Leaving Cert's of C&H...

Grindylow

All maths, for shame.

Boardzee

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Wow, that's crazy! Here's to hoping we get in to UCD! What's your second choice? Mine's Actuarial Mathematics in DCU so if I don't get UCD I'll get DCU, which will still be great

Snap! DCU is second too. Considering it was 485 there last year, we're guaranteed at least one of them, so regardless of points, looks like we'll be in the same course unless random selection applies in UCD. I've been to talks
on it in both, but UCD does seem a little more appealing. But fingers crossed it won't go up more than 10!

Konata

Noel2k9 wrote: »

All maths, for shame.

No, no Noel - urdoinitwrong.

kev9100

Can anyone hear tell me what are the best societies in UCD? Unless they screw around with the points, thats where I'll be going:D.

Grindylow

Hotaru wrote: »

No, no Noel - urdoinitwrong.

Naah! :P
urdoinitwronger.

**Timbuk2**

Boardzee wrote: »

Snap! DCU is second too. Considering it was 485 there last year, we're guaranteed at least one of them, so regardless of points, looks like we'll be in the same course unless random selection applies in UCD. I've been to talks
on it in both, but UCD does seem a little more appealing. But fingers crossed it won't go up more than 10!

I'll see you there then

I didn't know whether to put DCU or UCD first on my CAO for ages. They are very similar, and both of them offer the same exemptions. People told me the UCD course was slightly better, but being from Dundalk DCU is considerably closer!

I decided in the end to put UCD first as I believed it would be viewed more favourably by potential employers, even if only slightly. I also thought that as DCU is nearly always lower points than UCD, putting DCU first would completely rule out UCD, so I put UCD first so the points would decide :P (Not the best system, in fairness).

I even went up for the day to a well known insurance company in Dublin City, and talked to a lot of the actuaries that worked there, including student actuaries on their 3rd year work placement from DCU. I found it really beneficial as I got to see the type of work that they do, and talking to the student actuaries was excellent as they gave me lots of advice, about doing actuarial studies in college and even about college life in general! I want to be an actuary even more now!

Most of the work is done on computers, and certain things like Microsoft Excel and VBA Scripts/Macros are used very very often. My plans to become more proficient at these over the summer has not gone as succesfully as I would have hoped There is a lot more to Excel than meets the eye - it is an extremely powerful program.

Best of luck on Monday! Here's to hoping it isn't random selection and one of us gets it when the other one doesn't :P

Ginja Ninja

kev9100 wrote: »

Can anyone hear tell me what are the best societies in UCD? Unless they screw around with the points, thats where I'll be going:D.

*ahem*
GAMESOC! /biased
Sci Fi are a pretty great bunch of people too.
But it's more what you're into than anything else,if you join a society that interests you, you'll be far better off.

P.S: yes,I'm THAT much of a nerd :cool:

kev9100

kev9100 wrote: »

Can anyone hear tell me what are the best societies in UCD? Unless they screw around with the points, thats where I'll be going:D.

NetSoc... >.>

A Neurotic

kev9100 wrote: »

Can anyone hear tell me what are the best societies in UCD? Unless they screw around with the points, thats where I'll be going:D.

ComedySoc.

sock puppet

Davidius wrote: »

Actuarial maths, for shame.

The funny thing is once you graduate with your degree in maths you'll be pretty well set up for a career in the financial sector;)

**Timbuk2**

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Most of the work is done on computers, and certain things like Microsoft Excel and VBA Scripts/Macros are used very very often. My plans to become more proficient at these over the summer has not gone as succesfully as I would have hoped There is a lot more to Excel than meets the eye - it is an extremely powerful program.

Wut?
Financial maths and VBA? 0.o

*shudders*

cork*girl

I'm Not nervous about tomorrow.. but I am worried that I am not nervous.. What if Arts jumps 40points.. which it could! :O Im trying to decide should I stay up all night in hope that someone scans on the newspaper or just get up at 6am.. I probably wont sleep anyway!

Btw. What is Actuarial maths? :P

jumpguy

cork*girl wrote: »

Btw. What is Actuarial maths? :P

Well, an actuary is someone who works for an insurance company who judges the value of all your wonderful possessions, etc, and subsequently your premium. So I think it's just the maths behind the magic. Which is, to calculate a premium, pick any random number from 1 to 3, and add three 0's onto it.

jumpguy

jumpguy wrote: »

Well, an actuary is someone who works for an insurance company who judges the value of all your wonderful possessions, etc, and subsequently your premium. So I think it's just the maths behind the magic. Which is, to calculate a premium, pick any random number from 1 to 3, and add three 0's onto it.

It's about devising algorithms which generate random 4-5 digit numbers in such a way that a person's brain perceives it as good value :P Lot's of complicated stats involved.

cork*girl

Sounds.. Fun

Richard Cranium

It's where my future lies


...unless I'm not good enough to pass the rest of the course.

Davidius

sock puppet wrote: »

The funny thing is once you graduate with your degree in maths you'll be pretty well set up for a career in the financial sector;)

It's all part of my plan to destroy the financial sector from within.

Though I'm beginning to suspect that a number of people got there first.

Boardzee

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I'll see you there then

I didn't know whether to put DCU or UCD first on my CAO for ages. They are very similar, and both of them offer the same exemptions. People told me the UCD course was slightly better, but being from Dundalk DCU is considerably closer!

I decided in the end to put UCD first as I believed it would be viewed more favourably by potential employers, even if only slightly. I also thought that as DCU is nearly always lower points than UCD, putting DCU first would completely rule out UCD, so I put UCD first so the points would decide :P (Not the best system, in fairness).

I even went up for the day to a well known insurance company in Dublin City, and talked to a lot of the actuaries that worked there, including student actuaries on their 3rd year work placement from DCU. I found it really beneficial as I got to see the type of work that they do, and talking to the student actuaries was excellent as they gave me lots of advice, about doing actuarial studies in college and even about college life in general! I want to be an actuary even more now!

Most of the work is done on computers, and certain things like Microsoft Excel and VBA Scripts/Macros are used very very often. My plans to become more proficient at these over the summer has not gone as succesfully as I would have hoped There is a lot more to Excel than meets the eye - it is an extremely powerful program.

Best of luck on Monday! Here's to hoping it isn't random selection and one of us gets it when the other one doesn't :P

Cool! It does seem to be heavily computer based alright. I wouldn't worry to much, we'll all probably start off on level-pegging. What I do love about UCD is the mix. It's 25% Dubs and 75% culchies, so at least I won't feel left out.

I was doing a little points research earlier, for the last five year in order from newest to oldest they were 530,520,555,555*,560. I know in Febuary, applications were up 16% on last year, 131 had it as their first choice. Nine hours to go, shall be interesting. But I'd truely love UCD! Just out of interest, how did you do in Maths?!

Aoibheann

Hey guys, just wanted to wish you all the best of luck with the offers tomorrow - that's to the LCers who just got their results, to Hotaru and Novella as well, and anyone else who is waiting on an offer. I may well be home around 6am, but I'll probably collapse into my bed straight away. :P Anyway, I hope you all get what you're hoping for, and if you don't, remember - there's always a way to get to what you want.

If anyone's going to Trinity and doesn't really know anyone etc, I'd be happy to show anyone around, doss around for coffee etc. I shall have Hotaru with me I'm assuming, so you get two of us. \o/

**Timbuk2**

Boardzee wrote: »

Cool! It does seem to be heavily computer based alright. I wouldn't worry to much, we'll all probably start off on level-pegging. What I do love about UCD is the mix. It's 25% Dubs and 75% culchies, so at least I won't feel left out.

I was doing a little points research earlier, for the last five year in order from newest to oldest they were 530,520,555,555*,560. I know in Febuary, applications were up 16% on last year, 131 had it as their first choice. Nine hours to go, shall be interesting. But I'd truely love UCD! Just out of interest, how did you do in Maths?!

Oh dear the past points are not encouraging

I'd be happy enough with DCU I guess, but I found the perfect digs near UCD! I'm praying that I get UCD, but I really don't think it's going to happen . We both have 545, and the course was 530 last year, but with only 40 places it will change a lot if it changes.

I got an A1 in Maths - I was absoloutley thrilled! How did you do yourself?

Come on UCD!!

sock puppet

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Most of the work is done on computers, and certain things like Microsoft Excel and VBA Scripts/Macros are used very very often. My plans to become more proficient at these over the summer has not gone as succesfully as I would have hoped There is a lot more to Excel than meets the eye - it is an extremely powerful program.

In my course we do VBA next year I think. From what I've heard it's nothing to get stressed over. Actuarial Maths do programming don't they? I found that pretty hard as you really have to struggle to reach the same standard as the guys doing computer science. A friend's brother is an actuary. Seems like a tough road to qualification

**Timbuk2**

sock puppet wrote: »

In my course we do VBA next year I think. From what I've heard it's nothing to get stressed over. Actuarial Maths do programming don't they? I found that pretty hard as you really have to struggle to reach the same standard as the guys doing computer science. A friend's brother is an actuary. Seems like a tough road to qualification

It is - there are 15 huge exams, but you can earn a max of 8 exemptions by doing 4 years in college, in either UCD or DCU doing Actuarial Mathematics. There are still 7 more exams to do after that, with a very high fail rate. Luckily, you don't need to complete all of them before you get employed, but you need to combine working and studying for these exams at the same time.

It's tough, but hopefully a challenging yet rewarding career!

sock puppet

sock puppet wrote: »

In my course we do VBA next year I think. From what I've heard it's nothing to get stressed over. Actuarial Maths do programming don't they? I found that pretty hard as you really have to struggle to reach the same standard as the guys doing computer science. A friend's brother is an actuary. Seems like a tough road to qualification

Should be fine for people who do it in UCD though. They do the same basic programming courses as the CS students.

Boardzee

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Oh dear the past points are not encouraging

I'd be happy enough with DCU I guess, but I found the perfect digs near UCD! I'm praying that I get UCD, but I really don't think it's going to happen . We both have 545, and the course was 530 last year, but with only 40 places it will change a lot if it changes.

I got an A1 in Maths - I was absoloutley thrilled! How did you do yourself?

Come on UCD!!

Yeah I know! Out of the last 12 year, there has only been three where the points were less than 545, with '98 being the other. They were 545* in '01 I think, I had to have a chuckle! It's quite annoying as DCU has been 500 +\- 15 points for the last 12 years. That's the problem with such a small course I guess!

I only got the A2, and being honest I wasn't always wonderful at Maths, but our LC exam this year was ridiculously easy so thought I may have got it, but no!
Did you do Economics btw?
I'm actually more nervous now than before getting my results, they've only complicated things!!

**Timbuk2**

It was an easy exam, but that means it's marked hard. The really gifted students can often miss out on an A1 because small mistakes get heavily penalised. A harder paper is more discriminating, and the really gifted students get the top grades. But an A2 is still amazing, well done!

I didn't do Economics, I did Accounting instead. I sort of wish I did Economics, I think it's someway relevant to Actuary.

Results and offers should have been on one day - rip off the bandage. Two nights of feeling insanely nervous is a lot for one week!

sock puppet

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

It is - there are 15 huge exams, but you can earn a max of 8 exemptions by doing 4 years in college, in either UCD or DCU doing Actuarial Mathematics. There are still 7 more exams to do after that, with a very high fail rate. Luckily, you don't need to complete all of them before you get employed, but you need to combine working and studying for these exams at the same time.

It's tough, but hopefully a challenging yet rewarding career!

Yeah should be. Think a few people from my course end up training as actuaries.

Also Economics is piss easy to take up in college. I had no prior experience and achieved my best mark in that exam with almost no work.

Deleted User wrote: »

Should be fine for people who do it in UCD though. They do the same basic programming courses as the CS students.

Ha it was our basic programming course that we all had problems with. Just since a lot of the CS students come into college already with programming experience I felt like I was way behind in the first few months

sock puppet

sock puppet wrote: »

Yeah should be. Think a few people from my course end up training as actuaries.

Also Economics is piss easy to take up in college. I had no prior experience and achieved my best mark in that exam with almost no work.



Ha it was our basic programming course that we all had problems with. Just since a lot of the CS students come into college already with programming experience I felt like I was way behind in the first few months

Ah right. Tbh, most of the CS students in mine just got one of the more experienced people to do it for them, often at a price. I was offered money to do somebody's assignment actually.

(I didn't take it, for the record)

D4RK ONION

Aoibheann wrote: »

Hey guys, just wanted to wish you all the best of luck with the offers tomorrow - that's to the LCers who just got their results, to Hotaru and Novella as well, and anyone else who is waiting on an offer.

Of all the people who need your luck tomorrow, Hotaru isn't one of them :P

Konata

Aoibheann wrote: »

Hey guys, just wanted to wish you all the best of luck with the offers tomorrow - that's to the LCers who just got their results, to Hotaru and Novella as well, and anyone else who is waiting on an offer. I may well be home around 6am, but I'll probably collapse into my bed straight away. :P Anyway, I hope you all get what you're hoping for, and if you don't, remember - there's always a way to get to what you want.

If anyone's going to Trinity and doesn't really know anyone etc, I'd be happy to show anyone around, doss around for coffee etc. I shall have Hotaru with me I'm assuming, so you get two of us. \o/

I love you

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Of all the people who need your luck tomorrow, Hotaru isn't one of them :P

You never know... >_<

Aoibheann

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Of all the people who need your luck tomorrow, Hotaru isn't one of them :P

Ah, she gets what I mean - we both had the worrying about messing up our applications with all the extra documents we had to send, rather than having to worry about points. :P