Picking Arts subjects?

jimi_t

I've been hearing stories that picking your subjects in non-differentiated arts is on a strictly first come/first served basis - i.e. if you sleep in you're left doing Welsh and Canadian studies as a BA for 3 years. Is there any truth in this and could someone clarify when we pick our subjects, what day/time do we go in and what the basic format is?

Cannibal Ox

You can pick your subjects over SIS on the UCD website once you've gotten your username and password (I think you get them on the same day you pick up your student card).
There's a limited number of places for each course, so I suppose you could end up getting stuck doing some random sh¡t, but it's not very likely since most of the big courses are capable of holding a few hundred.

Chakar

jimi_t wrote:

I've been hearing stories that picking your subjects in non-differentiated arts is on a strictly first come/first served basis - i.e. if you sleep in you're left doing Welsh and Canadian studies as a BA for 3 years. Is there any truth in this and could someone clarify when we pick our subjects, what day/time do we go in and what the basic format is?

Well sleeping in is always good and there's no truth to the rumours of people left out in courses that can hold hundreds of people for example my subject in Sociology was able to have 600 people.

Anyway most people leave it to the last minute so I reckon you'll be fine.

jimi_t

Cannibal Ox wrote:

You can pick your subjects over SIS on the UCD website once you've gotten your username and password (I think you get them on the same day you pick up your student card).

Hmm... In the student handbook it says that your login for the UCD Website is your CAO number and your DOB. Is that the SIS thing you're referring to?

Well sleeping in is always good and there's no truth to the rumours of people left out in courses that can hold hundreds of people for example my subject in Sociology was able to have 600 people.

Well I'm looking for some of the big demand courses - Psychology, Sociology and English - so I REALLY want to make sure I get them.

How much, ballpark figure, would I be spending on books in my first year. Need to budget before I go mad with Freshers week and music equipment.

singingstranger

jimi_t wrote:

Hmm... In the student handbook it says that your login for the UCD Website is your CAO number and your DOB. Is that the SIS thing you're referring to?

That's the SIS, yeah. http://www.ucd.ie/sisadmin/stuweb

As for the books, it can really vary wildly and it's probably very difficult to predict, but I'll reserve judgement in case an Arts boardsie can direct you.

Serenity

I'm going into first year Arts too. I've done the whole signing in to SIS and filling in my details etc, but Phase 2, ie. the enrolling in my modules part doesn't seem to be open yet. It keeps saying it's not available. I was just wondering if anyone knows when first years Arts students can enrol in their modules? The only info on dates on SIS is for Business and Law students.

rain on

[ineffectual admin-monkey] arts students should be able to enrol from tomorrow, if all goes to plan. best thing is to keep an eye on SIS. the system is having, ahem, teething problems. [/ineffectual admin-monkey]

jimi_t

rain on wrote:

[ineffectual admin-monkey] arts students should be able to enrol from tomorrow, if all goes to plan. best thing is to keep an eye on SIS. the system is having, ahem, teething problems. [/ineffectual admin-monkey]

So if you enroll in Arts via the website, and it goes through, then you've your subjects got no matter what? (i.e. If I don't turn up on the Monday after Electric Picnic I won't be stuck with Arabic or something).

griffdaddy

i'm not sure about the other subjects you mentioned, but about €150 would easily cover english for both terms, and thats buying the books brand new in the campus book shop, which is a rip-off, i was just to lazy to look elsewhere. The best thing to do is to buy the big hitters e.g. the oxford book of american short stories and the norton anthology of poetry new or in good condition, as although they are expensive, you'll use them forever and they look good on your book shelf:D The advantage of the other books is that they're simply novels and plays so are widely available cheaply and second hand, they might ask you to get specific versions of texts but it makes no difference unless its an old or medieval translation your studying. Then again, all of the above advice should be tempered with the realisation that nobody actually reads the books in first year english and you can avoid about half of them a term through laziness and reading synopses on the net. And not going mental in freshers week is not an option.

rain on

jimi_t wrote:

So if you enroll in Arts via the website, and it goes through, then you've your subjects got no matter what? (i.e. If I don't turn up on the Monday after Electric Picnic I won't be stuck with Arabic or something).

yep, i think that's how it works.

(ineffectual and also under-trained admin monkey)

as for the books thing, i think i spent a couple of hundred quid on books for first year english, but a lot of those --like the norton anthologies already mentioned-- lasted me all the way through a BA and MA so it was worth it. i could have cut down significantly on the initial outlay though if i'd looked for second-hand books and ignored the editions - for lecture courses at least it rarely matters what edition you have.
also i don't think there's been an english student in existence who read everything on their reading list. like if there's, say, twelve books on a course, it's probably a good idea to have had a look at the majority of them, but you should only need to really know three or four properly when it comes to exam time.

Chakar

Well I'm looking for some of the big demand courses - Psychology, Sociology and English - so I REALLY want to make sure I get them.

You'll like Sociology its a pretty good course and by the way Kieran Allen is a top lecturer and so make sure not to miss his lectures they are so interesting.

jimi_t

Hmm.. I'm glad that people who did English through Arts seem to like it. I couldn't live without it to be perfectly honest with you

Would someone mind posting up the Reading List/Set Texts for last year? Just titles would even do - I'm intrigued

jimi_t

Chakar wrote:

You'll like Sociology its a pretty good course and by the way Kieran Allen is a top lecturer and so make sure not to miss his lectures they are so interesting.

Great stuff. Glad to hear there's no duds in my future BA I'll make sure to look out for Kieran Allen anyways

rain on

jimi_t wrote:

Hmm.. I'm glad that people who did English through Arts seem to like it. I couldn't live without it to be perfectly honest with you

Would someone mind posting up the Reading List/Set Texts for last year? Just titles would even do - I'm intrigued

dunno about last year, but some of this year's provisional reading lists are here:
http://www.ucd.ie/englishanddrama/undergraduateinfo.htm

dajaffa

U probably can't pick your subjects until Saturday http://www.ucd.ie/students/keydates.htm

Those dates keep changing, used to be today for Arts students to pick electives etc

Blush_01

In relation to English books, pick up the Norton Anthology of Poetry in the SU bookshop (in the student centre, directly across from the Kiosk) for about half the price, but beware, they go VERY quickly, and as they are keep-y books, they don't get many people selling them on, so you really have to be on the ball. Also, it's a good idea to get the right edition of whatever Chaucer book you're doing, because translations do vary a bit. Other than that, Hodges Figgis bargain basement and Chapters will become your best friends, if you do buy all the books on your course. I bought the Norton poetry and about four Penguin Classics editions of stuff in first year. Oh, and the Riverside Chaucer. Total? About €70.

If you have wings on your feet, the library can be great - but don't rely on it totally.

singingstranger

dajaffa wrote:

U probably can't pick your subjects until Saturday http://www.ucd.ie/students/keydates.htm

Those dates keep changing, used to be today for Arts students to pick electives etc

If I remember correctly, the SU Ed Officer told me it's Saturday for them. I think.