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Maths & Engineering

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  • 13-08-2008 6:56pm
    #1
    Ellas
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭


    Hi

    My daughter got 480 points in the Leaving which is more than enough for engineering. She only got a D1 in Hons Maths though. She had a bit of bad luck, maths teacher out for 6 months, poor substitute, did a poor first paper, probably over confident etc.. We will have the paper re-checked but are there other options?

    Obviously being good at maths is important for engineering and science but there's very little difference between a good D and C.

    From the papers & radio today this seems to be a country wide (if not EU wide) problem. Only 11% did/or got Hons Maths and the Irish Times points out today that thousands of students with good points are excluded from courses, that the Government and IBEC want them to do, because of the "C" in Maths rule. [I might add that the famous scientist Niels Bohr was useless at Maths and Einstein was told by his Maths teracher he wouldn't ammount to anything!]

    Should there not be an exam that you can sit in say, September in the college for those with enough points but no "C"?

    It seems a pity to waste a whole year to repeat Maths..... :(

    Any ideas?
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    #2
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    I think there are some universities with their own maths entrance test, look it up with whatever place she's applying to.

    Other than that... appeal, hope for the best, but with the CAO system if she doesn't meet matriculation by not having an honour in maths, she won't be put in the running for a place I'm afraid.


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    #3
    keane2097
    Registered Users Posts: 17,773 ✭✭✭✭keane2097


    Tbh I'm going into fourth year electrical and electronic engineering and I'd have to say it's almost all maths. I've a good few friends in Cival as well and it's the same.

    If your daughter is no great shakes at maths I'd say a year repeating concentrating on maths, physics and applied maths would give her a huge boost going into an engineering degree. It would give her a flavor for the kind of stuff she'd be likely to be doing as well so it might not be the worst idea ever imo...


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    #4
    Davidius
    Registered Users Posts: 4,893 ✭✭✭Davidius


    Ellas wrote: »
    [...Einstein was told by his Maths teracher he wouldn't ammount to anything!]
    I thought that was a myth. :pac:


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    #5
    captainzapp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 119 ✭✭captainzapp


    I'm going in to third year mechanical engineering. I got an A2 in LC maths with not too much difficulty. The math I have done for the past two years is alot more difficult, LC math seems like a breeze now. If shes not strong at maths she will struggle. Math comes in to nearly all of the subjects I do and having strong maths is practically a necessity. To be honest i wouldn't want to go in to my course with anything less than a B2. If shes capable of getting this standard and her poor mark was a result of the absent teachers etc. then appealing is your best bet.


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    #6
    keane2097
    Registered Users Posts: 17,773 ✭✭✭✭keane2097


    captainzapp wrote: »
    I'm going in to third year mechanical engineering. I got an A2 in LC maths with not too much difficulty. The math I have done for the past two years is alot more difficult, LC math seems like a breeze now. If shes not strong at maths she will struggle. Math comes in to nearly all of the subjects I do and having strong maths is practically a necessity. To be honest i wouldn't want to go in to my course with anything less than a B2. If shes capable of getting this standard and her poor mark was a result of the absent teachers etc. then appealing is your best bet.

    Yeah having thought some more about it I think with a D1 in maths she'd be wasting her time to be honest.

    Did she go physics or applied maths? How did she get on if she did?

    Going on the info given I'd say repeat doing the mathsy subjects or head for commerce tbh.


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    #7
    dajaffa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭dajaffa


    Maynooth run a maths test for those who didn't get an honour to do maths there, but they run things like communications engineering (no civil/chemical etc). They usually have trouble filling places so that's why they run it. There was an ad in yesterdays Times Exam Guide.


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    #8
    D-Generate
    Registered Users Posts: 2,945 ✭✭✭D-Generate


    Going in to 4th year Elec Eng too and a student without a B2 or above would struggle considerably. I would consider the entry requirements of having a C to be even too lenient when taking in to account the course material.


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    #9
    von Neumann
    Closed Accounts Posts: 272 ✭✭von Neumann


    D-Generate wrote: »
    Going in to 4th year Elec Eng too and a student without a B2 or above would struggle considerably. I would consider the entry requirements of having a C to be even too lenient when taking in to account the course material.


    I won't be too put off just because she got a D1, as the OP said there was some bad luck involved. It would be far more important wheather or not she likes maths and is prepared to work at it.

    To be honest the whole Idea that you have to have fantastic maths to be an engineer is just nosence IMHO! ( college work excluded of course!)

    I've been working as an engineer for the last four years and can't remember the last time I used any maths. You can either do it with a calculator or it's time to get some software!

    OP what course is she think of?


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    #10
    krystal89
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭krystal89


    NUIG have an exam which students sit at the end of August. Itsfor anybody who applied for engineering but failed maths in the leaving cert.It is a slightly lower standard than leaving cert honours but it will determine weather she is able for the maths in the course.

    It is an accurate test and if the college feel that she is able will pass her. Its fair so that students don't have to drop out after realising they are not able for the level..


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    #11
    ARGINITE
    Registered Users Posts: 2,717 ✭✭✭ARGINITE


    von Neumann wrote:
    To be honest the whole Idea that you have to have fantastic maths to be an engineer is just nosence IMHO! ( college work excluded of course!)
    von Neumann wrote:
    I won't be too put off just because she got a D1, as the OP said there was some bad luck involved. It would be far more important wheather or not she likes maths and is prepared to work at it.

    QFT.

    I did Electronic engineering and was rubbish at maths in the LC, got a B in ordinary level. But yet ended up with a 1.1 degree.


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    #12
    keane2097
    Registered Users Posts: 17,773 ✭✭✭✭keane2097


    von Neumann wrote: »
    To be honest the whole Idea that you have to have fantastic maths to be an engineer is just nosence IMHO!

    Nobody said that - the point is you have to be reasonably good at maths to get an Engineering degree.


    Maybe you don't need to do any maths for your job, but I doubt you'd have gotten the job without your degree, and for the degree you need maths, simple as.


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    #13
    keane2097
    Registered Users Posts: 17,773 ✭✭✭✭keane2097


    ARGINITE wrote: »
    QFT.

    I did Electronic engineering and was rubbish at maths in the LC, got a B in ordinary level. But yet ended up with a 1.1 degree.

    Maybe it's changed - I got a B in honours maths and find it very challenging.


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    #14
    pathway33
    Registered Users Posts: 2,229 ✭✭✭pathway33


    the nui maynooth maths exam is on friday 22nd august. www.eeng.nuim.ie


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    #15
    ARGINITE
    Registered Users Posts: 2,717 ✭✭✭ARGINITE


    The standard of maths in most courses is going down rather then up.

    But that is not my point, my point is the leaving cert is a way to get into college. As long as your prepared to work hard once you get their then what you got in the leaving cert doesn't really matter.


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    #16
    KnifeWRENCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,148 ✭✭✭✭KnifeWRENCH


    If a C3 is required for the course, then all ye can do is appeal and hope for the best. If it stays at D1, and there isn't a separate college entrance test, then unfortunately she'll have to repeat it.

    Has she struggled with maths before or was this just one poor exam? I wouldn't base her ability to do maths just on this one result. If she successfully appeals, gets to college and works hard at maths, then she probably won't struggle and her LC result won't matter a damn.


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    #17
    alan4cult
    Registered Users Posts: 1,583 ✭✭✭alan4cult


    keane2097 wrote: »
    Nobody said that - the point is you have to be reasonably good at maths to get an Engineering degree.


    Maybe you don't need to do any maths for your job, but I doubt you'd have gotten the job without your degree, and for the degree you need maths, simple as.
    +1

    The HL C3 minimum for entry into engineering courses is to protect students and not to omit them. The HL C3 is needed is to ensure you have the ability to handle the course and to protect you from droping out half way through. My uncle is an engineer (civil) and he said that the mathematical requirement is of the highest importance to successfully completing a engineering degree and that a HL C3 is much much too low.


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    #18
    keane2097
    Registered Users Posts: 17,773 ✭✭✭✭keane2097


    ARGINITE wrote: »
    The standard of maths in most courses is going down rather then up.

    The problem with this point is that, while you may be right in saying that the standard of maths is falling in college courses the standard of maths at leaving cert level has been plummeting alarmingly in the last number of years, so if anything I'd almost say colleges are even farther ahead now.
    ARGINITE wrote: »
    But that is not my point, my point is the leaving cert is a way to get into college. As long as your prepared to work hard once you get their then what you got in the leaving cert doesn't really matter.

    I'd probably agree with this to a large extent.


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