, you might like this course as it will help you to find out your particular interests and likes.

    If anyone would like any additional information, you can PM me.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8 -Splink-


    There was a post about my course earlier but the person didnt seem to like it, so heres a positive view!

    Course: General Nursing in DCU

    Not sure of the points, but as far as I know theyve been dropping every year.

    I did an art portfolio course, and hated it, so then just put down nursing because its a job that you can travel with and go everywhere with.
    Now I absolutley love the course.

    In first year you do a totaly of 6 weeks placement. A 2 week orientation placement, then another month. You can either go to Beaumount hospital or Blanchardstown Hospital, I chose Blanchardstown as its close to me.

    Some modules are very very interesting, however some of them are quite dull and boring. But Its prolly just for the whole "well rounded degree" thing.

    Just a warning to anyone thats going to do any sort of nursing, you gotta be tough skinned. Everyone gets squemish, but you have to be able to block things out. You could be really unlucky and have to help out with a patient who has died, and the other nurses won't care if its youre first day on placement or not. Thats the only reason Ive heard of people dropping out for, they just couldnt handle it.

    Other than that, its such a satisfying course. Its nice to do something that actually makes a difference, get training in the clinical setting along with getting your degree.
    poisonated wrote: »
    just to add...I might be wrong here as I dont do the course...so sorry if it is off topic but...might it be useful to work for a while as a nurses aide to get an idea of the type of work nurses really do?

    Oh definitley, if youve worked as a Health care assistant or a nurses aid before hand youll have a head start, and youll have an idea of what nurses do.

    Id never worked in a health care setting before doing this course, so I felt a bit like a deer in the headlights on the first placement, whereas other people in my who had previous experience were much more at ease.

    So yes, it would be very useful!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 334 ✭✭brazilicious


    Course:
    BA Applied Psychology - CK106

    Points:
    505 last year, dropped from 520 i think, expected to rise again this year due to high number of applicants.


    Number of students:
    class numbers are relatiely low, about 40 in my class, many are mature students and such, just over half the class are regular cao entry applicants. Most of the lectures are taken with the Arts Psychology class so there's about 300 or so in that but the practical classes and statistics are just the 40.

    Course structure:
    Three year degree. In first year you do psychology and 2 other arts subjects, one to be English, History, Philosophy or Sociology which will be carried through with your degree, then you have your choice of one other arts subject, e.g. french, an leann duchais, politics etc. I did Sociology and Philosophy to give myself choice...


    Hours:
    About 16 hours or so in first year depending on your subjects. This includes a 2 hour practical class and an hour of statistics every week, then your psychology lectures and your other two arts subjects.

    Course Content:


    Biological Psychology: the interactions between the brain and nervous system work, the effect of drugs and substances on the brain, the work of neurotransmitters etc... a foundation in biology helps loads here, i did it for the leaving and it was the best thing ever.

    Cognitive Psychology - perception, memory, language, thinking etc. fairly interesting stuff.

    History of Psychology- in the name

    Abnormal Psychology- absolutely fascinating, takes you through psychological disorders and mental illnesses, psychosis and neurosis and all that. seriously interesting!

    Social Psychology- how people interact, positive psychology, kind of straightforward, a little boring.

    Developmental Psychology- Human Psychological development from birth to adulthood, attatchment theory...

    You have 3 essays due over the course of the year, they make up 50% of your final mark for that module (AP1012) theres a good choice though and i found it was the best way to really learn as you have to raid through about a million books and studies to find the relevant info...they were surprisingly pretty enjoyable to do!

    Statistics: you may want a solid understanding of maths... I dont want to be offputting bt i didnt realise how important this was, I did pass math and failed the whole way up until the leaving,whilst getting grinds since second year, I really wasnt bothered, lost cause! It was a bit of a shocker when I realised we had weekly assignments etc... the only thing is that it is an open book exam so if you know where to look you should be fine...!

    Practicals: Massive workload!!!! a two hour practical class every thursday, then an assignment that you get about a week or two to complete...It usually entails gathering data of some description, analysing the content, statistically analysing the results, writing a report (be able to use excel and draw graphs!) these are usually about memory of language analysis or something and there are somewhere around 10 over the year with a huuuuuuuge one just before christmas :( very interesting stuff though and you really feel like youre doing something because youre going out and finding your own data and stuff....its hard but class...


    Summary:

    It's an absolutely brilliant course, I love it to bits but I dont think its for everyone. The workload was unexpectedly big, if you think its going to be a doss, its not!!! Its a rather general course and relates to your everyday life which making it fascinating, it gives you an insight into how and why people behave the way they do and how the mind works.... If you arent sure what course to choose, it's worth putting down on the cao, because its broad it would be a good foundation for a post-grad....also, word of warning, id say a post grad / MA / phD will be necessary if you want to practice professionally... otherwise there are many jobs in areas such as HR or social work that it would be great for... thumbs up from me anyway!!

    pm me if ya have any questions :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 670 ✭✭✭C.D.


    BSc in Engineering with Management in TCD

    Points:
    375

    Number of students:
    20-30 every year.

    Hours:
    First year: ~26
    Second year: ~24
    Third year: 33 (first semester)/20 (second semester)

    Course Content:
    Focuses on manufacturing/mechanical engineering with management subjects thrown in. Subject choices are broadly like (you cover 8-12 subjects a year, these are just a selection):

    First Year
    Maths (taken with the other engineers)
    Physics/Chemistry (taken with the other engineers)
    Introduction to Manufacturing
    Mechanics (like Leaving Cert Applied Maths) (taken with the other engineers)

    Second Year
    Maths (taken with the other engineers)
    Finance
    Material
    Thermo-Fluids
    Structures

    Third Year
    Statistics
    Human Resources
    Solids Maths (taken with the other engineers)
    Advanced Materials
    Computational Methods

    Final Year

    Lots of choice..

    The Good

    Small class sizes mean extra attention from lectures.
    Significantly more continuous assessment than the other TCD engineers (I like this!).
    Way more subject variety than a lot of engineering courses, this is good in that you don't get "sick" of doing the same thing all the time and gives a more rounded education.
    In fourth year you can specialise in subjects as diverse as
    Vibration Analysis, Bio-Engineering, Bio-Mechanics, Micro-manufacturing etc.

    The Bad

    Long hours and the course can be quite challenging.
    Exams tend to all be at the end of year- even if you finish a subject at the end of the first semester.
    No choice till final year.
    Some of the part time lecturers are absolutely atrocious.


    Summary:

    An excellent alternative to those that might be considering Trinity's general Engineering degree or indeed any other Man. Eng. degree. The big issue is that most secondary school students would find it difficult to get a feel for different areas of engineering without going through a year or two of "general" engineering. I would definitely recommend this to somebody who has a keen interest in Engineering but has aptitude in other areas (e.g. business acumen) they would like to develop.

    More info here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,813 ✭✭✭PhysiologyRocks


    First year consists mainly of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. There are three modules, each containing a bit of each of these subjects. We also did a small amount clinical studies (such as history-taking and some examination and basic first aid). There's also a student-selected option (modules include some languages, statistics, epidemiology...) and a bit of social science. Continuous assessment takes a lot of pressure off when it comes to summer exams.

    Second year contains some general practice attachments, about once a month. Pathology and pharmacology are introduced. Otherwise the layout is similar enough to first year.

    From third year on, you're in the hospitals. There are also more general practice placements. We work on the wards and in operating theatres. There are real patients. There is also a bit more social science and pathology.

    The course is excellent. It's really interesting and I love the practical side. The lecturers are friendly, professional and very helpful. The consultants and non-consultants I've encountered so far are very dedicated to their patients and to teaching. There is a lot of study but it pays off and there IS time for a social life.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 siobhan burke


    Just finished this course this year. Straight up its a difficult course but these days every course can have its disadvantages!! Must say i loved the four years of it though. I mean it is very assignment based but alot of it is practical work meaning that your head isnt always literally in the books!!! Teaching Practice can be a stressful time!! There's 5 teaching Practices in total but the longest is 5 weeks so as fast as your sick of lesson planning its over!!! The exams can be tough. There essay style exams where you must write an essay style answer to questions but the lecturers are fairly ok at cutting down the content!!

    The college is located 5 or 6 miles out of town. It can be annoying if you dont have a car (alot of waiting around for buses!) but theres new accomodation on campus so that could solve the issue!!! This is great for first year but i think you'd go mad living out there all the time. Also by living in town you really get to meet more people especially students from the IT!! Personnally, I lived in town but I was lucky enough to have a car!!

    For a town I must say the social life is good!!! I mean St. Angela's is a small college but the IT is just in the road!!! The Student Unions and the Pubs have many themed nights, partys etc. so theres no shortage of a good time. The big event every year is the Ball- a great night out- the whole college practically fits in the function room!!!!

    On a final note i'll say I made great friends in college. Beacause its such a small college and the fact the most of the students are far from home the bonds you make are stronger than those you might make in other colleges- friends of mine from home have even noticed this!!

    Job prospects are also good for this course! With only roughly 50 graduates a year the supply of Home Economics teachers is fairly close to demand!! With the cuts this year some are finding it difficult but hopefully it'll level out again over the next few years!!

    If you have decided to do this course- BEST OF LUCK!!!! I might meet you in a staff room some day!!! If you have any questions dont hesitate to ask!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,549 ✭✭✭Dante


    Business and Computing in Trinity (TR082)

    This is a new course with 2009 being its first year and apparently because of that the points were quite low (385 or something) but our tutor said its expected to go up a fair bit next year. There are 31 students in the course this year but I'm sure that will be chopped down come the end of exams.

    Right well, basically in first year you do six modules; Introduction to Programming, Introduction to Computing, Maths, Statistical Analysis, Economics and Introduction to Management.
    So far the course is good, its a bit all over the place in terms of course content but I'm sure it will pick up seen as its new and all. In programming we have been learning about algorithms and logic. In Maths we have done pretty much nothing, just a bit of Pythagorous' Thoerm and sets. In Computing we are learning about Processors, Binary and how to use some programming software. I have no idea what we've been doing in statistical analysis, some boring stuff about graphs and statistics I think. :S In Management we've been learning about the development of industry in the 16th century onwards and in Economics we've been learning about opportunity costs, trade-offs, marginalism and how economies work. In second and third year you get the option to specialise in certain areas such as accounting, marketing, management, computing or programming which effectively allows you to drop the subjects you didn't like in first year which is handy aswell!

    So far I am really enjoying the course, all the people are bang on which helps for nights out and stuff, but obviously that might not be the case next year. The only problem is the lack of women but thats what societies and nights out are for ;) I know a lot of people, including myself, didn't really like the course at first but it definitely grows on you once you get the hang of college life and get talking to some new folk.
    Based on the first 3 weeks I would recommend Business and Computing to any of you young wolverines with an interest in computers and business but doesn't want to do Computer Science or can't get the points for BESS! Just be prepared to do a bit of work cause I must admit, its quite a handful so far.

    If anyone wants to know more, just PM me! wink.gif


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,029 ✭✭✭Extrasupervery


    I'm one of a sea of first year arts students at UCD

    Feel free to contact me at http://belfield-fresher.com , where I like to whinge and ramble on about college :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,745 ✭✭✭Eliot Rosewater


    Doing Computers myself because Im a big nerd (at least I wish) :D Anyone who is choosing to do it should be prepared for a lot of time in front of a screen. And also you must have a great standard of Maths. Just because you dont need honours Maths for most Computing degrees doesn't mean in reality you can do without them. Programming is a kind of logical way of looking at things and if you don't have Maths then Im not convinced you will have a good logical manner.

    Just my 2 cents, etc.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 241 ✭✭thatone!


    Hi :)
    I'm in 1st year single honours History in Trinity, and I'm loving it :)

    You pick 6 out of 8 modules at the start of the year, 3 that you will study before christmas and three after.
    There is 2 hours of lectures per module every week, so 6 in total.
    There is also one tutorial per module every week. Each tutorial has an assignment of 500 words based on documents that are given out and extra reading.

    To do history you really have to love it! Especially to do single honours, it's not many lecture/tutorial hours but a lot of hours of work/reading to do yourself.

    www.tcd.ie/history should give you any other information you need.

    Feel free to PM me if you's have any questions. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 29,089 ✭✭✭✭LizT


    midgetgem wrote: »
    I was in the university of ulster last year, If its Jordanstown you're thinking of going to, I'd really advise against it, its outside belfast with no community at all, if there is a course for u in Queens I would jump at it, its a great university.

    Completely disagree!!
    I'm in Jordanstown at the minute and it's great craic! I live on campus and there's a good atmosphere here. The university itself is like any other - if you're not going to participate in events of course you're not going to enjoy it!
    Queens is a good university, but like trinity it's spread over a large area, meaning if you're doing a business course, you'll be stuck in the business area and won't see much of the campus!

    They don't do my course in Queens anyway and the standard of SLT graduates from UUJ is very high.


  • Registered Users Posts: 29,089 ✭✭✭✭LizT


    Ok for some reason I can't edit my original post, but I have time on my hands so now I'll expand on the course.

    I'm currently studying Speech and Language Therapy in the University of Ulster. The course is three years long, unlike UCC, TCD and NUIG. The advantage of this is the we get out on placement in first year and get to do therapy and assessment.

    Basic structure of course:
    Linguistics - This is basically learning the theory of language. A lot of seems completely irrelevant but once you start to learn about language deficits etc, it becomes clear why we learn it. It is especially relevant on placement.
    Health Communication and Psychology: Not sure if this is done in other universities. We basically study basic psychology from a health science POV - i.e. How some one will feel when hospitalized etc. We also do group work on communicating with other health professionals - OTs and physios mainly.
    Applied Linguistics - This is looking at linguistics from a clinical POV - i.e. How the theory accounts for language disorders, what assessments you would use, and possible treatments. Invaluable for placement.
    Sciences- We do physics - resonance of the vocal cavity etc.
    We also do basic anatomy of the brain and body.

    Semester 2:
    Placement: We did our paediatric placement in semester 2. We spent four days observing SLTs and then 12 days carrying out assessment and therapy. This is where you will learn the most as not everything is as clear cut as the books and lectures make out - e.g. What works for one child may not work for another. Our placement report at the end of the year is worth 50% of the final grade for the module.

    Yr 2
    This year is all about adults - aquried neuro disorders. We're starting an observation placement soon, but we won't be able to carry out any treatment or assessment until the end of the year, as there is so much to learn!

    Workload:
    Because it is a 3 year course, the workload is fairly big. However this is the same for the 4 year course, work might be spread out a bit more. There is a lot of reading required for some modules and A LOT of preperation for placement.
    Basically if you're looking for a course where you can go to lectures once in a blue moon, this is not the course for you! Attendance is essential as missing even one lecture can set you back a few weeks while you read up on what you missed.

    Think that's it! Anymore questions PM me!
    Sorry this post is so long!


  • Registered Users Posts: 254 ✭✭JohnG18


    BSc in Nutraceuticals in Health and Nutrition in DIT (Cathal Brugha St)

    Points:
    350

    Number of students:
    25

    Hours:
    First year: ~27
    Second year: ~29
    Third year: ~31
    Fourth year: Unknown as there hasn't been a fourth year yet.

    Course Discription:
    A nutraceutical is any substance that is a food or a part of a food and provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Such products may range from isolated nutrients, dietary supplements and specific diets to designer foods, herbal products and processed foods such as cereals, soups and beverages which ultimately optimise health and nutrition. The mission of this programme is to educate students in a comprehensive range of disciplines including scientific, technological and culinary areas in order to meet with the requirements of the nutraceutical and functional food industries. Our goal is to teach our students fundamental science as it is applied to nutraceutical systems and to show its application to the solution of problems in food related health and nutrition.

    First Year
    Biology
    Chemistry
    Physics
    Mathematics for Scientists
    Computer Applications
    Communications and Industry Studies
    Nutrition
    Organic Chemistry
    Microbiology
    Ocupational Health and Safety Management


    Second Year
    Food Microbiology and Pharmaceutical Microbiology
    Food and Pharmaceutical Instrumentation
    Organic Chemistry
    Biochemistry
    Nutrition
    Diet, Health and Disease
    Statistics for Scientists
    Food Processing

    Third Year
    Nutraceutical Food Quality Control
    Nutraceutical Product Development
    Sensory Evaluation
    Health and Safety and Culinary Skills
    Pharmacology and Toxicology
    Food Chemistry, Biotechnology
    Medicinal Chemistry
    Nutraceutical Microbiology
    Shelf-Life Management
    Food Process Technology
    Biotechnology

    Final Year - This is most likely going to change with the first set of 4th years next year.

    Advanced Nutraceutical/Food Microbiology
    Biotechnology
    Nutrition
    Innovation and Entrepreneurship
    Marketing and Regulatory Affairs
    Functional Food Processing Aspects
    Optional Module
    Industrial Placement
    Project

    The Good

    Small class sizes mean extra attention from lectures.
    Gives experience of both Pharmaceutical and Food Science with more emphasis on Nutraceutical Science in 3rd and 4th year.
    This is an emerging industry in Europe which is intresting to be in an emerging science field.
    The hours are usually 9-5 but with ample breaks during the day and usually no class on friday or short hours.
    You get to do Kitchen and Larder in 3rd year where you get to take advantage of the skills of the School of Culinary Arts.

    The Bad

    Physics in first year is in Kevin St with a large time gap usually.


    Summary:

    Many people choose this course as they thought it was similar to Dietetics, however it is more so the use of Functional Foods in a Pharmaceutical manner. As it is an emerging industry and science I personally find it interesting and the possibilities of pursuing research is a nice thought. This degree will give a good backround in both Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences giving possibilities of derivation into various fields.

    http://www.dit.ie/study/undergraduate/az/title,27558,en.html

    Any information in regards to this PM me or alternatively Email the Course Coordinator he is more than helpful.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,363 ✭✭✭Misty Chaos


    Points
    550 points last year but this is based on a portfolio score as well as Leaving Cert points. You need to get at least 240 points from the portfolio to get considered for the course.

    Number of students:
    40 students in first year, split into 2 groups. This number usually drops drastically before the end of 1st year, though.

    Course Description

    This is a three-year visual design degree that prepares students for careers in the print, digital media and graphic design industries. The course develops students’ knowledge of the concepts and processes that are integral to effective design. By following the course the student will achieve a high level of skill in areas such as visualisation, illustration, typography, design and print production.

    The course focuses primarily on visual communication – design is the key element. Visual design is the process and art of combining text and graphics to communicate a clear and effective message in the design of products such as logos, illustrations, brochures, posters, web sites, signage and any other type of visual communication.

    Much of the course is project based allowing students to develop their creative, practical and intellectual skills within a structured environment supported at all stages by a dedicated and professional staff team.

    The programme encourages students to discover their own creative potential and abilities through experimentation of various media and design practices. Skills in typography, photography and design are developed through a series of structured projects encompassing topics such as identity design and branding, packaging, book and magazine design, information and interactive media design.

    The availability of a fully equipped off-set printing workshop within the Department provides students with the experience of bringing their designs from concept to finished product using standard commercial processes and techniques.

    Modules

    Semester 1

    Creativity,Innovation&Teamwork
    Introduction to Printing
    Photography & Image Capture
    Design Principles & Practice 1
    Creative Image Making 1
    Contextual Studies 1

    Semester 2

    Creative Technology 1
    Design Principles & Practice 2
    Creative Image Making 2
    Typography 1
    Visual Culture,an Introduction

    Elective

    Print Making
    Free Choice Module

    Semester 3

    Design - Corporate Identity
    Typography - Editorial
    Visual Culture: Communication
    Print Production (1)
    Creative Technology -Editorial

    Elective

    Free Choice Module
    Illustration - Principles

    Semester 4
    Typography-Communication
    Print Production (2)
    Creative Technology - Digital
    Design - Packaging

    Elective

    Business Principles for Design
    Free Choice Module
    Photographic Visualisation

    Semester 5

    Design - Branding
    Visual Culture and Society
    Typography Experimental
    Creative Technology - Web

    Elective

    Design Digital Image
    Free Choice Module

    Semester 6

    Visual Culture: Dissertation
    Professional Practice
    Design - Promotion
    Advanced Printing Technology

    Elective
    Free Choice Module
    Design Narrative

    Workload

    I started this course under an older system before modules were brought in. The workload was reasonable then. However, since the introduction of modules in 2008 across CIT, the workload got inhumanely heavy. As this course is continuous assessment based, the idea of having 3 such projects all coming in ON THE SAME DAY is just ludicrous and led to lots of sleepless nights for a lot of people. This was the 1st semester. 2nd semester was reasonable in my experience, though.

    I've heard that current 3rd years had EIGHT projects due in a very short space of time.

    The Good
    Small course
    Computers all relatively up to date
    A few good lecturers
    Small Department, not much wondering around the college from class to class.

    The Bad
    Insane workload under module system
    Isolated from other creative courses
    College in general poorly managed

    Summary
    Graphic Design is not for everyone. It can be very difficult to grasp. If your want to do it, you have to be willing to be 110% dedicated to it. However, I personally DO NOT recommend this course to anyone who wants to pursue Graphic Design seriously owing to it being isolated from creative hubs ( its currently based in Bishopstown campus, along with the engineering and other such courses. ) and the fact that the college is poorly run. You better off doing it somewhere else like ICAD or Dun Laoghaire.

    If anyone has questions, feel free to PM me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,020 ✭✭✭eVeNtInE


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,277 ✭✭✭poisonated


    Arts - NUIG

    I will focus on 2 aspects here:

    course:it is very interesting.There is a wide variety of subjects available.You are able to get a taste for all the different subjects in the first week or 2 by attending introductory classes.I am doing psychology,French,English and sociological and political studies.One thing I will say is that it is quite difficult to get to know people as it is such a large course.I was quite surprised with the amount of biology involved in psychology.I have a passion for French so that wasn't really a problem.A surprising amount of the French course is in English.I like reading so there is no problem there either.For the first semester,you do poetry and drama.For the second semester,you read novels such as catcher in the rye etc.Sociological and political studies is very interesting.I do not have a great interest in politics myself but I would imagine that if you are interested in it,you would like it.You also learn about different sociological issues such as crime and deviance etc.


    college:It is a very nice college with plenty of facilities.The sports facilities there are very good and the college bar is really nice! I would advise against going to corrib village.The accomadation there is awful.There are some good parties there though.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 357 ✭✭djcervi


    TSM French and Spanish- Trinity College.

    I'm in first year and I've only spent 6 weeks on the course, but transferred from a similar course in which I was only taking the language modules of both languages. So far it has been ok, although it personally has been a little problematic on the literature front, as I had missed certain lecture series in French and Spanish. In French you study in first year: Intro to Contemporary France (1 lecture in French and 2 tutorials), 1 oral French tutorial, French texts and one tutorial, and one French grammar lecture. I'll be honest and say that I find the course challenging, as a high fluency is envisaged when you enter, imo. The oral French tutorial has been tough, but it has improved my comprehension nonetheless. One issue that I do have is that our grammar lectures will be conducted in French after christmas (grammar lecturer is going on maternity leave and other lecturer is French) , which is going to cause problems as we'll have to master grammar (which can be difficult) in French. Hopefully it's not going to be too bad.

    Spanish, on the other hand, has been fantastic. Although my opinion is biased I have found the department and staff great, lovely and genuinely nice. In first year you have 2 grammar lectures, 1 oral tutorial, 1 listening comprehension tutorial, 1 lecture on Spanish/Latin American literature. After christmas we'll begin to have one extra lecture on Intro to Modern Spain. The listening class has been great and effective. It's a pity French don't organise something like that, but that's my personal opinion. Spanish is also open to beginners, and I've heard they get a fair bit of language support.

    Any other questions feel free to pm.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,404 ✭✭✭✭Pembily


    Course - Mechanical Engineering in GMIT

    Year - 4 years for an Honours Degree but you get an Ordinary Degree after 3 years.

    Sorry not sure of points or places but you do not need honours maths to get into the course!!!

    Content - It is maths based alot, I did Hns Maths, Hns Chemistry and Pass Physics and having done them really helped!!! The course is tough, mostly guys (I was one of 5 girls in 1st year but am the only girl in 4th year) but it is a very good rewarding varied course.

    Subjects 1st - 3rd year include (names vary year to year
    Engineering Science - basically physics and chemistry

    Control Engineering - sensors, how to control stuff (lights, tv, heating systems), very physicy

    Thermodynamics / Fluid Mechanics - how liquids and heat affect each other

    Mechanical Engineering - varies depending on the year - cams, breaks and other car stuff like that, how they work and how to design them, stress and strain - where, when and how stuff (steel beams, bridges, concrete, aluminium) will break and how to design it against failure.

    Pro Engineer - A 3D computer engineering design program

    Manufacturing Engineering - varies depending on the year - making stuff on lathes, drills and other machines like that (made a vice grips), doing programming to make a CNC machine make a pen.

    Mechanical Eng is a very very broad degree. In final year there are at the minute 3 streams you can do -

    Biomedical - Very big area in Ireland and especially Galway, kinda recession proof too!! Very design based and biology based but suits some people...

    Product Design - Very broad area and you can go into many areas (biomedical, insulation, car parts) once qualified!!! Again design based obviously but broader than biomedical!!

    Energy - I am doing this stream and I love it, would kinda be a bit of an energy nerd!!! We are doing Energy Systems and Energy Management this year, systems is quite maths / electrical stuff and management is what is says!!! Also do sustainability which is how to keep the earth alive for us to live on it.

    Timetable - I have always had at least 4 9am mornings and 4 6pm finishes... Timetable is always pretty hectic and have generally about 30hours a week!!!!

    Any engineering course is practical and is taught better (in my opinion and I have been in an IT and a Uni) in an IT as they have the ability to practically teach it!!!
    Love the course though :) Any other q pm me!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 13 the-waterboy


    Course:
    Bio and Chem sciences in UCC

    Points:
    350 - down from 365 in previous years. [

    Number of students:
    300!!

    Hours:
    2 or 3 lectures a day, 3 toutrails a week 2 two hour labs aweek, its grand
    Course Content:
    just 4 subjects all year which can get abit bouring
    Summary:
    basicly is fair easyer than i thought it would be, i got 450 points did lower maths and chem was my only science subject and im doin grand with very little work. the tests are hard alright but if u just tip away and do abit of work each day u should pass


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,016 ✭✭✭lilmissprincess


    UCC Drama and Theatre Studies
    Course Code: CK106
    Points 2009: 425, they went up from 375.
    Number in Class: 24.


    Course: I'm studying this with two Arts subjects, Economics and Celtic Civilisation. I was studying English at the start of the year but found it unstimulating and just not my cup of tea at all, however have heard from classmates studying English that it did get better! However, I LOVE Economics so I'm glad I changed.
    Drama itself is made up, in first year of four different modules: Practical, Texts and Context, Study of Practitioners. For our first term, we studied Practical and Text and Contexts, culminating in our First Year Production of "A Dream Play". This term, the practical takes a smaller role, with the addition of study of practitioners and texts and contexts has gained an extra lecturer who does classes on history of drama. Its very much a hands on course. Three 9am-11am classes, one 12-3 class and a 5-6 class. We've done Yoga, Improv, Rewritten a play, different performance techniques ( in particular those of Chekhov) and learned lots about the worlds in which plays were created.
    I plan on dropping this course next year as I've pretty much fallen in love with my two Arts Subjects and Drama isn't quite what I envisioned it to be. However, it is one of those courses where you have no choice but to bond with your classmates and from this I've made some really good friends! The lecturers are sound out, the workload isn't overly taxing, and its something very different that I would definitely reccommend.

    College: An amazing place, UCC. I feel very at home here, theres stuff for everyone and anyone and the support systems in place for students are brilliant. I myself have found myself involved in Economics Society, Student Union Welfare, Student Council(as a class rep), I've attended Choral Soc, Dramat, Science Society events...the range is broad, afaik theres even a hot beverages society set up! UCC is definitely the place to be!

    If you've any questions, just PM me!


  • Registered Users Posts: 44 Monkwood


    I'm currently in 2nd Year, this is true as far as I can tell, but the finer points of the course are constantly changing. I've tried to get the most relevant things in without going overboard, but give me a shout if you want to know more.

    Points:
    740 - combination of HPAT and LC results. System is little complicated, but explained well in this document: www2.cao.ie/downloads/documents/2010UGMedEntry.pdf

    Number of students:
    160

    Hours:
    quite variable, starts off about 20 (10 hrs lectures, 10 hrs labs and tutorials) in first year, then increases up gradually. Placements can be very long days, often starting as early as 7.

    Course Content:
    Not going to dwell on the subjects much as this has been dealt with in previous posts. Some key things of note I think though are that you are being taught clinical skills in hospitals from the start of 2nd year, which is a recent addition; it used to be that alot of the basic clinical stuff (IV insertion, suturing, etc) was taught in the first couple of weeks as an intern.
    Significant hospital placements start in 3rd year, and you are pretty much never on campus anymore; you get your lectures in hospitals. The first 2 years are mostly on campus though.
    They've also just introduced a research project this year for 2nd years which is a significant commitment; 12 Monday afternoons and 2 solid weeks. This is good exposure to research and may get you published; very important later on when going for jobs.

    Workload:
    There's no doubt that there is a lot of work to be done but the advantage is that you can more or less do it at your own pace. There are very few assignments, and they're mostly rather small, the real work comes in studying lectures. The field of Medicine has amassed an awful lot of knowledge over the years, so there is a lot to take in. Material is jammed into a single lecture that could be spread out over a few; however, the stuff isn't difficult, you just have to be sharp to keep up and take the time later to learn it all off. This usually isn't a problem for the kind of people getting Medicine though, but you will still have to commit a couple of hours to learn off each lecture. That's where the real time consuming part of Med school is.

    Social Life:
    Despite what most think, is rather good. The demographic in this course is quite unlike any other in that you will get about 20-30 North Americans (mostly Canadians), and about the same again of Malaysians/Muslims in addition to the Irish. These however, integrate surprisingly well, so is not a problem. As the HPAT has only just been introduced for this year's first years, there are a lot of marginally older people too, the likes who are a few years out of a physio course, or transferred from a Med-related science course, etc. This should take a few years to balance out, then it should be mostly LC students again in the Irish representative sample.
    There are always people who will go out on to their weekly club, but the real fun lies on the trips and outside term; this is when Meds really let their hair down, and have got a reputation for it! You can expect anything from Meds on tour! But these are usually preceded by exam periods of complete social reclusion for up to 4 weeks at a stretch. Due to the highly demanding nature of the course, and the fact that the yearly timetable is very different to most other courses, you tend to socialize more with your classmates than other courses would, but with such a large class, you're bound to find a good core group of consistent friends to hang out with.

    Job Outlook:
    Pretty much recession-proof and transferable to anywhere in the world. You are pretty much guaranteed a job, but the higher ones are very competitive and the road is long. You are an eternal student and most career paths don't lend themselves very well to a good family life, or at least that's my impression, see here for more details: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055781254
    The ones that do (GP) are very competitive to get on a training scheme.

    Summary:
    The course is highly stimulating and very dynamic. You get great satisfaction, but is also very time consuming. "Hands-on" training begins very early on, and is a great break from lectures. Social life is great, but on a different schedule to most other courses. Employability is not a problem, you will always find a job.

    Personal take:
    The two best things I like about my course are:
    -people: My classmates and I get on very well as we all have similar mindsets. Also, the people contact in hospitals; this is great, but don't do Medicine if you don't like talking with people, that's what you do most of the time, not medical procedures.
    -science: This is a highly intellectually stimulating profession, where you constantly build your knowledge. Most other science based courses, unless you go into teaching or research, there is little application for what you've learnt. Medicine is great that way in that you know you will use what you learn in your job.


  • Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭bleh!


    dets wrote: »
    hey
    i really wan 2 do pharmacy, iv applied to english colleges jus in case and i am thinkin of puttin the royal college of surgeons down on the cao too, it's a lot of money to ask my parents to pay so if anyone is doin the course in royal college of surgeons i would love some feedback or even from those in trinity and ucc, hopefully thats wer i'l end up, fingers crossed!
    ayumi wrote: »
    anyone doing pharmacy?
    pharmacy anywhere

    Hey, I'm in RCSI pharmacy. The course is mainly chemistry and biology but there are a few bits and bobs of physics too. The course is very interesting and really sciencey but you can't go in expecting to do lesser work than you did for the LC.:p We get to do a few modules with physios and meds too so that's defo a plus. The group is smallish(55 in my class) so it won't be too hard to settle in. Oh yeah, don't put off pharmacy if you don't do LC chem, RCSI doesn't require it but it takes a bit of work to catch up :D

    @dets Yup, RCSI is under the free fees scheme. You only have to pay if you're non-EU or an EU student(repeats, matures and non-EUs who've been here for >3yrs).


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,791 ✭✭✭electrogrimey


    Just finished 1st year in Single Honours History in Trinity. I love it. If you really like history in school, you'll like it. It's different material, but generally the same type of thing. 1st year is medieval - 9th century to 17th century roughly. Single Honours only have 9 hours a week, that's one of the lowest hours in Trinity. There's loads of reading outside that, but generally it's quite a relaxed course. Trinity's as good as people say it is too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 717 ✭✭✭Noodleworm


    http://www.dcu.ie/prospective/deginfo.php?classname=MMA&mode=full&originating_school=60

    I personally really like my course, having just done first year, but find a few people in my class just went into it without having a clue what it would be like, So I thought Id write a little bit bout what I think of it.

    Type of person who would like this course
    Put bluntly, Nerds. More precisely creative nerds. the audio-visual people. While this site doesn't really have have much programming or any hardware work it is largely based around computers, so you should enjoy this (facebook doesn't quite count). We do get away from the software a bit though and have lectures on aspects of communication, some sociology and even a little psychology. For these reasons a like of History and English would be good. You have to think about how things and people work, and use this to make your projects suit target audiences. We had many group assignments, in the first semester groups were picked for us so you don't worry about being left out.

    My enjoyable moments of course (so far)
    Using SLR cameras, watching many random movie scenes in classes, Learning to use recording studio, making tower out of paper for a class, making short videos, taking pictures of fake crime scene for website, lectures on comic books, anime and film noir.

    The kinda Dull parts
    Study skills- being told over and over how to reference. Very detailed lectures on the history of writing. long hours editing audio. fixing bugs on websites.

    Pros
    Less hours than most courses.no exams (at least in first year, all continual assesment) working in groups shares workload. Nice , friendly lecturers. Fun with technology. Probably not the hardest course you could do, few fail unless they do nothing. Less essays than other courses. Opportunity to be creative in your work. prepares you for possible in graphic design, web design, tv, radio, film, 3d, researching, game making, e-commerce. Most people in my class got in other ways than CAO points so high points shouldn't put you off.
    Cons
    Lots of independent work and research, lecturers won't spoon feed you everything. groups can get difficult to organise. Continual assessments can feel like more work than exams, keeps you busy. Some may find topics dull or useless. Not many jobs in these areas. have to choose between imaging , audio or video in second year, doesn't have the programming recommended for games industry.


    well thats my rambling.
    Pm me if you want


  • Posts: 8,647 Macie Whining Cloud


    Currently after completing my first year of Pharmacy.

    First year involved Medinal Chemistry, Physical Pharmacy, Intro to Pharmacy and Physiology. First year was quite relaxed. Apparently there is a big step up next year. Projects, presentations, essays every week.

    I really enjoy Pharmacy and the course is very interesting especially the Physiology and the Pharmacokinetics. If you have ay more questions. Feel free to PM.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 202 ✭✭richard2010


    Course: Bachelor of Science in Real Estate
    Level: 7
    College: DIT
    Location: Bolton Street Dublin 1 (behind Cineworld)
    Points 2009: 240 (average points were 310)
    Points 2010: Unknown at present.

    Word of Warning: This course is specifically designed to people who have an interest in the property industry. Only those who have a desire to work in this industry should pursue it. This course is not the money spinner it was back in the boom and paid jobs are scarce on the ground.

    Course Overview (1st year): The following subjects will be studied over the year. The year is divided into semesters. The following subjects were studied in semester 1; Valuation Techniques for commercial property. Economics, Marketing, Quantitative Methods (A form of Maths), Finance Accounting, Building Construction and Surveying, Information Technology. In semester 2 the above were continued and further developed. However accounting was replaced with Law.

    Opinion of Course to date: The course is well managed and the lectures are both approachable either in person or by email. They are also willing to help you in any way they can provided you've attended their lectures on a fairly regular basis. A lot of the subjects mentioned above have a continuous assessment element to it which means you can pretty much pass the subject before you sit the exam. As I said earlier this course is for property minded people and those who don’t have a interest in it will struggle with it. This is evident as the number dwindled throughout the year. Lack of dedication by some people is annoying but maybe I am to into the course

    Advantages: Academic staffs are knowledgeable of their subject. There is a good atmosphere in the place

    Disadvantages: There can at times be a break in communication between lectures and students which can lead to frustrations. The lecturer we had didn’t seem to be at the races so to speak. He mostly read from either the internet or the paper (zzzzz) Lack of notes on webcourses from some academic staff is annoying coming up to exam time. The lack of central campus is annoying but hopefully that will be rectified once Grangegorman is built in 20-long after I've graduated in the mean time Bodkins will do: L

    If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to PM me.


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