Degree

LundiMardi

Hey all,

I was thinking of starting a degree in Psychology in September, just wondering if anyone here is study in Psychology or has studied in it. Would you recommend it etc?

I don't know whether i want to dive straight into the degree or start off and do a diploma for a year or not first I think i'd find it more interesting than most other subjects, but it's hard for me to stay focused so i may be in over my head here:v:

snorlax

the degree in tcd is quite good, or so iv heard, iv a few friends doing it and they seem to really enjoy it. here's a link to better explain what subjects you'll be doing. http://www.tcd.ie/Psychology/jf.html for your subjects

by the way the library in tcd is pretty good, as are the online journals, also psychology has alot of international and mature students so they'res a good mixture on the course. im in third year Occupational therapy, but iv shared some of my lectures with the psychology students so i can discuss those subjects with you if you want me to:). im also currently studying health psychology which is actually really interesting.

p.pete

I'm considering a degree in psychology also. I'll be a mature student, so it means I'll be starting from scratch at 27, which is quite scary. I'm cheered by your comment snorlax, regarding the mix of people in the class - the thought of being the only mature student amongst a group of 17/18 year olds was playing on my mind.

It'll be tough leaving my well paid job and signing myself over to debt (most likely) but I'm bored and think there's better things I could be doing with myself. Once I have the degree sorted, hopefully a simple matter of three years living poorly and working hard, I'd hope to do a post grad. in either educational or organisational/work psychology. I'm interested in things such as what makes some people excel and what holds others back, what factors can be changed to improve things.

Anyway, my UCAS for is in as of last Friday so we'll see what happens. Hopefully there's a college who'll take me

John

p.pete wrote:

I'm considering a degree in psychology also. I'll be a mature student, so it means I'll be starting from scratch at 27, which is quite scary. I'm cheered by your comment snorlax, regarding the mix of people in the class - the thought of being the only mature student amongst a group of 17/18 year olds was playing on my mind.

It'll be tough leaving my well paid job and signing myself over to debt (most likely) but I'm bored and think there's better things I could be doing with myself. Once I have the degree sorted, hopefully a simple matter of three years living poorly and working hard, I'd hope to do a post grad. in either educational or organisational/work psychology. I'm interested in things such as what makes some people excel and what holds others back, what factors can be changed to improve things.

Anyway, my UCAS for is in as of last Friday so we'll see what happens. Hopefully there's a college who'll take me

From what I can tell about most pyschology courses (I've taken classes with each of the current psych classes in TCD and my girlfriend had similar stories from Maynooth) is that it attracts a lot of mature students. I'd say a good 5-10% depending on the year.

p.pete

Cheers John2, it's courses in England and Wales I've applied for so presumably it'll be much the same. It'd be nice if a university took me on based on my application but I'm expecting to have to attend interview so I guess I can add it to my list of questions to ask

Hairdo

I studied spanish and psychology in NUIG but because I studied it with another subject I now have to do a conversion course in psychology before I can even get a masters and the only conversion course that seems to be suitable for me is with the Open University!

So, what I would recommend to you is not to take a course that is attached to another subject. If you want to study psychology take something more specifically aimed at acquiring your masters in whatever area you are most interested. Having said that the straight psychology degree in NUIG is quite good and Dr. Hughes, i think, is acting head of department this year. He was also the head of the Psychological Society of Ireland last year. He's also a very good teacher and nice guy. The atmosphere around Galway is great too, so all in all it's a good package.

LundiMardi

Thanks for the responce guys, and John2 for the pm, i tried to reply but my internet was acting up at the time!!!

I think i know what i'm going to do....

I'm hopefully going to start a DIPLOMA in psychology next month, it's for one year and it's only one night a week.. At the end of it, i'll have a diploma, and i'll have an idea of whether or not to go ahead and study full time for a degree as a mature student.. If i don't, then at least i'll still have a diploma, which would halp me gain access to other courses as a mature student..

sound like a plan?

LundiMardi

John2 wrote:

From what I can tell about most pyschology courses (I've taken classes with each of the current psych classes in TCD and my girlfriend had similar stories from Maynooth) is that it attracts a lot of mature students. I'd say a good 5-10% depending on the year.

that's weird, i read on the psychology TCD page that they only have 7 places for mature students.. maybe that's just TCD though.

snorlax

it would be worth your while checking the other colleges like UCD and seeing what they offer too before picking a course as i think they're course is 3 years which may or may not suit you better. what subjects does the diploma offer? i m wondering becuse psychology can sometimes be one of those things that takes a while to get into, eg sometimes it can appear like gibberish until you get into it and it all comes togther eg there's lots of theorists and theories to learn and some areas of psychology will probably interest you more then others. eg it's only in 3rd year in tcd where you can opt to take your own choosen subjects so it allows you to specialise to a certain degree. psychology can sometimes seem abstract at first until you get into it.
i found reading journal articles pretty good for getting into the subject, and my particular favorite areas were child development, social psychology and of course health psychology, but of course everyones different so don't just take my word for it, if i we're to be honest i say i didn't really appreciate the intro to psych course at at the time when i was doing it.

anyway good luck whatever you decide to do and maybe someone who has done the diploma course wil post up here.

LundiMardi

Here's the jist of the diploma...

Diploma in Psychology

The Diploma in Psychology seeks to convey the excitement of psychology as an intellectual human enterprise. The programme is designed for those who wish to gain foundation knowledge in and an appreciation of psychology.

Schedule
1 Evening per week 6.15-9.30pm

Duration
Offered twice yearly, October & February, 1 year part-time

Course Introduction
Psychology is both broad and ambitious. Nourished by biology at its border with the natural sciences and by sociology and anthropology at its border with the social sciences, psychology deals with complex questions about human nature once considered solely the province of literature and philosophy. This revised syllabus contains subjects essential to those seeking to progress in the area academically or career wise or apply the psychology theories to areas of management and business.


Course Aims & Objectives
Overall the aim of the Diploma is to provide a lucid introduction to the area of Psychology. The goals of the Diploma in Psychology are to inspire an appreciation for an empirical approach to human behaviour, to produce intelligent consumers of psychological information and to address psychology’s role in promoting human welfare and solving social problems. This Diploma focuses on what students should retain long after the final class, which can be applied to their own lives and future careers.

During the Diploma it is hoped that students will draw on their own life experiences and that communication will be two way rather than lecture driven. It is intended that classes will be supplemented by videos, and one or two practical experiments. The course will consist of 2 semesters, each containing 10 weeks of lectures.


Course Content
Semester 1

Introduction to Psychology

* The World & History of Psychology
* Diversity in Psychology

Biological Aspects of Psychology

* The Nervous System
* Chemistry of Psychology
* The Immune System

Cognitive Psychology

* Sensation
* Perception
* Learning & Memory
* Consciousness
* Motivation & Emotion
* Language & Cognition

Semester 2

Individual Differences & Development

* Understanding Intelligence
* Exploring Human Development (Infancy, Adolescence, Adulthood)

Psychology of “Play”

* Study of Play: Issues & Methods
* Psychological Issues & Effects of Bullying

Health, Stress & Coping

* Health Psychology & Stress Responses
* Physiology & Psychology of Health & Illness
* Health Compliance & Smoking Cessation

Personality

* The various approaches to Personality
* Assessing Personality
* Are Personality traits inherited?

Psychological Disorders


* Defining & Explaining Disorders
* Treatment of Psychological Disorders
* Community Psychology: From Treatment to Prevention

Social Cognition

* Social Influences on the self
* Social Perception (Attitudes, Prejudices & Stereotypes)
* Social Influences (Conformity, Group Norms, Obedience & Aggression)

Assessment
To achieve the Diploma in Psychology, students will be required to complete an assessment during each semester and an end of term exam (January & May).

snorlax

that sounds like a good breath of subjects and probably a good stepping stone, ...in fact i do a little of play psychology and it's really interesting too , we study it more from an applied sense as we use play as an occupation to help kids with developmental and other disabilities.

anyhow it sounds really interesting and it's probably a good idea to do a diploma before committing to a 3/4 year course and possibly a postgrad course afterwards if your not 100% sure yet.

LundiMardi

snorlax wrote:

it's probably a good idea to do a diploma before committing to a 3/4 year course and possibly a postgrad course afterwards if your not 100% sure yet.

i agree, i hope i'm not too late to apply, the course starts next month, and i would assume it's a popular choice.

John

LundiMardi wrote:

that's weird, i read on the psychology TCD page that they only have 7 places for mature students.. maybe that's just TCD though.

The class only has about 40 people in it so that's a good chunk of mature students.

The diploma sounds like a good start, it would look very nice on your application if you do plan to persue a degree.

p.pete

I'm going down a similar route LundiMardi, I haven't fully decided that I want to throw myself into a degree yet so at the moment I'm taking part-time modules, one evening a week. Before Christmas was a general introduction module, now I'm doing a developmental / child psychology module and then there's a memory psychology module towards the summer.

None of these are areas I'd see myself specialising in but I'm finding them all interesting which is good

Eoghan-psych

John2 wrote:

From what I can tell about most pyschology courses (I've taken classes with each of the current psych classes in TCD and my girlfriend had similar stories from Maynooth) is that it attracts a lot of mature students. I'd say a good 5-10% depending on the year.

That would definitely tally with my experience in Maynooth - there does seem to be a fair few mature students.

Eoghan-psych

A few things need to be kept in mind by anyone thinking of doing a degree in psychology. Those with a psychology background will be used to the reaction to "I'm doing psychology" [typically "so what am I thinking" and the like], which is caused by people not fully understanding what's involved in a psychology degree.

Things a psychology degree *isn't*:
1. You won't be studying psychic phenomena.
2. You won't be reading minds.
3. There is no Derren Brown module.
4. You will not become Cracker.
5. At no point will you have visions [at least not in lectures - what you do in your spare time is between you and the Gardai].
6. The course will not involve clinical practice.
7. You will not be a qualified counsellor at the end of it.
I'm sure there are more, which others might fill in.

Things a psych degree *does* involve:
1. Statistics.
2. Statistics.
3. Some statistics.
4. Advanced statistics.
[The stats aspect is more applied than maths-based, but you are expected to get your head round the concepts, if not the equations, involved].
5. Research methods - you will be expected to understand various research methodologies to a reasonably high level.
6. Technical writing - you will be expected to write reports, essays etc. in a very clear, defined way with a good command of technical language and terminology.
7. Challenging norms - you will be exposed to information generally not 'acceptable' or 'polite' in normal company. Examples would be such things as geriatric psychosexual problems, non-heterosexuality, the psychological aspects of religious belief etc.
8. 'Distressing' material - you will be exposed to information which can be distressing for some people. Examples include in-depth study of, say, terminal neurological conditions in children or fairly graphic descriptions of child abuse and its effects.
9. Biology. This can be the biggest issue - during a psych degree you *will* be learning that the brain is the root of psychology. The 'mind body problem' simply isn't. You will be learning that, in essence, the mind is to brain as digestion is to the digestive system.
10. Research project - you will be expected to carry out semi-independent piece of genuine research [not of the leaving-cert, demonstration type stuff]. Depending on your area of interest, and the staff members available, this will either be fun and exciting or tedious and unpleasant.

There are more, which others might wish to fill in.

Basically, a psychology degree is quite different to other areas of study in that it is the scientific study of *you*. Many people are attracted to this area for the wrong reasons, or because of misunderstandings.

It is hard, it does take a lot of work, and you *will* have to do things you have no interest in. It is, however, entirely worth it.

If nothing else, having a psych degree gives a definite kudos boost in a way that "I did geography" just doesn't. That may or may not be a good thing, but it's the way things are.
Eoghan

LundiMardi

^^^ excellent post thanks!

dr zoidberg

Eoghan-psych wrote:

...

Just to add:
-No Sigmund Freud modules either. No dream analysis etc.
You will have to put up with people assuming that's what psychology is, even when you tell them otherwise:mad: . Psychology is a science as much as any other, it's based on proper and stringently-controlled research.

Eoghan-psych

dr zoidberg wrote:

Just to add:
-No Sigmund Freud modules either. No dream analysis etc.

Ah yes, slipped my mind. Freud is decidedly absent from undergrad teaching, except in the context of history.

John

Eoghan-psych wrote:

Ah yes, slipped my mind.

Freudian-slipped your mind?

LundiMardi

Well, good news, i've been given a place in the Diploma course, bad news is i have to figure out how to pay the 1800 euro fee:eek:

But looking forward to it none the less, it will be good to get myself an education.

John

LundiMardi wrote:

bad news is i have to figure out how to pay the 1800 euro fee:eek:

Pimp Frankie to lonely older women. Good luck with it though. I hope it leaves you wanting more.

Vangelis

I'm thinking of studying psychology too - some day.
But what kind of person is best fit for that subject, if any specific person at all?

Eoghan-psych

Vangelis wrote:

I'm thinking of studying psychology too - some day.
But what kind of person is best fit for that subject, if any specific person at all?

One must distinguish between "fit for the subject" and "fit for the course".

Psychology under the Irish university system is a very difficult field to get into [>500 points, except in the private institutions which is, IMHO, quite telling]. That means not only *getting in* is difficult, but that the course itself is tailored to that level of student [distinct from the actual nature of the material]. Students are expected to work at a level appropriate to this, so even getting in throught the 'back door' of general Arts or Science and competing for a small number of places isn't any great deal easier.

There's always the 'nuclear option' of going to the UK, where places are *much* easier come by [unfortunately so, in many cases]. Someone who just misses out on a place in, say, UCD would *shine* on many courses in the UK [purely because of the numbers - UK unis tend to have a far greater number of places, so the spread of ability is larger]. This is also down to the Leaving Cert. Love it or hate it, it *is* a fairly thorough system. A first year psych student in Ireland has just come of a guaranteed two years of higher level maths [looking at points, this is all but inevitable] and an extensive history of language training [English, Irish and a third language in the case of the NUIs], not to mention a science background as well. A similar student in the UK might have Drama, History, and 'General Studies'. It shows - I'm marking stuff for first years here and the writing wouldn't pass for Junior Cert English on some.

I should point out that the actual graduates are of the same standard - they just tend to have a far greater number of 2:2s and worse.

I'm not trumpeting heading over to the UK, but having moved over here to do a postgrad one of my pet topics is comparing the two systems.

Vangelis

Eoghan, I'm not sure I understand your message, if there is a message in your message.

Is Ireland-psychology better than UK-psychology or..?

Having different subjects from second level than the typical Irish that you mention doesn't mean you will fail or get poor results on a psychology course. You don't need to know relativity to study psychology for instance. I don't really understand what you are saying. Your post is a bit...incohesive.

John

Vangelis wrote:

Eoghan, I'm not sure I understand your message, if there is a message in your message.

Is Ireland-psychology better than UK-psychology or..?

Having different subjects from second level than the typical Irish that you mention doesn't mean you will fail or get poor results on a psychology course. You don't need to know relativity to study psychology for instance. I don't really understand what you are saying. Your post is a bit...incohesive.

You don't need to know relativity (yet, I'm sure someone will link it up at some stage) but you do need to have a decent level of maths as psychology is HEAVILY stats based. It's a science and going into it with no science background at all (all Irish students will have maths and most will have one or two more science subjects) is asking for trouble.

Eoghan-psych

Vangelis wrote:

Ireland-psychology better than UK-psychology or..?

My point was that someone who misses out on a place in Ireland because of a place shortage [there wouldn't be a noticeable difference between someone who got 5 or 10 points outside the ~500 cutoff] should have no problem getting a place in the UK, because of the greater number of places.

A side effect of the greater availability is that the ability spread is much greater - few if any people will get onto a course in Ireland without having the academic capacity for it, whereas that is not the case in the UK. This means that the resulting graduates will have a different breakdown in marks - far more pass/2:2s than from an Irish group.

Final marks are directly comparable - a first from an Irish course [real courses - BPS accredited] is of the same standard as a first from a UK BPS accredited course. The learning curve is somewhat steeper for UK students though - Irish ones have a great deal of the skills from the Leaving

p.pete

So not that the college courses are better or worse in the UK but that there's more places available. Also, not to get into which is better or worse, you'll have received a different education from the Leaving Cert as opposed to the A-Levels.

I've gotten 2 course offers from my application to UCAS so far

Eoghan-psych

p.pete wrote:

So not that the college courses are better or worse in the UK but that there's more places available. Also, not to get into which is better or worse, you'll have received a different education from the Leaving Cert as opposed to the A-Levels.

Presactly.

There are differences in course quality, but as long as the course is BPS accredited [or in the case of Irish course, *was* BPS accredited] they're of a similar standard - though the material may be slightly different, particular in the final year.

kjbsrah

p.pete wrote:

Cheers John2, it's courses in England and Wales I've applied for so presumably it'll be much the same. It'd be nice if a university took me on based on my application but I'm expecting to have to attend interview so I guess I can add it to my list of questions to ask

Hi p.pete,

I'm currently studying for a degree in Psychology in TVU in London. I'm a mature student and when i applied to do the course i simply went along to the university on one of the open days, filled in some forms and was offered a place - all within 2 weeks, with a view to start the following week. Its the best thing i've ever done and i would highly recommend it. Best of luck with your application.

eth0_

LundiMardi wrote:

I'm hopefully going to start a DIPLOMA in psychology next month, it's for one year and it's only one night a week.. i'll still have a diploma, which would halp me gain access to other courses as a mature student..

sound like a plan?

Would this diploma be with an accredited college/university?
A few years ago I was considering doing a diploma with Dorset college until I found out they award their own diplomas/certs, rendering their courses pretty much useless. Unless your diploma is from a FETAC or NUI etc accredited institution, it isn't worth the paper it's written on, is unlikely to help you to gain entrance into a degree, and certainly won't exempt you from the first year of a degree.

Also, 1800 euro for one year is ridiculous.

If I were you i'd start off with the open university and see if you actually like psychology, because the endless statistics does get tedious.

And to all the people here thinking of studying psychology: Only do it if you are 100% sure you want a career as a psychologist. It's extremely hard to get onto a postgraduate program in Ireland. There are barely any places. There's a massive training bottleneck. Yes, you see jobs for clinical psychologists starting on 40k, but there are very few people in Ireland that can get the qualifications needed without going to the UK to do postgrad study.

I've another year and a half left of my psych degree that i'm doing with the open university and chances are i'll go to the UK to do neuropsychology or will try and get into graduate entry medicine here in Ireland.

eth0_

Eoghan-psych wrote:

The learning curve is somewhat steeper for UK students though - Irish ones have a great deal of the skills from the Leaving

Why do you say that? Absolutely nothing, not one thing I learned in school gave me any advantage in my degree, other than general things like basic maths and how to write essays/reports - although i'd totally forgotten how to write reports, and besides, the format used for university reports/essays is nothing like the way we were told to write for the leaving cert!

A-Level students are much better prepared for their degrees because they can pick subjects like psychology/sociology/human biology for their a-levels which gives them a much better preparation for what they'll study in a psychology than the antiquated leaving cert syllabus.

Myksyk

eth0_ wrote:

It's extremely hard to get onto a postgraduate program in Ireland.

Pretty true.

There are barely any places.

Postgrad Clinical Courses ... There are currently 12 places per year in NUIG, about 9 in UL, 12 in UCD and a number through the PSI Diploma. There are a couple in the North (unsure of places).

There's a massive training bottleneck.

True

Yes, you see jobs for clinical psychologists starting on 40k,

Actually, the lowest qualified scale starts at over 50K (Hence the attraction perhaps).

eth0_

Have you finished nit-picking :P

How many people graduate with psychology degrees in Ireland every year? I'm guessing a LOT more than 33-40.

I'm just letting these people know what they're in for AFTER they finish with undergrad education. It's an extremely difficult field to get into and I don't think this is made at all clear to potential students.

snorlax

is a counselling course any easier to get into and do they do masters courses anywhere? i had a friend in third year psychology in tcd and he couldn't decide between counselling or clinical psychology for when he finished. Admittedly he said the good wage was a large attractor to clinical psychology.

p.pete

kjbsrah wrote:

Hi p.pete,

I'm currently studying for a degree in Psychology in TVU in London. I'm a mature student and when i applied to do the course i simply went along to the university on one of the open days, filled in some forms and was offered a place - all within 2 weeks, with a view to start the following week. Its the best thing i've ever done and i would highly recommend it. Best of luck with your application.

Cheers I've 4 offers so far (one rejection ) so I'll probably go for either Cardiff or Swansea, I'm really looking forward to it! Wales seems the cheapest option but I might send you a pm to see if you've anything set up regarding funding / options I should be looking at.

eth0_

Have you been to Cardiff and Swansea? I don't think i'd like to live there for 3 years :P
What about Bristol? There's Bristol Uni and the University of the West of England, BU is great for psychology. And there's cheap flights to Bristol with Ryanair.

p.pete

eth0_ wrote:

Have you been to Cardiff and Swansea? I don't think i'd like to live there for 3 years :P
What about Bristol? There's Bristol Uni and the University of the West of England, BU is great for psychology. And there's cheap flights to Bristol with Ryanair.

Thankyou eth0_, if I restart the UCAS application process I'll take that under advisement.

Going to the open day for both Cardiff and Swansea next month so I'll check them out, of the two I've only been to Cardiff briefly. I've managed to live in Reading for 3 years so these two should be handy

eth0_

Sorry....I assumed you were applying directly.

Myksyk

eth0_ wrote:

Have you finished nit-picking :P

Ouch ... Actually I was agreeing with you. I thought I was at any rate.

Myksyk

Important point ... you will not get onto any Clinical course in Ireand with only a primary degree (I don't know about UK). All successful applicants for courses in Ireland usually have gone on to do at least a Masters degree (one year in UCD about half the successful applicants had PhDs ... crazy but true). Most also have some sort of Clinical experience (Assistant Psychology posts, working in disabilities etc). The highest scored experience is that which has been supervised by a clinical psychologist.

p.pete

It seems to me that you can't go very far at all in psychology with just a degree. Specialisation afterwards seems to be quite important.

Eoghan-psych

eth0_ wrote:

Why do you say that?

One of the reasons many people say "nothing I learned in school was any use" is because they have nothing to compare themselves to.

I did the leaving cert, completed a psych degree in NUI Maynooth, and then moved to the UK to do postgrad work. I can compare students here with students in Ireland - the A level system is nowhere near as useful as the Leaving. An Irish student will have taken minimum six subjects [typically seven, if not more] to a level just below that of A level, and they will be doing very well indeed in each subject [they have to, to get the points]. A UK student will typically have taken three subjects, which can include such insanity as 'general studies' and other non-subjects. They have to catch up on the development of flexibility and breadth of understanding that Irish students have before they even fill out the CAO form.

hotspur

p.pete wrote:

It seems to me that you can't go very far at all in psychology with just a degree. Specialisation afterwards seems to be quite important.

The truth is that studying for 4 years in psychology doesn't qualify you for any profession as such, in that way it is similar to other Arts degrees like english or history.
Pete you're heading off to the UK to do a psychology degree, did you check out the possibility of doing the one in DBS School of Arts in Dublin? I presume that's fairly easy to get into and it is of a good standard and recognised by the PSI for graduate membership.

p.pete

hotspur wrote:

The truth is that studying for 4 years in psychology doesn't qualify you for any profession as such, in that way it is similar to other Arts degrees like english or history.
Pete you're heading off to the UK to do a psychology degree, did you check out the possibility of doing the one in DBS School of Arts in Dublin? I presume that's fairly easy to get into and it is of a good standard and recognised by the PSI for graduate membership.

Cheers, considered it alright. Largely I weighed up cost of living for various locations and also the course content (final year modules are very important if you've an idea of what direction you want to go in). Also there's the option of part time with DBS but for me I think I'd struggle with that arrangement.

Ireland would have been ideal in terms of fees if I didn't have a degree already, you have to pay for your second one As is I'm living in the UK over 2 years now so I don't feel it's too big a step to stay over here.

The Black Oil

Good thread, I'm hoping to apply for the H. Dip in Psychology. Anyone have any particular advice around postgrad applications and so forth? The H Dip is in a few places (UCD,TCD, UCC & NUIG). E.g. http://www.ucd.ie/psychology/pgcourses/hdip.html

The personal statement, show why you're interested, talk yourself up but don't lie! Anything else? Relevant work experience etc. Is it good to read about what the special interests the staff and see if any of those match your own interests in the field rather than stating your general interest? DON'T hint that you're interested in it in order to analyse family or friends or personal problems etc.

I suppose the main thing is to get the application sorted and worry about interviews later, they don't call anyone for an interview anyway. I'm thinking of applying anyway and even if I don't get it it's best to get some practice at the application etc rather than going into it blindly next year.

Any help would be great, thanks.

Eoghan-psych

hotspur wrote:

DBS School of Arts in Dublin? I presume that's fairly easy to get into

That should cause concern, not celebration.

In 2005, CAO entry points for DBS were 205 with a median of 320 [that means half the people on the course had 320 points or less, half had more, the lowest being 205].

To put that in perspective, theological and biblical studies in Trinity had a points score of 335.

That's damning enough, but look at the other psych courses -

Trinity: 545 with a median of 560
UCD: 495 with a median of 515
NUI Maynooth: 510 with a median of 520
NUI Galway: 535 with a median of 545
UCC: 515 with a median of 540

There is simply no comparison - for crying out loud, getting 6 D1s at higher level nets you 330 points! Even 6 D3s at higher level gives 270 points - barely scraping a pass gives *more* than enough to get into psychology in DBS. The lowest score above, UCD, requires an average grade of B2 at higher level - and DBS students can get in with Ds? Come on people!

Then there's the more important research issue - go to the DBS site and they will happily tell you that psychology graduates go on to work as clinical psychologists [maybe it's just me, but the idea of someone earning a DClinPsych with 205 points sounds somewhat delusional], but they have no pages devoted to staff research. That sets off *huge* alarm bells in my head.

Go to tcd.ie, ucd.ie, nuim.ie, ucc.ie [actually, not ucc - they're rebuilding their site] or nuigalway.ie and find their psych departments - ample information about staff research interests and their output, as it should be. A while back I emailed DBS for information about their research, and got no reply. That's the only time I've ever gone without a reply from any psych department on any question. Normally, one must seriously consider asking psych depts to *stop* replying.

For 4,800 euro per academic year, I'd want to see something more than delusional advertising.

Eoghan-psych

p.pete wrote:

It seems to me that you can't go very far at all in psychology with just a degree. Specialisation afterwards seems to be quite important.

Best to think of it like medical training - they have 3/4 years of basic, generic training and then go on to intensive, specialised stuff. The difference is that things are set up from the start as opposed to putting a programme together along the way.

hotspur

Eoghan the course is recognised by the PSI as being equivalent to any other psychology degree in Ireland because it is similar to content and quality. I have a degree in psychology from Trinity and last year did a masters in addiction studies in DBS and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the teaching staff and the programme, both were excellent and many of the psychology staff taught in that programme. The low points for the degree is partly the result of it being a private college and requiring full payment of fees unlike the other universities, less people want to pay full fess so fewer apply. A lot of the staff are clinicians, they have a psychoanalytic focus, but staff do research as well although I agree that their website does not adequately reflect that at all.

Ag marbh

Im starting psychology degree in Trinity part-time next year just to expand my knowledge but have no real intention on using it to excel in a career. It's free so why not!

Idioteque

Hi,

I'm looking at taking a psychology course in Dublin and am currently looking at the various options available. Had a look through the sticky's and posts here which I found very informative - one thing that does stick out though is the ridiculous notion of equating leaving cert points with 1. peoples' capabilities or 2. quality of courses.

With regard to the mature students interested in applying to a course...

Firstly, how someone applied themselves to exams at age 18 can not reflect the application they will apply to study at mid 20's onwards. From a personal point of view, I achieved 430pts(what seems like many moons ago!) but in no way challanged myself to the memory test that is the leaving cert at the time.

Secondly, I seem to recall 'photography' in DIT at the time was around the 550 points mark?!?, no disrespect to any budding photographers, but surely this can not be indicitive of the qualities one must posses to become a good or qualified photographer. Nor an indicator that one must poses the percieved -and I use the word lightly) 'intellect' of a person who achieved 550pts

Finally, as mentioned above, I've found the majority of posts informative and a good guideline for consideration - particualrily the posts mentioning the realistic lack of job oppertunities with 'just' a degree.

Just though I'd add my two cents

Thanks.