I am a prospective student

meathawk

I just want some advice regarding getting to the college and if the commute would really be worth it .I live in Dundrum which is nearly 40 km away from Maynooth College but they are the only place that offers psychology and science and at 50 points less than ordinary psychology.My question is should a course come first instead of conveniance and also does anyone know about the options for transportation from dundrum to maynooth .



Also if anyone is doing psychology through arts ,can you tell me how difficult it was to get that as a subject because apparently it fills up fast.

LeixlipRed

Dundrum in Dublin I assume? 40km?? Don't think it's that far. Anyway, Luas or bus to town and train to Maynooth. Also, I know a chap from Firhouse and there's a bus out to the college from there so maybe something similar round where you are. It's expensive though. Or you could just move to Maynooth.

banquo

I commuted from Ballymun every day for a year.

It's actually cheaper to move.

morning-glory

http://www.nuim.ie/location/dundrum-maynooth.shtml i'd go for the course before convenience if it will get you where you want to go in life, but the commute could be a killer,

thee glitz

I never got the service but there is a daily bus straight to NUIM.
I'd say it's pretty cheap too. Linkage

Edit: That was a bit odd, beaten to it.

LeixlipRed

What makes you say it's fairly cheap? I wouldn't imagine so.

banquo

Early bird gets the worm. A close finish but Morning-Glory clinches it.

meathawk

i was thinking of moving there but the thought of making all these new friends and stuff.....also if I got the bus everyday i might be stuck out in maynooth for many unecessary extra hours.I really have a lot of thinking to do.

morning-glory

I commuted for a while and I found it very tiring, I eventually moved out here and don't know why I didnt do it sooner. Seriously don't worry about making friends, Maynooth is such a friendly place you'll make friends no problem, there are always people you will get along with and especially with your housemates, if its a nervous thing about making friends just join some societies, worked for me and I thought I didnt make friends easily! you won't want to go home at the end of the week! you should come out for a day and get a feel for the place if you havent been before.

banquo

Aye. But commuter students do better for that reason: they can't go home between lectures, so the study and read instead.

Michellenman

I don't know about the commute but I can help you out on the psychology part. If you take it through arts then to continue to take it on into 2nd year you have to get in the top 30 of your class. A class which has about 200 students. I'm not sure but I think if you take it with science you take pure science in first year and then start the psychology in second year.. but as I said I'm not sure about this! Hope it helps!

nothing

banquo wrote: »

Aye. But commuter students do better for that reason: they can't go home between lectures, so the study and read instead.

Um, you do know commuter drop out rate is higher than non-commuters?

banquo

Aye, but of those who don't drop out the commuters get the better mark.

kisaragi

Michellenman wrote: »

I don't know about the commute but I can help you out on the psychology part. If you take it through arts then to continue to take it on into 2nd year you have to get in the top 30 of your class. A class which has about 200 students. I'm not sure but I think if you take it with science you take pure science in first year and then start the psychology in second year.. but as I said I'm not sure about this! Hope it helps!

2nd year psych here. That's right about psychology through science. The places for psychology through arts don't fill up so to speak, i.e. anyone can take psych in first year. As Michellenman said then you have to get in the top 30 of your class. For the last two years this has meant you need at least a high 2:2, meaning you should average at least a B-/C+. Going this route is pretty stressful though I'd say if you're into the science, not only will it be a big help to you as 3 out of 6 of the 2nd year (3rd year psych through science) modules are rather sciencey (I.e. biological basis of behaviour), but you won't have the stress of competing. It is an extra year though which might put you off.

As for the commute, well the only experience I ever had with commuting was 1.5 hours in and 1.5 hours out from work everyday during summers to work, it's exhausting even only for a few weeks. At college it also limits what social activities you can take part in. However it can be done of course Good luck!

cython

banquo wrote: »

Aye, but of those who don't drop out the commuters get the better mark.

That all depends on the course. If it is a course with a lot of hours, and there thus isn't that much free time during the day to go off and study, then commuters often fare worse, as someone living in Maynooth can dedicate the time that the commuter spends travelling to study, in addition to the same time that the commuter may have at either end. This is coming from someone who did such a course, by the way.

cocotantrabuzz

all the info there about psch is spot on especially about science being an advantage.
in my opinion its better to put college/course prefernce over geography. i know there is a direct bus from dundrum that arrives at nuim at 9am and 12am and leaves nuim at 3pm and 6pm. i commuted from santry for a while and found tiring like the posters above but once i moved out to maynooth it was worth it for the social life alone but i did actually found it cheaper and as has been said dont worry about making friends!

hope this helps

pisslips

cython wrote: »

That all depends on the course. If it is a course with a lot of hours, and there thus isn't that much free time during the day to go off and study, then commuters often fare worse, as someone living in Maynooth can dedicate the time that the commuter spends travelling to study, in addition to the same time that the commuter may have at either end. This is coming from someone who did such a course, by the way.

Do people actually study this much?
That they can't afford to lose 3 hours in the day, that seems excessively stressfull.

Fair enough if you also have hobbies that take up a lot of time.

cocotantrabuzz

its up to each student. you can get by and still have a great time socially

Warmaster

meathawk wrote: »

i was thinking of moving there but the thought of making all these new friends and stuff.....also if I got the bus everyday i might be stuck out in maynooth for many unecessary extra hours.I really have a lot of thinking to do.

Are you planning on staying in Dundrum for the rest of your life?

Making friends at college is one of the best things ever why would you want to not make more friends???

John

meathawk wrote: »

I just want some advice regarding getting to the college and if the commute would really be worth it .I live in Dundrum which is nearly 40 km away from Maynooth College but they are the only place that offers psychology and science and at 50 points less than ordinary psychology.My question is should a course come first instead of conveniance and also does anyone know about the options for transportation from dundrum to maynooth .

The degree is every bit as good as any other given psychology degree. Doing it through science can be a bonus, especially if you're interested in the neuroscience side of things. Plus the extra year in college means you're that bit older and wiser by the time you get to the end. As mentioned above, you do general science with no psychology in first year and then do psychology from 2nd year on.

I live in Dundrum and I'm out in Maynooth doing a PhD in psychology. I had moved to Maynooth for my first two years of my PhD as the commute is heavy going. I get travel sick on buses so the bus wasn't really an option for me. Getting the Luas into town and the train from Pearse into Maynooth took at least 2 hours so I decided to live on campus and then in a house. Rent is cheaper than Dublin and when you take out the cost of travelling (say €3 return on the luas and €5 return on the train per day), you have most of your rent covered for the month. Plus you can apply to DLRR county council for a grant in any case.

I've moved home now as I've bought a car so the commute is down to about 40min to 1hr each way depending on the traffic. So if you drive and don't mind trying to find parking in the car park hell that is Maynooth, that's an option.

The bus from Notre Dame can take a while (especially if stuck in traffic) but it is doable. My girlfriend did her psychology degree in NUIM and she lived in Sandyford at the time. It did take a lot out of her and she ended up driving instead.

Also if anyone is doing psychology through arts ,can you tell me how difficult it was to get that as a subject because apparently it fills up fast.

It is easy enough in first year, you cover the basics and only have to do three assignments (it used to be 7). 2nd and 3rd year (3rd and 4th if doing science) is a lot tougher but that's true of any course in any university. The content of the psychology courses is identical no matter what entry route you take (through arts, through science or direct entry). It's only the subjects that you take in your early years along with psychology that changes.

InterStu55555

I'm a prospective mature student myself and I'd recommend moving to Maynooth. I done a two year higher cert in the U.K and for the full college experience then I'd say defo live nearby. I live in Raheny and would have to get a dart into connolly then the train to maynooth which is about 2:80eur then 6eur for the train, it works out at nearly 1400eur travel expenses for the year. The rent prices for the year look to be possible for about 2500eur so financially it would be worthwhile, also you wouldnt have to wait around while waiting for lectures when you could go home. In my opinion move there, it'll be great living away from home, meeting new friends, not having to catch the last bus when you could go on to a party and just generally being part of the college buzz!!!! Well best of luck!!!