Irish Racism in Academia

Matilda600

I really must put on record my annoyance at new "racism" of Irish universities such as Trinity and UCD (and maybe others I don't know about). I have just been turned down for a place (6 year medicine) even though I got the UK A Level equivalent of 580 points (and I see that some applicants got in with 570).

I was told today by UCD admissions that they do have an exclusionist policy so that candidates from other EU countries are not given fair treatment as against the Irish leaving cert.

How times change and how short are memories. The so called "Celtic Tiger" is as a direct result of the subsidies obtained from the EU. Now the Irish are unwilling to "give and take". Perhaps it is time for other EU countries to discriminate against the Irish Leaving Cert. This would be especially helpful in the UK (after all, any Irish student who can get a place at a good UK uni is bound to take it). Remember, the Irish unis are pretty far down the league tables.

This message is written from a moral point of view not disappointment (my Irish application was an add on - I already have a place at a UK uni). I am just very annoyed by the arrogance.

The Irish leaving certificate is sooooooo great that most of the contributors to boards.ie have a major problem with writing in English (appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation!!!).

Matilda600

I really must put on record my annoyance at new "racism" of Irish universities such as Trinity and UCD (and maybe others I don't know about). I have just been turned down for a place (6 year medicine) even though I got the UK A Level equivalent of 580 points (and I see that some applicants got in with 570).

I was told today by UCD admissions that they do have an exclusionist policy so that candidates from other EU countries are not given fair treatment as against the Irish leaving cert.

How times change and how short are memories. The so called "Celtic Tiger" is as a direct result of the subsidies obtained from the EU. Now the Irish are unwilling to "give and take". Perhaps it is time for other EU countries to discriminate against the Irish Leaving Cert. This would be especially helpful in the UK (after all, any Irish student who can get a place at a good UK uni is bound to take it). Remember, the Irish unis are pretty far down the league tables.

This message is written from a moral point of view not disappointment (my Irish application was an add on - I already have a place at a UK uni). I am just very annoyed by the arrogance.

The Irish leaving certificate is sooooooo great that most of the contributors to boards.ie have a major problem with writing in English (appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation!!!).

Tayto2000

Matilda600 wrote:

The Irish leaving certificate is sooooooo great that most of the contributors to boards.ie have a major problem with writing in English (appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation!!!).

You mentioned arrogance? Glad to hear that the A-levels are so much better...

Matilda600 wrote:

(after all, any Irish student who can get a place at a good UK uni is bound to take it)

Because Irish institutes are all so obviously inferior? The league tables btw are rubbish.

Also, if you want to rant, you really only need to post it once.

Good luck in your course, assuming this whole post isn't a line of bulls**t.

Het-Field

Matilda600 wrote:

I really must put on record my annoyance at new "racism" of Irish universities such as Trinity and UCD (and maybe others I don't know about). I have just been turned down for a place (6 year medicine) even though I got the UK A Level equivalent of 580 points (and I see that some applicants got in with 570).

I was told today by UCD admissions that they do have an exclusionist policy so that candidates from other EU countries are not given fair treatment as against the Irish leaving cert.

How times change and how short are memories. The so called "Celtic Tiger" is as a direct result of the subsidies obtained from the EU. Now the Irish are unwilling to "give and take". Perhaps it is time for other EU countries to discriminate against the Irish Leaving Cert. This would be especially helpful in the UK (after all, any Irish student who can get a place at a good UK uni is bound to take it). Remember, the Irish unis are pretty far down the league tables.

This message is written from a moral point of view not disappointment (my Irish application was an add on - I already have a place at a UK uni). I am just very annoyed by the arrogance.

The Irish leaving certificate is sooooooo great that most of the contributors to boards.ie have a major problem with writing in English (appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation!!!).[/QUOTE]

Thats a great way to go about garnering support.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

tough titties?

Sangre

Umm right.

Any medicine student will tell you that their class are nearly always 50% foreign students. In fact, people joke about how the Irish are nearly in the minority in RCSI,UCD and Trinity. Of course this isn't exclusive to caucasion non-nationals and includes students of all colours.

Maybe you were turned down because of your obvious lack of research skills?

Actually its probably because you didn't do any science subjects.

Matilda600

Sangre wrote:

Umm right.

Any medicine student will tell you that their class are nearly always 50% foreign students. In fact, people joke about how the Irish are nearly in the minority in RCSI,UCD and Trinity. Of course this isn't exclusive to caucasion non-nationals and includes students of all colours.

Maybe you were turned down because of your obvious lack of research skills?

Actually its probably because you didn't do any science subjects.

Sangre,

The correct spelling is "caucasian".

Research skills? Science subjects? Neither are required for the six year course.

Analyse that!

Sangre

Delighted you didn't get in.

Why don't you analyse the fact that your original assertion that UCD is racist is wrong? Or would you rather attack people's spellings and ignore the fact you're completely wrong?

Het-Field

Matilda600 wrote:

Sangre,

The correct spelling is "caucasian".

Research skills? Science subjects? Neither are required for the six year course.

Analyse that!

Matilda, you are endearing yourself to the UCD Boardsies, in a way similar to David Duke's attempts at endearing himself to the non caucasian population of the USA

Zamboni

Matilda600 wrote:

I have just been turned down for a place (6 year medicine) even though I got the UK A Level equivalent of 580 points (and I see that some applicants got in with 570).

I was told today by UCD admissions that they do have an exclusionist policy so that candidates from other EU countries are not given fair treatment as against the Irish leaving cert.

Hi Matilda,

UCD would be hammered by the European courts if they had an exclusionist policy.
You use the word racism very flippantly. If UCD rate A-Levels lower than the Leaving Certificate that is not racism. That is a difference of academic opinion based upon criteria.
To suggest that is simply a case of 'racism' shows a level of immaturity and poor education, even if you can spell properly.

Good day.

stolenwine

If I'm not mistaken every course has a quota of how many overseas students they will allow onto a particular course. It is possible that the quota was filled and the larger percentage was taken up by leaving certificate students which is the norm. This is also the case in the U.K.

Sorry that you feel hard done by but it is not racism.

armada104

Though you claim you had UCD as an "add on", whatever that means (you either wanted to go to a university or you didn't), I find it difficult to believe that you could even consider coming to Ireland with the kinds of attitudes you hold. Your obvious disdain for a whole nation would not have served you well had you found yourself living in it for six years.

You may have a point about unfair admission practices (please don't bother to correct my spelling on that one), but you've cancelled out your argument by spouting xenophobic rubbish. Economic upturns are generally anything but the direct result of subsidies. Subsidies help along the way, but only slightly.

As has been pointed out to you, and as you chose to ignore, much of the places on Irish medicine courses are taken by people from abroad. Perhaps positive discrimination is used to increase the number of doctors in Ireland, as there is a huge shortage of consultants at the moment. Perhaps not. But for someone intelligent enough to get 3 As and a B in their (supposedly superior) A-Levels, you don't seem to have given this much thought.

Paul Tergat

this makes me laugh.

Yeah i get really inferior treatment for not being from Ireland. they make me sit outside during lectures, I have to sit a harder exam then the rest of my class etc....

if i'm very honest the a-levels are a complete joke in comparison with the leaving cert. I don't really understand why you're coming on here and ranting but if it makes you feel better....unlucky on not getting in!

Tellox

Delighted you didn't get in

Thomas_S_Hunterson

The A-levels are a joke to be quite honest, I think it's unfair on Irish students that they are given so much weight in the CAO system.

To be able to do medicine with only 4 subjects under your belt to what is really a lower standard than the Irish leaving cert is ridiculous.

Slow Motion

I didn't get in to college ! Racists ! :mad:

I didn't get the job I applied for ! Racists ! :mad:

I didn't get snogged in the club last night ! Racists ! :mad:

I didn't get support from boardsies ! Racists ! :mad:

I didn't........ ! Racists ! :mad:


Yawn ! :rolleyes:

RuggieBear

lol

that is all

Paul Tergat

Sean_K wrote:

The A-levels are a joke to be quite honest, I think it's unfair on Irish students that they are given so much weight in the CAO system.

To be able to do medicine with only 4 subjects under your belt to what is really a lower standard than the Irish leaving cert is ridiculous.

do you mean that for example you learn more from leaving cert business than a-level business...if so then im sure this is wrong. in a-levels we study more on less subjects, whereas the LC study a wider range but in less depth IMO. having said this i do believe that LC is superior to a-level due to the broadness of education offered.

i agree what you're saying but if that weight is not put to a-levels then it would not be possible for UK students to get into Irish uni's (although many may like that ).

Thomas_S_Hunterson

What I mean is that I don't feel the amount 'extra' studied on the A level course is anywhere near enough to warrant the 150% weighting it is afforded.

RuggieBear

when i considered going to Queens A levels were worth twice as much as the leaving.

so my leaving cert 4 As and 2 Bs were the same as an "A" Level 2 As and a B:(

Paul Tergat

Sean_K wrote:

What I mean is that I don't feel the amount 'extra' studied on the A level course is anywhere near enough to warrant the 150% weighting it is afforded.

yeah i wasnt sure what you meant.

i agree with what you're saying


when i did my a-levels 3 years ago now (getting old) i was in school for like 15 hours a week and did absolutely no work and still got into a very good course.

it really is a joke the lack of effort needed to get the "same" as someone in the LC

is_that_so

I think the OP will find that an Irish university in the same way as a UK university, must ensure that they provide for their own first. I see nothing wrong with that at all. That said I am bemused as to why you have chosen boards to vent your spleen. The Irish Times where they can spell might be a better forum.

Flume

To the original poster, how about you take you and your racist attitudes towards the irish and their educational system onto another board.One that maybe gives a ****e!

BKtje

The Irish leaving certificate is sooooooo great that most of the contributors to boards.ie have a major problem with writing in English (appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation!!!).

So because people on boards decide not to take the effort to double check their spelling the irish leaving cert sucks? ok...

iwincosimcool

Matilda600 did'nt get in as she/he is a naughty naughty person and stinks of the poo poo, and therefore needed to be punished.

panda100

Sean_K wrote:

The A-levels are a joke to be quite honest, I think it's unfair on Irish students that they are given so much weight in the CAO system..

Im going to put this myth to bed once and for all.I went to a grammer school in London and took my GCSEs there (equivalent to junior cert) and then came over to do my leaving cert in Ireland.I would equate the Irish leaving cert to being only slightly a bit above English gcse's. I had four older brothers and sisters who did a-levels and from looking at their books and seeing how they studied the a-levels are extremely tough.

Sean_K wrote:

To be able to do medicine with only 4 subjects under your belt to what is really a lower standard than the Irish leaving cert is ridiculous.

For his a-levels my brother(whose now a doctor) did biology,chemistry and physics
The majority of people getting into medicnce in Ireland took home ec,french,woodwork,geography or whatever the latest easy point subjects are.....its not the quantity of subjects you study for leaving/alevls that matters,its quality.


Matilda,my brother got three A's in his a- evels in biology,chemistry and physics and he got UCD no problem. I am almost 100 percent sure that for medicne in Ireland you have to have at least one offer from an English university before they will accept you here.If you werent offered a place in medicince in England then I dont think they allow you to take a place in an Irish college. (this is just for medicine).Perhaps this is why they rejected you?

FionnMatthew

Sangre wrote:

Umm right.

Any medicine student will tell you that their class are nearly always 50% foreign students. In fact, people joke about how the Irish are nearly in the minority in RCSI,UCD and Trinity. Of course this isn't exclusive to caucasion non-nationals and includes students of all colours.

Maybe you were turned down because of your obvious lack of research skills?

Maybe you were turned down because you're not from Africa.

FionnMatthew

Matilda600 wrote:

Analyse that!

"Analyze" that, according to the Oxford English Dictionary Online.

FionnMatthew

Matilda600 wrote:

The Irish leaving certificate is sooooooo great that most of the contributors to boards.ie have a major problem with writing in English (appalling spelling, grammar and punctuation!!!).

Besides the rather glib fact that you spelled the word "so" with six superfluous "o" letters, it shall be interesting to note the omission of the word "the" in the following sentence, which you managed to write on your own.

I really must put on record my annoyance at [!!!???] new "racism" of Irish universities such as Trinity and UCD (and maybe others I don't know about). I have just been turned down for a place (6 year medicine) even though I got the UK A Level equivalent of 580 points (and I see that some applicants got in with 570).

I should expect, however, that these particular mistakes have less to do with the quality of the state exams in the United Kingdom, and more to do with an entirely native dullardry on the part of the OP.

May illiteracy keep you awake at night. You certainly won't be going to Oxford.

Sangre

My Maths/applied Maths teacher was a English guy who went through the English system right up to doctorate level at Oxford. He said we definitely had a harder time of it in Ireland. That might have been when an A level was 200% though.

Fallen Seraph

Matilda600 wrote:

*stamps feet becuase of not having got the place I wanted*

/thread.

Edit (to be more concise): I could rebut the post more thoroughly (despite the flak that has been thrown her way I don't feel that all the fallacies/hypocrisy in her post have yet been pointed out exhaustively), but it seems more like hit and run idiocy than a serious argument.