UCD or TCD engineering???

augmented reality

Hoping to probably end up doing mechanical engineering but will probably do a common engineering programme for the first year to get an idea of them all. But I can't decide between ucd and tcd...

Anyone have any reasons to choose one over the other??

Ruski

You're hardly going to get a non-biased answer here. Just ask people what the course in either college and decide for yourself what is better for you. I'd suggest asking questions at open days but the UCD one already happened and Trinity cancelled theirs.

stealinhorses

The Trinity Open Day was not cancelled, just moved to a different date:

http://www.tcd.ie/Admissions/undergraduate/bulletin-board/Open-Day-And-CAO.php

TimeToShine

Trinity do 2 years omnibus, UCD do one. If you go into Trinity without having done Chemistry you're going to have to put in A LOT of work to pass until third year, whereas in UCD there's one Chemistry module and you're finished with it forever.

Also, trinity's exam layout is a pain in the ass, they basically do a Leaving Cert at the end of each year, whereas UCD do half the exams at Xmas and half at the end of the year.

In all honesty, I do believe UCD grads are better equipped for life after college, specifically in the Mech/Elec departments. It's hard to find a biased opinion though so good luck with that.

bnt

At UCD from now on, there are only two CAO entry codes: DN140 (the specialised 3Y Structural Engineering w/ Architecture (Hons) degree), and DN150 for all the 4Y degrees. In those, everyone does the same Engineering subjects in first year, you only specialise in 2nd year.

But I agree with Ruski - the only way we could compare them would be to do them both. I know UCD has more space, if that helps ...

ironclaw

I have friends in Trinity Eng and I'm in UCD Eng. Generally speaking, they seem happy with Trinity but usually when they hear about exams, what we do in the UCD Eng courses etc it usually ends in a "Oh, would love to be in UCD" I almost chose Trinity but changed to UCD simply given the degree you come out with. UCD has a slightly better degree than Trinity (Don't ask me why, but that seems to be the general consensus) Also UCD is going towards the European norm of 3 + 2, that is 3 years for your BsC and 2 years for a Masters. Makes your degree more widely accepted, especially in Europe. To my knowledge Trinity isn't changing.

In order, Engineering wise would be DIT, UCD and Trinity. UCD certainly offers more scope to mix your degree i.e. You could be Mech with a touch of Elec etc. Trinity is more stringent.

While bias, I would whole heartily recommend UCD for Engineering. I've never had a dull moment.

If you have any Eng questions, post up and I'll try answer. I'm Electrical myself but I'll get an answer for you if I can't answer it.

jelly&icecream

ironclaw wrote: »

Also UCD is going towards the European norm of 3 + 2, that is 3 years for your BsC and 2 years for a Masters. Makes your degree more widely accepted, especially in Europe. To my knowledge Trinity isn't changing.

Trinity has adapted to the bologna agreement aswell.
http://www.tcd.ie/courses/undergraduate/az/course.php?id=68

ironclaw

jelly&icecream wrote: »

Trinity has adapted to the bologna agreement aswell.
http://www.tcd.ie/courses/undergraduate/az/course.php?id=68

Ah! News to me. Cheers Jelly&IceCream.

Not that it makes much difference, but generally the points for UCD are higher. Partly due to many people pick UCD on the name alone and nothing to do with course content.

Killer Pigeon

Well shure look at it this way;

If you don't get the points for UCD Eng then you can always go for TCD Eng.

141089

hi augmented reality

I am in final year, Electronic engineering in UCD. I chose it because someone told me the is better lab/project equiptment in UCD. Also I just don't like the look and layout of trinity.

I cant comparee ucd and tri, all I can say is eng in UCD is enjoyable. The lecturers are mostly very good. Lab assistants are great. Course content is challenging but doable.

So yeah that doesnt answer your question..

Chet T16

141089 wrote: »

I am in final year, Electronic engineering in UCD.

\o/

augmented reality

Thanks everyone for the replies, did some more research and I thought I'd be better off going to ucd as it's only one year common instead of the two in tcd. I'm only doing one science subject, physics, and heard that tcd can be tough without chemistry, especially in 2nd year.

THEN...............:eek:

Saw an article in the paper today about tcd and china

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/19980-trinity-college-dublin-in/

I see that tcd is the only irish college in the top 100 engineering colleges in the world... this must count for something??? I can't help but think this would help in any job hunting, especially out foreign.
From all the advice you'd think ucd would be better ranked.. but no:mad:

It's just getting more confusing:(

Do tcd graduates have any advantage over ucd graduates?
Also, it doesn't appear tcd do work placement as part of the course like ucd do, does this help in job hunting?

Thanks again!!

ironclaw

augmented reality wrote: »

From all the advice you'd think ucd would be better ranked.. but no:mad:

It's just getting more confusing:(

Do tcd graduates have any advantage over ucd graduates?
Also, it doesn't appear tcd do work placement as part of the course like ucd do, does this help in job hunting?

Thanks again!!

Trinity is top. Theres no denying that. But its ranked based on a lot more things and courses than Eng. A real statistic is how many graduates from Trinity Vs UCD get jobs?

What college you went to has little impact on your job. If you got a 4.0 GPA from UCD and a 3.2 GPA from Trinty, Mr. UCD will get the job. If Mr. UCD has a great personality, vs Mr.Up His H*le from Trinity, Mr. UCD gets the job. You won't be turned down on your college. From speaking to a friend who's a high level exec when interviewing for a 100K+ salary job, two candidates came to the last two, guess who got it? The guy who was in Scouts. Thats all he had over the other guy.

Jobs in the future will be purely based on the best candidate for the job and the most highly qualified. Where you went to college will have little or no impact. UCD has a very high rate of employment post degree. I can't comment on Trinty as I don't know, but its a stat UCD boast about so it must have some weight to it.

Don't pick your college based on a job. Go because you love the course and the campus. I never ever regretted going to UCD and I was pro Trinity.

D_D

Just thought I'd add my two cents to this... I went to Trinity to study engineering. I had enough points to go to any university, but chose Trinity for their international relations. I studied abroad for a year which was a great experience, and after graduating a two ago in civil engineering, I was lucky enough to get a job. I think it was the fact that I had a full second language that made me stand out from the crowd.

I don't agree with all this talk of 'you need chemistry to go to Trinity'. Yeah, we do a part of a course in first and second year that needs chemistry, but it's not the be all and end all. It is taught as if you're new to the course.

Anyway, with the new partnership with the top European and Chinese universities, it's all good signs for engineering in trinity. And now the course is like the European standard with a 5 year masters.

BUT, I have to say that it's more important to make yourself stand out whichever university you go to. That's more important than which university you go to.

jelly&icecream

Tbh you're going to get a multitude of different personal opinions on something like this. At the end of the day you need to find what suits your personal circumstances. Will you be commuting to college or moving up to Dublin to attend? If you're commuting from somewhere on the outskirts of the city then TCD may be easier to get at. Things like this can wear you down over 4/5 years so need to be considered.

I ended up in TCD engineering because I was just turned 17 when I filled out my CAO and hadn't a clue what to do. I knew I liked maths and physics in school and that was it! Wanted to stick to the more theoretical/mathsy side of engineering rather than the very applied/technical side of things so I decided to go for a uni rather than a IT. Picked Trinity based on the 2 years common make up of the course and the fact that I preferred the campus and its location. The particular year I applied UCD had pulled the one year common component for some bizarre reason, if I remember correctly, so that completely ruled them out for me.

Its worked out well for me, ended up liking the electronic side of things. In fact stayed on to do a postgrad and am only now getting around to leaving the place! In retrospect I probably could have picked the electronic stream after 1st year so I wouldn't let the 1 versus 2 year common thing pull you away from UCD.

Good luck with your decision!

TimeToShine

That ranking system is pure and utter bullshít. I'm in UCD and I'll gladly admit DIT have way better facilities and equipment for their Eng students than both us and Trinity combined. They have a fúcking MathCad module in first year, the most important engineering tool there is going at the moment, and a far more practical approach to Eng in general, whereas we're bored shítless with mindless theory, which is fine for most of us but a lot of people such are mature students who are potentially far more skilled engineers than we cocky college children could ever be have to reprogram their brains to cram shíte like Chemistry and somehow wing a pass. Also, I know a few people in DIT and their lecturers actually print out and give them full 100 page+ note sets, and print out every problem sheet for them, it's pretty damn ridiculous.

Killer Pigeon

Trinity is ranked so high because it's got very good Arts and Law School. The weighted 'average' pulls it up the charts. If you were to devise a completely different ranking system based purely on individual school and perhaps even courses I'm sure UCD Engineering would rank the highest engineering school in the country.

Overature

just dont make up your mind on which college to go to based on the reputation of the college, i have some freinds you im pretty sure just went to trinity because it has a more "classier" feel if you know what i mean

also remember that because the first to years are comman in trinity you will only have two years in you specified feild when you leave, where as there is only one comman year in ucd and you will leave with three years in your desired field. but then again thats down to how much do you know what area you want to go into?

kneeelix

I cant speak for trinity but im a final year in ucd doing mechanical and to be honest i have no complaints. I really enjoy the course. I agree with past posters on the ranking system being a complete and utter cod. The Universities are taken as a whole and the poorer departments get brought up by the stronger departments. Ucd has an excellent eng department.

As for international relations etc ucd has loads. I know a guy heading to china in the next few weeks which as far as i know was organised through the university. I wouldnt worry about that anyway as a reason for choosing one over the other. id say trinity are advertising it as a selling point when in reality all universities have many international arrangements. you will be graduating in 4/5 years. alot can change in that time.

As for the likelyhood of getting a job, regardless of where you go if you know your stuff and can deal with people and work under pressure you will get the job. simple as. The whole snob factor of what university you went to doesnt come into it. Although on occassion it can help and you get lucky. I had a friend (DCU) who in a job interview happened to do the same course and know the same lecturers as the person interviewing them and got offered the job as a result of how well they got on through their similarities.

Im a final year so I am looking at the job situation and regularly get emails from ucd at potential employers and all the information necessary to apply for the positions. They also regularly advertise internships so you dont have to worry too much about stuff like that. Again this will be a few years down the line regardless of what ever institution you end up choosing.

If it helps I will list a few reasons why I chose UCD.
1) The lab facilities were way better than the rusted ones i saw in trinity!
2) It had been highly recommended to me by past students
3) I saw some of the modules they have such as roborugby which i did and it was the best craic ever (which trinity dont have):Phttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PJzrVcDz4U
4) I found it to be a friendlier less intimidating environment which suited me

There is the formula student race car which you can work on for various projects. They have also got a robot boat which is entered into the microtransat transatlantic race. Students get to work on that too. Because of the one year common entry you have a chance to get a feel for the subjects you enjoy and make an informed decision. I would have loved that option as it wasnt available at the time to me. UCD also offer the widest range of engineering diciplines in the country so its worth bearing in mind that you will have a wider range of choices after your first year such as biomedical engineering and enery systems, i think have just been added this year.


If i can say one thing to anybody looking at doing any course, pick the course that best suits you and the one that you can get the most out of.
Thats my two cents for what its worth!!

C14N

In the exact same situation as yourself OP. I hope I won't hijack the thread on you:o

jelly&icecream wrote: »

Trinity has adapted to the bologna agreement aswell.
http://www.tcd.ie/courses/undergraduate/az/course.php?id=68

That's the best agreement name ever. But you're right, they mentioned it at the recent TCD open day.

ironclaw wrote: »

In order, Engineering wise would be DIT, UCD and Trinity. UCD certainly offers more scope to mix your degree i.e. You could be Mech with a touch of Elec etc. Trinity is more stringent.

Are you saying DIT is the best?

ironclaw wrote: »

If you have any Eng questions, post up and I'll try answer. I'm Electrical myself but I'll get an answer for you if I can't answer it.

Sort of unrelated but can you tell me anything about the electives engineering students are supposed to take? Where can I find out the available electives and are they just for 1st year?

augmented reality wrote: »

Saw an article in the paper today about tcd and china

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/19980-trinity-college-dublin-in/

I see that tcd is the only irish college in the top 100 engineering colleges in the world... this must count for something??? I can't help but think this would help in any job hunting, especially out foreign.
From all the advice you'd think ucd would be better ranked.. but no:mad:

It's just getting more confusing:(

Do tcd graduates have any advantage over ucd graduates?
Also, it doesn't appear tcd do work placement as part of the course like ucd do, does this help in job hunting?

Yes, Trinity is ranked the highest in Ireland and this might be a factor for you. It's not the be-all and end-all though. UCD might still suit you better for some sort of personal reasons (as it seems to be doing with me).

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

Trinity is ranked so high because it's got very good Arts and Law School. The weighted 'average' pulls it up the charts. If you were to devise a completely different ranking system based purely on individual school and perhaps even courses I'm sure UCD Engineering would rank the highest engineering school in the country.

Unfortunately, it still isn't. Trinity is 99 under the "Engineering and IT" category with UCD at 144. Like I said though, this isn't the only factor and the ranking system is not without criticism. You also have to consider that 45 spots out of thousands of unis across the world isn't a big difference. It's worth noting also that they have both been going up the past few years.

I'm personally leaning more for UCD at the moment for the following reasons:

1. Despite what TCD have been saying lately, UCD are miles better for international study. See here for more info on UCD studying abroad. They have way more partnerships with some of the highest ranked universities in the world.
2. I like the one year general structure better.
3. UCD has a better choice of engineering subjects.

All personal reasons that aren't in the ranking system. I know it's a tough choice and you never get to change your mind but you can be happy in the knowledge that they're both very good and it probably won't make a huge difference in the long run after a few years of work.

ironclaw

Are you saying DIT is the best?

Yes I am. From a purely achedemic point of view, it has the best facilities and the best name. HOWEVER many would argue that DIT is full of a mix bag of people, which brings down the social side. Its also split over a good few campus's so you could be in a situation where you have lectures across town (Not so much in Eng, but possible) Also, DIT doesn't have what UCD called "Horizons" where by you get a free elective choice i.e. Study French or Gemology or something completely unassociated with your degree. It could be argued this can be a poisoned chalice however (I have little room as I'd have to repeat certain in-programm electives if I chose French instead)

Elective - A semester module you do that counts towards your credits. In Eng you do 6 credits (modules) per semester.

Sort of unrelated but can you tell me anything about the electives engineering students are supposed to take? Where can I find out the available electives and are they just for 1st year?

Ok. Generally first year is set in stone. There are things you have to do. Like maths, some mechanics etc. Very little room to have a free lunch on the electives. As you go into higher years, it gets wider. However, as I said above, don't spend time doing stupid electives. You may have to repeat them if required for a masters. For instance, I'm electrical but I still have to a Dynamics / Mechanics module so I have the option of a Electrical or Electronic masters. There are also electives you have to do as part of your program. So for instances, you may have to do 5 out of a list of 10. The last elective is your horizons one. However, you'll more than likely choose (or have to choose) an in-programm elective.

This is my degree (Which was a pilot and is now the Eng standard):

https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/w_sm_web_inf_viewer_banner.show_major?p_term_code=200800&p_cao_code=DN080&p_major_code=NNS1

Gives you a rough overview.

Yes, Trinity is ranked the highest in Ireland and this might be a factor for you. It's not the be-all and end-all though. UCD might still suit you better for some sort of personal reasons (as it seems to be doing with me).

Your quite right. Choose a college because you like it AND the course. Don't choose purely based on "Oh, its the best college in Ireland / Europe" or "Mummy and Daddy like it" Thats stupid. YOU have to study there. YOU have to be there for 4+ years, so be damn sure you like the place

Unfortunately, it still isn't. Trinity is 99 under the "Engineering and IT" category with UCD at 144. Like I said though, this isn't the only factor and the ranking system is not without criticism. You also have to consider that 45 spots out of thousands of unis across the world isn't a big difference. It's worth noting also that they have both been going up the past few years.

Sorry, but those league tables are bogus. Talking to friends in Eng in Trinity, they arn't too keen on it. While I'm sure the same could be said for UCD students who would prefer Trinity, you shouldn't take numbers into account. Ask students, they are the best measure.

All personal reasons that aren't in the ranking system. I know it's a tough choice and you never get to change your mind but you can be happy in the knowledge that they're both very good and it probably won't make a huge difference in the long run after a few years of work.

You can change your mind. It will cost you some money, but I would imagine you could slip between 1st year in UCD and 1st year Trinity. i.e. Go into second year of either. The only issue might be taking an extra elective or two, but if it makes you happy, then its worth the €500 or so.

C14N

ironclaw wrote: »

Ok. Generally first year is set in stone. There are things you have to do. Like maths, some mechanics etc. Very little room to have a free lunch on the electives. As you go into higher years, it gets wider. However, as I said above, don't spend time doing stupid electives. You may have to repeat them if required for a masters. For instance, I'm electrical but I still have to a Dynamics / Mechanics module so I have the option of a Electrical or Electronic masters. There are also electives you have to do as part of your program. So for instances, you may have to do 5 out of a list of 10. The last elective is your horizons one. However, you'll more than likely choose (or have to choose) an in-programm elective.

I think I more meant to the "horizons" ones. When I was at the open day at the engineering talk it was mentioned that you take on 2 electives that are totally unrelated to engineering (he gave history I think as an example). I'm just not sure what's available to choose. Can you basically pick any module from another course? I would absolutely love if I could take something like the Film Studies module from the English course for example, having taken a massive interest in film in the last year. Even writing up ridiculously long essays on 50 year old movies would seem more like something for fun rather than for work. Only thing is, I'm not sure if it's possible.

ironclaw

C14N wrote: »

I think I more meant to the "horizons" ones. When I was at the open day at the engineering talk it was mentioned that you take on 2 electives that are totally unrelated to engineering (he gave history I think as an example). I'm just not sure what's available to choose. Can you basically pick any module from another course? I would absolutely love if I could take something like the Film Studies module from the English course for example, having taken a massive interest in film in the last year. Even writing up ridiculously long essays on 50 year old movies would seem more like something for fun rather than for work. Only thing is, I'm not sure if it's possible.

The answer is, its depends. In first year, not really. Your modules are fairly set and you have limited choice. There are two types of elective, "in program" and everything else. When it comes to Engineering, you'd be best of sticking to the in program. While History etc is great, you'll find you might be lacking when it comes to furthering your knowledge within your degree. e.g. Computer Sci would be better complementing a Electrical Eng. than French would. Horizons isn't all its cracked up to be. When it comes to it, you sort of have to choose a suitable subject. Also, it has to fit your timetable. If it clashes, you can't do it, and that will further cut down what you can do.

Generally speaking, if you really want to study completely outside your degree, you'll probably use 1 out of your 12 electives per year. I haven't studying anything outside my degree or recommended for my degree, I don't have that room to move for my masters (Keep that in mind by the way. Don't do French and find you need to spend €240 on an extra elective to sit a Masters)

pljudge321

ironclaw wrote: »

The answer is, its depends. In first year, not really. Your modules are fairly set and you have limited choice. There are two types of elective, "in program" and everything else. When it comes to Engineering, you'd be best of sticking to the in program. While History etc is great, you'll find you might be lacking when it comes to furthering your knowledge within your degree. e.g. Computer Sci would be better complementing a Electrical Eng. than French would. Horizons isn't all its cracked up to be. When it comes to it, you sort of have to choose a suitable subject. Also, it has to fit your timetable. If it clashes, you can't do it, and that will further cut down what you can do.

Generally speaking, if you really want to study completely outside your degree, you'll probably use 1 out of your 12 electives per year. I haven't studying anything outside my degree or recommended for my degree, I don't have that room to move for my masters (Keep that in mind by the way. Don't do French and find you need to spend €240 on an extra elective to sit a Masters)

I'm in 3rd year Engineering and for my 2nd elective this year I found a grand total of around 5 non-language modules that would suit my timetable. Even at that two of them were recommended elective modules by the school.

C14N

ironclaw wrote: »

The answer is, its depends. In first year, not really. Your modules are fairly set and you have limited choice. There are two types of elective, "in program" and everything else. When it comes to Engineering, you'd be best of sticking to the in program. While History etc is great, you'll find you might be lacking when it comes to furthering your knowledge within your degree. e.g. Computer Sci would be better complementing a Electrical Eng. than French would. Horizons isn't all its cracked up to be. When it comes to it, you sort of have to choose a suitable subject. Also, it has to fit your timetable. If it clashes, you can't do it, and that will further cut down what you can do.

Generally speaking, if you really want to study completely outside your degree, you'll probably use 1 out of your 12 electives per year. I haven't studying anything outside my degree or recommended for my degree, I don't have that room to move for my masters (Keep that in mind by the way. Don't do French and find you need to spend €240 on an extra elective to sit a Masters)

Oh, that's a bit of a bummer, I thought it sounded like a good idea.

pljudge321 wrote: »

I'm in 3rd year Engineering and for my 2nd elective this year I found a grand total of around 5 non-language modules that would suit my timetable. Even at that two of them were recommended elective modules by the school.

Just out of curiosity, what were they?

JBoy!

Im in UCD engineering , doing chemical and I really enjoy it!

bnt

C14N wrote: »

I think I more meant to the "horizons" ones. When I was at the open day at the engineering talk it was mentioned that you take on 2 electives that are totally unrelated to engineering (he gave history I think as an example).

At UCD it helps to understand the concept of "in-programme electives"; in the case of Engineering, these are basically any Engineering subject in your field & year e.g. 3rd Mechanical. They are flagged as such in the module selection system. Selecting one of those offers certain advantages: they can make later courses easier, and they are part of the lecture and exam schedules for the programme.

If you choose to take an unrelated elective, that's perfectly fine - that's what elective slots are for - but there's a risk of a schedule clash, in lectures and/or exams. You could find yourself scheduled to take two exams at the same time, which won't happen if you stick to in-programme electives.

Chet T16

I remember they were throwing around phrases like "go deeper" and "go broader" with regards to electives. Going deeper obviously meaning deeper into your chosen degree.

Chemistry Ftw

JBoy! wrote: »

Im in UCD engineering , doing chemical and I really enjoy it!

Hey, I'm interested in studying chemical engineering in ucd. How are you finding the course?

muboop1

I done Chem, Its pretty sweet. Great job opportunities, great pay... Class is always pretty close by the end, and best of all... The lecturers... Majority of them go above and beyond what is required to help you in pretty much every way.

They will also help you get internships and jobs etc.

If you want to ask any specific Q's PM me directly!

phanly

Hi im thinking of doing engineering but not because I want to be an engineer just because I like science and math, was thinking of working in finance or business after so would be looking at the 4 year eng courses. So any thoughts for which would be the best college Trinity or UCD for the job (maybe foreign) that has nothing to do with engineering?