Schols Schols Schols, information and venting thread.

lucernarian

Speaking of the college calendar, I was told (and I can't see it on the web either) that the 09/10 Calendar wasn't released yet...

d93c2inhxfok4y

So who else properly "starts" tomorrow morning then?

andrew

Canaan Happy Salmon wrote: »

So who else properly "starts" tomorrow morning then?

Yup, thats when I'm going to get down to it. Organise my time. Get stuff done. Do assignments as soon as I get them. Do the readings. Do extra readings. No more long lunches in the Buttery. No more doing sweet feck all. I'm gonna be one studious mo-fo.

At least, thats what I keep telling myself.

Groinshot

howpointless is it to attempt these in 1styr? lol.
im smart in my own categories, but not in artsy subjects, will this come against me?

mathew

You cant do them if its your first time in first year

Scholarship Entry Document wrote:

10 No students may compete for a scholarship until after their names have been entered on the College books as Junior Freshmen, i.e. they cannot compete as rising Junior Freshmen

source: Calendar 2009/10 - Scholarship Entry

antiselfdual

This always confuses me...

General Regulations and Information wrote:

During the first year of their undergraduate programme students are called Junior Freshmen, during the second year Senior Freshmen, during the third Junior Sophisters, and during the fourth Senior Sophisters.

...

The expression ‘rising Junior Freshman’ is used to describe a student who has been granted admission to the Junior Freshman class of the coming Michaelmas term, and whose name has been placed on the College books. A rising Senior Freshman is a student who has credit for the Junior Freshman year but has not entered upon the Senior Freshman year; and similarly in the Sophister years.

At what point do rising Junior Freshmen cease rising and become Junior Freshmen?

claire h

antiselfdual wrote: »

At what point do rising Junior Freshmen cease rising and become Junior Freshmen?

Registration, I would guess. Or possibly the start of the academic year (according to the calendar, rather than when freshers week or teaching term begins) - early September sometime.

You can indeed sit Schols in first year, although one of the issues that was on the table as they talked about rejigging the whole system was whether it should be limited to SF students. The issue of 'Rising Junior Freshman' sitting exams must be in there purely for technicality's sake, as only a teeny tiny proportion of students entering in the autumn would know in the spring that they were going to be attending the college. So you can sit the exams in first year. Whether it is a wise move to do so is quite another question.

desertstorm

I've only heard of one, maybe two people that have ever gotten schols in 1st year (and I think they were infact the same person..)

so basically you'd need to excel in everything related to your course and more

have a look at the online course handbook on the senior freshman part of your course's website if you can find it, theres details of what schols is going to be like this year which should give you an idea of how feasible it is for you?

Engineering for example is being examined on material from the first semester of SF this year, so basically JF can't take schols this year as the course has been revised somewhat from other years due to semesterisation

Sir Ophiuchus

All the new exam regulations and requirements are up. Fantastic news, for me at any rate!

Took Schols last year in Psychology and English, and I had nine hours (three exams) in English and ten hours (five exams) in Psychology.

Now? Four, and four. Thank God. Plus I have a much greater degree of choice in what Psychology papers I'm taking this time.

*rolls up sleeves* This time I damn well mean it. Schols or bust!

lucernarian

I cannot believe this is meant to pass as the Foundation Scholarship regulations for science:

68 Science
Candidates are examined in their course work up to the end of the Michaelmas term of the
Senior Freshman year together with such additional reading as may be required by individual
heads of school or course directors.

I suppose I had better look into my crystal ball to find out what the exam papers might actually look like this year, after the separate course/semesterisation changes:rolleyes:

To_be_confirmed

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

I cannot believe this is meant to pass as the Foundation Scholarship regulations for science:


I suppose I had better look into my crystal ball to find out what the exam papers might actually look like this year, after the separate course/semesterisation changes:rolleyes:

Perhaps ask your lecturers? Or ask your class rep to raise it?

There's a requirement (or used to be anyways) for annual exams for a sample paper to be given to the class something like 8 weeks before the exam, no idea if there is/was anything for Schols ottomh.

lucernarian

I don't believe we have any class reps yet anyway (elections for class reps are this week anyway I believe.

I have asked some lecturers and even one of the course administrators, but their information is contradictory as to the nitty gritty of science schols. The info from the course office also contradicts the info found on the exams office website as to what/how many papers are being prepared for science schols this year.

Podge_irl

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

I cannot believe this is meant to pass as the Foundation Scholarship regulations for science:


I suppose I had better look into my crystal ball to find out what the exam papers might actually look like this year, after the separate course/semesterisation changes:rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure that's all we got in terms of regulations for the exam. Now, admittedly we had past papers to go off, but they deliberately leave the regulations vague. There will be stuff asked that is not on the course per se (though they will generally be simple enough questions).

dabh

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

I cannot believe this is meant to pass as the Foundation Scholarship regulations for science:


I suppose I had better look into my crystal ball to find out what the exam papers might actually look like this year, after the separate course/semesterisation changes:rolleyes:

Basic translation: we are required to produce an entry in the College Calendar concerning the Scholarship examination in Science. The regulations in the College Calendar are more definitive and binding than those found in course handbooks, webpages, etc. Therefore we have to be accurate. But at the time of writing [probably around February or March] we haven't the foggiest idea of how the new scholarship examination will be structured. Therefore we should put an essentially meaningless short paragraph in the Calendar that is compatible with just about anything we might subsequently wish to do with regard to the Scholarship papers. Hopefully things will become clearer in the Autumn.

Pet

Dabh, how long have you been working for the Science course office?

lucernarian

dabh wrote: »

Basic translation: we are required to produce an entry in the College Calendar concerning the Scholarship examination in Science. The regulations in the College Calendar are more definitive and binding than those found in course handbooks, webpages, etc. Therefore we have to be accurate. But at the time of writing [probably around February or March] we haven't the foggiest idea of how the new scholarship examination will be structured. Therefore we should put an essentially meaningless short paragraph in the Calendar that is compatible with just about anything we might subsequently wish to do with regard to the Scholarship papers. Hopefully things will become clearer in the Autumn.

I guessed that the obfuscation in Calendar was due to the uncertainty that I mentioned, but my (and many others I guess) main concern is when will the Schols exam for this year be clarified? Autumn is very much marching on and there are 9/10 teaching weeks left before the schols exams right now. That is, if you think week 11 is a reading week, or a study week as the science office insisted upon it being called.

dabh

Pet wrote: »

Dabh, how long have you been working for the Science course office?

By way of clarification: the 'we' occurring in my 'basic translation' refers to the conjectured thoughts and intentions of the person or persons unknown who drafted that particular paragraph in the Calendar, not to any discussion that I was personally involved in. But I have certain knowledge that similar considerations have motivated the drafting of analogous provisions of the Calendar in previous years.

Pet

Oh, I was trying to do a joke. Oh well. >_>

lucernarian

Don't worry er... Pet, your day shall come.

dabh

Pet wrote: »

Oh, I was trying to do a joke. Oh well. >_>

Well, I took it in the spirit in which it was intended. But a few hours later I thought it best to clarify that I certainly wasn't posting from, or on behalf of, the Science course office - just in case any reader attached more weight to the posting than intended.

General observations for schol candidates (in Science)...

Check the relevant course handbook in case there is anything in it regarding schols. (I just checked out the Science SF handbook, but failed to find anything in my quick scan.)

Science schol candidates might consider paying a visit to the Science Course Office (at ground floor level off the East End atrium) during its opening hours. They may have a handout prepared. Or they may simply say that the information will be made available in a week or two. A personal visit should do no harm. And if the course office finds that it gets a lot of such visits...

In previous years, Schol candidates sat papers in two of their three subjects. At some point the Science course office should provide the equivalent information for the current year (in view of all the modularization and semesterization changes). I would guess that these arrangements ought to be finalized at this stage.

For more detailed information on papers in a subject area, you need to approach individual departments. But bear in mind that if departments or individual lecturers/examiners were to offer, in good faith, information or advice that ultimately proved inconsistent with the papers ultimately set, difficulties are likely to arise. Therefore you can expect departmental offices and lecturers to be extremely cagey and reticent until such time as the scholarship papers have been set and submitted. They might then become more forthcoming with information for scholarship candidates.

When the format of papers at the annual end-of-year examination changes significantly, or if new papers are introduced, then examiners are expected to distribute sample papers to their classes. There is no such obligation with regard to the scholarship examination AFAIK.

Prospective candidates ought to be able to discover which papers they are supposed to take, which modules those papers are based on, and whether there is any extra material that might come up, perhaps in a general paper, or in some question not directly related to course material. But the general advice at this stage would presumably be to pay careful attention in the coming weeks on those modules on which you will be examined.

antiselfdual

Pet wrote: »

Dabh, how long have you been working for the Science course office?

Close, but no cylindrical smoking thingy.

Fad

antiselfdual wrote: »

Close, but no cylindrical smoking thingy.

Bong?

quirkster

Right, so yesterday I decided Id give schols a bash. The main reason being for it to help me study and motivate me to not leave everything till after Christmas, and indeed after Easter, like last year.

Ive missed all the talks so far (are these important, whats the content?)

Where can I go to get a form to fill, dont have a printer so cant print.

Is there any info I can get from you guys that I missed in the talks etc?

http://www.tcdsu.org/

In case you missed it:

Sir Ophiuchus

You only have about a week to get the form in. Just so you know.

PurpleFistMixer

quirkster wrote: »

Where can I go to get a form to fill, dont have a printer so cant print.

Exams Office in... House 1 possibly. They have forms there so you don't need to print it out.

Kwekubo

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

Exams Office in... House 1 possibly. They have forms there so you don't need to print it out.

West Theatre actually (House 1 is the Provost's house). Black door to the side of the Exam Hall in Front Square, and go up the stairs.

mathew

quirkster wrote: »

Right, so yesterday I decided Id give schols a bash. The main reason being for it to help me study and motivate me to not leave everything till after Christmas, and indeed after Easter, like last year.

Ive missed all the talks so far (are these important, whats the content?)

Where can I go to get a form to fill, dont have a printer so cant print.

Is there any info I can get from you guys that I missed in the talks etc?

Apply anyway. You have to have the form in by the 2nd of November.. so get it in.
You can always withdraw/not turn up.. theres no penalty or problem with doing that...

Sir Ophiuchus

Though, as I've pointed out before, if you're the only person doing a particular paper, it means the lecturer wrote it just for you. Don't attend, and you will *not* be their favourite person.

Anyone from JS English or Psychology crazy enough to go for Schols this year?

Sir Ophiuchus

I see they've extended the application date to Monday 9th November. I wonder why?

Seriously, is anyone else on boards doing this? This thread is surprisingly dead.