What is the best University in Ireland?

Pride Fighter

Posting this on the UCD section it might be obvious but maybe some of you out there hate this place. I have not included the Northern Irish institutions such as Queens and the others refers to ITs in Ireland. What do you think?

Pride Fighter

I wonder if anyone will vote for Trinity?

funky penguin

Thought you were banned?

delta_bravo

How can one judge unless you have properly studied them all and visited the campuses?

Michael Collins

delta_bravo wrote:

How can one judge unless you have properly studied them all and visited the campuses?

Not to mention having to study the same courses to give an accurate comparison. I think the best thing the OP can do is go to each of your potential colleges and suss out the facilities for yourself.

Or if you post specific information about what course you're interested up here I'm there's somebody who'll be able to give you advice on how good/bad it is in UCD...

Chakar

The question is quite subjective. I think the OP should be more specific as it depends on what aspects, would make a university just so. The students would have differing opinions and emphases on the varying aspects, that would make any university, the best university in Ireland.

Pride Fighter

Who voted for Trinity and why?

delta_bravo

Pride Fighter wrote:

Who voted for Trinity and why?

So thats all you care about?

Pride Fighter

Its not all I care about. Just trying to gauge what makes a University great and what Trinity has to offer in terms of being a great university.

imp

So far I've enjoyed UCD more than I did TCD...

Schlemm

Used to go to TCD before UCD and the administration is a hell of a lot better in TCD I can tell ya!

hullaballoo

I don't think that anyone who hasn't studied in all of those colleges could properly answer that poll. I've heard great things about UL, UCC and UCG, but I don't think I could vote for them off the back of that.

I also note that you neglected to include Queen's University in Belfast.

RuggieBear

Schlemm wrote:

Used to go to TCD before UCD and the administration is a hell of a lot better in TCD I can tell ya!

Now that's scary.:eek:

elmyra

As an aside, I think Galway like to be known as NUIG.

I definitely wouldn't vote for UCD, I've enjoyed my time here as an undergrad in spite of rather than because of the college.

Academically and administratively, I'd probably give it to Trinity. I have friends who aren't starting their exams for at least a week after me and have had timetables confirmed since March and April.

Galway and Cork have great atmospheres about them and actually 'look' like universities.

Having never been to UL I can't say for sure...but it's probably better than here too.

gubbie

UCC... cos its in Cork

Red Alert

TCD do have a better website than us, which is probably because it was done intelligently and not by some marketing gurus who didn't realise people in UCD might need to use it too.

stolenwine

Move this post to an open forum. Different universities are good for different subjects U.C.D- Law, Business, Medicine apparently. T.C.D English - humanities subjects, Science, Law

In the U.k there is a list published that has the top universities ranked and a list of the top universtities for different subjects. They are assessed by inspectors. We should have this here it would force universities to up there game. Ucd is the only Irish university that offers my course, the department is utterly shambolic but it's either ucd or move to the uk and currently I like living in Ireland.

stolenwine

Red Alert wrote:

TCD do have a better website than us, which is probably because it was done intelligently and not by some marketing gurus who didn't realise people in UCD might need to use it too.

You're right I went to a talk given by one of the ucd website maintainers and he kept on going on about maintaining a "corporate feel". You have to also remember that one of the main pull factors for individuals accessing the TCD site is their library online catalogue that is a major selling point as they have a world class library that is a legal depository meaning it gets a copy of every book published in Ireland and the u.k as far as I know.

Ha ha ha just looked up their Wikipedia page

"Trinity College, Dublin TCD, or Thick ***** of Dublin, corporately designated as the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin etc........"

hullaballoo

The inspectors presumably study for at least three years in each University as undergraduates in order to be able to pass judgement, no?

stolenwine

These tables are published in national newspapers:

Here's an example of how the Guardian formulates its league table-

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/universityguide/story/0,,959140,00.html

While I was studying in the U.K my department was inspected and subsequently gained a substantial amount of funding. Why can't Irish universities be regulated in a similar fashion?

humbert

There is some disagreement over league tables isn't there though?

Spectator#1

League tables for colleges are the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. Top Trumps would be a much better idea, at least we could have some fun with them.

stolenwine

humbert wrote:

There is some disagreement over league tables isn't there though?

There has been yes, I'm not saying it's a perfect system but you can cross refernce all the differents league tables and get a good enough guideline. What I'm saying is we need more transparency in this country with regard to third level statistics.

Spectator#1

Personally I'd say a better way to find out about how good or bad a college is would be to talk to the departments you're interested in attending; students or staff, and get an idea that way. It doesn't matter how many league tables you look at. It's like sorting out league tables of human beings in order to decide who you want to be friends with.

Stabshauptmann

The best? Depends what you want really.

For social scene UCD has the most and most active clubs and societies, TCD has the Pav, but Ive really enjoyed any trips Ive made to NUIG or CIT and I think they are two great party colleges (and Im not just talking about RAG week). It is really really hard to say which campus accomadtion I liked the most (and Ive been to most in Ireland) but I think belgrove pips it.

Academically, then it depends on what you're studying, for example arts is the whipping boy of UCD and the Quinn is Irelands best business schools, where as in TCD Bess is a joke and points for arts can be in the high 500s. But tbh, I think its always UCD/TCD in the top 2 spots (just my own 2c).

And atmosphere, I personally dont like what I preceive to be stuffy in TCD.

I like UCD, I filled out my CAO more by university than course and Im happy with how it turned out.

griffdaddy

Spectator#1 wrote:

Top Trumps would be a much better idea, at least we could have some fun with them.

Spectator- 'Administration.....7?'
Griffdaddy- 'Cúnt! Administration 3, i had poxy UCD again!'

stolenwine

Spectator#1 wrote:

Personally I'd say a better way to find out about how good or bad a college is would be to talk to the departments you're interested in attending; students or staff, and get an idea that way. It doesn't matter how many league tables you look at. It's like sorting out league tables of human beings in order to decide who you want to be friends with.

I was impressed by books I had read written by lecturers at the university that I ended up going to for my undergrad, I looked at the tables as an afterthought, so I see what you're saying.

Still I think that statistics should be available to prospective students, not everyone is going to have the wit to sit down with lecturers and have a chat that is if you can manage to get a meeting with one.

Spectator#1

griffdaddy wrote:

Spectator- 'Administration.....7?'
Griffdaddy- 'Cúnt! Administration 3, i had poxy UCD again!'

Winner!

Blut

Which 14 people voted for UCD? Have these 11 people not sat a single exam in their time here? Or tried to register for courses or have any dealings with admin? Surely any experience with the exams office or the administration would leave you with no doubt that UCD is not the best college in Ireland by a longshot.

themole

stolenwine wrote:

Still I think that statistics should be available to prospective students, not everyone is going to have the wit to sit down with lecturers and have a chat that is if you can manage to get a meeting with one.

This is particularly true for foreign students who often have to pick the college and get accepted without ever having been to the country. I use orkut, a social networking type site similar to bebo, which has a lot of international users. I have gotten more than a few enquiries about colleges in ireland and where they rank within ireland and the world. Its important when you are looking outside your own country.

themole

elmyra wrote:

As an aside, I think Galway like to be known as NUIG.

Indeed, it has been known as NUIG since around 1997.