Random selection

Zola_Queen

Random selection...the CAO's worst weapon.
I got 520 but the course I want to do went up to 525 in the first round with random selection. Just wondering what are my chances of getting this course in round 2 (if the points drop of course) as Im assuming the course is either full already and/or theres quite a few people ahead of me on this "waiting list"? Should I start praying that 20 people defer??

Lucas10101

It's not the worst weapon. It's fair. You wouldn't be moaning about it if you actually got a place on that course.
==========================

People might not accept the course and so the points may drop, if it's only 5 points, then there's a good chance, but there's also the chance you don't get on. No point in praying, just wait and see, none of us have the answer.

Corruptedmorals

You could appeal. My course jumped 10 points and is already on random selection..I'm 15 points below it, and I'm still holding out some hope...just a bit, for 2nd/3rd round and appeals.

AdMMM

Well I'll put it this way, it's much easier to be offered a second round offer on a course that's not on random selection and the possibility of that is statistically very low so I wouldn't really be putting all my eggs in the one basket. Your best bet is to appeal an exam and hope that the college can accommodate you in October!

Zola_Queen

It's not the worst weapon. It's fair. You wouldn't be moaning about it if you actually got a place on that course.

Well no actually to be honest i would still feel the same. I personally think its absolutely ridiculous that CAO can turn around and say, "Yes you worked really hard for two years and yes you did get enough points but well...our computer in galway just didn't pick you". I think anyone in that position should be given an interview by the college lectureres for the particular course. Surely they have a better idea who would be better suited for the course than some computer in galway.

ya im definately getting a few re-checks its just missing fresher's week will be such a bummer!

Corruptedmorals

You can still go to that! Especially if the course you accepted and the course you want are the same college. You can register for the course you accepted, then if you the one you want, they'll switch your details for you.

PeakOutput

Zola_Queen wrote:

Well no actually to be honest i would still feel the same. I personally think its absolutely ridiculous that CAO can turn around and say, "Yes you worked really hard for two years and yes you did get enough points but well...our computer in galway just didn't pick you". I think anyone in that position should be given an interview by the college lectureres for the particular course. Surely they have a better idea who would be better suited for the course than some computer in galway.

1. you lost out because of not having the points not because of random selection so it is a bit pointless to be bitching about random selection.

2. why should you get a place over someone else who did an "equal" amount of work to you jsut because you can impress someone in an interview?

ya im definately getting a few re-checks its just missing fresher's week will be such a bummer!

one thing i do disagree with is that if you do get re-checked and go up you will more than likely have to wait till next year to get your place i think this is unfair

Zola_Queen

Corruptedmorals wrote:

You can still go to that! Especially if the course you accepted and the course you want are the same college. You can register for the course you accepted, then if you the one you want, they'll switch your details for you.

Really? What if say...I take my 3rd choice of nui maynooth (as a safety net) while I wait for appeal results, can I still go to TCD fresher week? Surely they wouldn't let me join any societies or anything?

By the way do you know where I can find the 2nd round points for the past few years? Im having rotten luck trying to find that

PeakOutput

Zola_Queen wrote:

Really? What if say...I take my 3rd choice of nui maynooth (as a safety net) while I wait for appeal results, can I still go to TCD fresher week? Surely they wouldn't let me join any societies or anything?

i dont think thats quite what he meant but either way you dont have to be going to the college to join a society. i was in the trinity poker soc and iv never been enrolled in tcd and they knew it aswell

Lucas10101

Some clubs I think demand you must be a student of the college. As PeakOutput said, it musn't be for all.

Zola_Queen

PeakOutput wrote:

i dont think thats quite what he meant but either way you dont have to be going to the college to join a society. i was in the trinity poker soc and iv never been enrolled in tcd and they knew it aswell

I think the misinterpretation is on your side here. Id only be going to nuim (while waiting for appeal results) if they didnt come back favorable...as you know it would be slightly handy to actually have a college to go to and not have to wait for a year. If they were then I would of course move to tcd as long as the course wasn't full. Im not just interested in their freshers week! Thought that was clear when I said "safety net"

carlowboy

Yeah, but I doubt you'll go straight into the course if you got the rechecks favourable. You'll have to wait til next year.

Corruptedmorals

She, not he. You have to contact admissions office if you're waiting on appeals to get into a different college. Second round though, could decide things, as well as looking at papers. You can also contact CAO and see where you are on the waiting list for your 1st choice, as long as it's not a TSM course in Trinity. Bahhh..that's exactly what I wanted to know!

Corruptedmorals

carlowboy wrote:

Yeah, but I doubt you'll go straight into the course if you got the rechecks favourable. You'll have to wait til next year.

Not Trinity anyway. I rang their admissions office, and they're fine with eh late arrivals AND late registration..just as long as there's a place.

Lucas10101

Corruptedmorals wrote:

.just as long as there's a place.

Would these not all be filled come Mid-October, especially for popular courses.

Corruptedmorals

Not neccessarily, it does happen that people get in with appeals quite often you know. So many people defer or end up getting a preferred offer. It's probably about 15% likely that I will somehow get a place on my 1st choice..it's already on random selection..

Zola_Queen

Corruptedmorals wrote:

She, not he. You have to contact admissions office if you're waiting on appeals to get into a different college. Second round though, could decide things, as well as looking at papers. You can also contact CAO and see where you are on the waiting list for your 1st choice, as long as it's not a TSM course in Trinity. Bahhh..that's exactly what I wanted to know!

Grr! my first choice is a TSM course as well. its so annoying because i dont know if theres 2 or 20 people on the waiting list. And i have to make decisions about ucas and everything else soon as well. I just wish there was some more info on secound round points from years gone by.
And i always thought that random selection kind of indicated that the course is...already full?? but then how come sometimes the points for such a course drop by 10/15/20 in secound round? is just a lot of people defering?
Con-fused!

Corruptedmorals

English, eh? Not with History, I hope..

Zola_Queen

No, english and sociology. 2nd choice was english and film but I cant get either of them now *pout*
And i had even already started the reading list for english...*big pout*

Corruptedmorals

Ah, well my friend is doing English and Sociology in NUIM, as arts there is what you've accepted, isn't it? She just dropped Anthropology, as did a lot of other people I know..it's meant to be terrible. Uhh English is alright, but they don't like the way it's purely focused on literature, but it's modularised and stuff. Sociology is alright, apparently.

I'm hoping for TR112, Hist with ancient hist and archaeology. The second is only something like 345! Damn Hist and it's popularity..it's 510.

Deadevil129

Okay, a piece of advice for anyone who just slipped below the course requrements. Call the admissions office. I know this has been mentioned already but the fear factor stops a lot of people doing it. There could be 2 or 200 people in front of you and it helps to find out. There have been cases of people getting in with slightly below the requirements just because they happened to ask "Can I have a place?" at the right moment. My uncle has lectured in a couple of universities both here and abroad in his career and he's both known people who worked their way in like this when he was in college and seen his own university let people in this way. There will always be a few who don't show up for registration; the odd foreign student will decide against coming. The university can't know how interested you are unless you tell them and askthem to keep you in mind if someone doesn't show up.

Think about it, universities want to fill their places. If someone doesn't show up to register they have a very limited amount of time to find someone to fill their spot. Therefore they can either call someone who told them previously that they wanted that place, or they can ring ten people who will most likely already be settled into another college and have no intrest in changing.

Corruptedmorals

They won't give out where you are on the waiting list for TSM courses, which is what hers is, and mine.

carlowboy

Excuse my ignorance but what is TSM?

genericgoon

Two Subject Moderatship. Basically how Trinity handles Arts courses. You pick the two subjects youre doing from the list of courses and apply for a specific 2 subjects on your CAO. Each combination has an individual CAO no. For example if you wanted to do History and geography it would have a unique CAO number. You might remember when going through points lists that Trinity has that big table where each combination had a certain amount of points last year. Those are the TSM choices.