How's DCU (science) 1st year so far?

YCT527

Hi, just asking how is everyone in the science course (common entry or any other science courses) doing? What do you think of DCU so far? Are the lecturers/tutors/lab teachers (in the science courses) any good (name them so I know who you are talking about)? Do you like your science course? How are the assignments? Do you like the lab classes? Oh yeah, for those people who did the 1st CA exam in PS122/PS132 (Physics for General Sciences I), how was it (easy or hard or not too bad)?
I'm in common entry (CES) (just in case anybody asking about this).

YoungSpoon

I'm doin' Horticulture, so I'd be in all the common entry classes except for the physics labs.
DCU's fairly cool. Nice atmosphere and such.
Most of the lecturers are excellent but Niamh O Sullivan for Maths and J.Morrison for Intro Bio are brutal. They leave me in a daze. It's not that the subjects are hard but just that they have bad teaching methods. Although Morrison seems to do a decent job for the practical bio labs.
The course is really good. Interesting. The assignments aren't too bad. But the course moves far too quick. Before I've got a grasp of what's going on, they're about 2chapters further. Physics in particular. I thought most of the Physics CA were trick questions. Did ****e in that.
I've picked up Chemistry very quick. I'm fairly behind in the others. The work load is overwhelming. I know of about 10 others who feel the same.
How are you finding it?

YCT527

YoungSpoon wrote: »

I'm doin' Horticulture, so I'd be in all the common entry classes except for the physics labs.
DCU's fairly cool. Nice atmosphere and such.
Most of the lecturers are excellent but Niamh O Sullivan for Maths and J.Morrison for Intro Bio are brutal. They leave me in a daze. It's not that the subjects are hard but just that they have bad teaching methods. Although Morrison seems to do a decent job for the practical bio labs.
The course is really good. Interesting. The assignments aren't too bad. But the course moves far too quick. Before I've got a grasp of what's going on, they're about 2chapters further. Physics in particular. I thought most of the Physics CA were trick questions. Did ****e in that.
I've picked up Chemistry very quick. I'm fairly behind in the others. The work load is overwhelming. I know of about 10 others who feel the same.
How are you finding it?

Couldn't agree more. J. Morrison and Niamh O'Sullivan are indeed no good at all! And yes, J. Morrison seems to be good at the Bio labs, but when it comes to doing some maths in the 2nd experiment (spectrometry 1), she explained the calculations too fast and I didn't get her at all.
I do admit, I did very badly in the first CA for Physics as well, even though I did Physics for Leaving Cert! Paul van Kampen is ok, but only if he slow down a bit in the lectures!! He moves far too quick! I did all 3 sciences for the Leaving Cert and I find them quite ok (particularly in Biology-in which I managed to get an honours B3. Physics got an honours C2 grade as some parts of the question was a bit hard, especially in mechanics. Chemistry got a D1:mad: since my teacher never finished the whole course:mad:! He barely finished organic chemistry, but he left the Options chapters out! The whole course was so long and my text book was also badly written and left me with nothing but confusion on the topics of organic chemistry.), but the level of the 3 sciences in DCU is such a big jump from what I being taught in the Leaving Cert. Physics and Biology in particular. In Physics, it is far too mathematical in university level compare to L.C level (I did higher maths, but still find the maths in physics tricky). In Biology, the topics on cell division lasted for 2 chapters (15 pages each in the text book), but in L.C it only lasts for a page or two! So yeah, the lecturers flew through the course alright, so I agree with you on this as well.

YoungSpoon

Aye, I haven't got a clue about that last Bio lab. Didn't help that I came late. I had to resort to copying from my partner. Really didn't like that one.

Physics seems fairly easy when Paul goes over it in the lectures but then the questions are an entirely different thing altogether. Same with the tutorials, even though they're helpful. The CA questions were a bit much.

It's an awful pain that the online work is in a different place for all the different subjects. I wish they could agree on one place for them.

River Song

I'm in SE and my God, it's a lot to take on in 4 weeks. I've found Conor Long to be very good, and very interesting, even if he does go off on tangents at times (I keep remembering his Gin and Tonic, and why he hates Newton - "Here I am, sweating blood for you!...."). I have Eugene O'Riordan for Maths, and he's fantastic. Moves fast but it's easy to keep up.

On the other hand...Jacinta is brutal, as said above. Anyone can read from a slide, like. She just gives off a bad atmosphere. I learned more in one lecture today with Mary than I have so far with Jacinta. In a perfect world, we'd have Mary all 12 weeks. Also, Paul van Kampen is...well hard to follow at times. I have always had to "learn off" Physics, and struggled to understand the concepts in it. He's really moving WAY too fast, and the CA was horrible...

As for labs, I only do Chemistry Lab (Thursday morn.) and Physics Lab (Friday morn.). Pat O'Malley is a TINY bit condescending, but you can feel he wants us to learn. It's a LOT to take on though, and it's tough going mostly. Physics labs are grand out, really relaxed attitude and it's fun enough.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Ye is tough alright but I'm enjoying it. I dont really think Paul Van C. goes too fast, if you read the chapter in the book before hand it's a big help. But I am really enjoying Physics so maybe I'm just finding it easier as a result (never done it before though only Bio). I got just under 60 in the CA again I didnt think it was too bad.
Labs are pretty boring, but I have fun in them with my lab partner. I think all labs are **** though bore me a bit but is early days.

Chemistry post-labs are the bain of my life, I hate them haha. But is good the way they are linked to the lectures. The stuff to do with the moles has helped me a good bit. Lecturer is pretty good and when doing my own study I enjoy it.

Bio as others said lecturer is awful. Happens in every course though always get one awful lecture. I was talking to her in the labs she seems cool enough. Jut a **** lecturer. Mary is great though

Maths teacher methods are real weird as people said. The girl I have for my tutorial is a great help though. Hit the Maths Learning centre if ur having trouble.

What is everyone hoping to do next year? I'm thinking apllied Physics seems cool enough

ironictoaster

I'm BT2 atm, if I have any of advice to you all, it's that go to all your chem tutorials. That exam is a bitch. Even for folks who flew through honours chemistry.

p1akuw47h5r3it

ironictoaster wrote: »

I'm BT2 atm, if I have any of advice to you all, it's that go to all your chem tutorials. That exam is a bitch. Even for folks who flew through honours chemistry.

Hey. We dont get Chem tutorials but they split the exam in 2 this yr so we have A Christmas and a Summer one so it shouldnt be as difficult.

andyman

Anyone unhappy with Niamh O'Sullivan, you'll appreciate her at the end of the year before the exam. Her notes are very helpful.

YoungSpoon

If I try to take down Niamh's notes, I don't understand the questions themselves. If I don't take them down, I get a slight grasp, but then I have no notes to revise.

Aoifums

I'm in BT and I have to say that this year is a huge let down in terms of the course. The social life is obviously brilliant
Jacinta is brutal! I'm going to miss Mary sooo much I learned more from her in two days than I have from Jacinta at all.

I don't even know my maths teacher's name :eek: But I don't like her at all. She makes no sense to me and even her notes are a mess. The only things I can do it take down the examples but she uses such a weird method to do things. Tutorials are a life saver! I feel fine for our test but only because I've been to the tutorials.

I feel mixed about Physics. I like Paul, he genuinly seems to care if we understand what he's saying or not. But it's very different from Leaving Cert physics and I was only alright at that. Even the formulae used are weird and I'm never quite sure what each part of it stands for The test was fine but only because it was basic problem solving and that's my kind of thing. The labs are fine if a little dull. The people running it are good craic and I like the way they're not in your face if/when you're working.

Chemistry is hopeless. The lectures are alright, like I understand what's being said but I just can't apply it. I'm dying in the labs. I don't understand it. I thought I did until I handed up my last post lab and it turned out to be all wrong. So I'm going wrong and I don't know why :rolleyes: I feel so bogged down with work for it too. There's the pre-lab quiz, the pre-lab questions and the post lab. That can take me over four hours to do

Sorry if I'm sounding really racist, but why do so many of the lab assistants have such poor english? know they're PhD students but the one I had last week couldn't even tell me what I was supposed to be doing.

YoungSpoon

Would anyone be open to maybe an hour or two(or 10 if yeh want) after college at some point to study as a group? We could organise a study room in the library.
I'm too easily distracted on my own and I work better in a group.

I didn't do chemistry for the leaving but I've uncovered an aptitude for it. It's probably my best subject now.
I've always been good at Bio but I haven't really dedicated much time to it this year.
The rest of the subjects, I'm meandering in.

So if anyone's decent at one subject and bad at another, we could exchange. Or even if you're bad at them all, you could learn a thing or two.
Supposedly the best way to learn is to teach.

p1akuw47h5r3it

Aoifums wrote: »

There's the pre-lab quiz, the pre-lab questions and the post lab. That can take me over four hours to do

Sorry if I'm sounding really racist, but why do so many of the lab assistants have such poor english? know they're PhD students but the one I had last week couldn't even tell me what I was supposed to be doing.

I dont mind Chemistry all that much but ye there is a lot of work involved. I think it's because so many people fail that they may be giving us more work in it. 70% of people failed it last year so they have gotten rid of tutorials and split the test in 2 so we have one at Chrimbo and one in Summer. Last year was only 1 in Summer.

I'd agree with you about the lab assistants. My Chem one has woeful English and speaks so so so quietly we cant even hear her. But they are Phd students they aren't there to teach but to research so we cant complain, DCU needs em!

xaoifsx

Thank god other people feel like this about certain lectures.....I thought I was the only one that thought this!!

YCT527

YoungSpoon wrote: »

If I try to take down Niamh's notes, I don't understand the questions themselves. If I don't take them down, I get a slight grasp, but then I have no notes to revise.

Yeah, I feel the same here. Only if she can pause a bit once in a while to allow us understand of what's going on. Well, one thing to do, go to maths learning centre at a suitable time. I think I'll go there tomorrow so I'll be prepared for the 1st CA in week 7.

ironictoaster

DanDan6592 wrote: »

Hey. We dont get Chem tutorials but they split the exam in 2 this yr so we have A Christmas and a Summer one so it shouldnt be as difficult.

Jammy bastards, studying for that exam was a Rocky training montage, 3 hours of pain!

Make to sure to take down notes, Long or Odilla do not put them on moodle.

Aoifums

What did everyone else write for the feedback form for Jacinta today? I was trying sooo hard to be polite yet honest.

ironictoaster wrote: »

Make to sure to take down notes, Long or Odilla do not put them on moodle.

Oh we know. Nightmare trying to take down notes while he speaks. I almost never get it all down and I can't listen and write speedily at the same time

MacConmheadha

Conor Long is probably our best lecturer, he's easy to understand and he knows how to get his points across. The rest of them either go too fast or just can't speak in front of a large group of people.
The labs have been grand for me so far, have no complaints.

Also, my maths tutour is really good (X101 on Tuesday evenings), everyone seems to be floating from the other tutour group into ours.

The next biology lecture will be interesting to say the least...

xaoifsx

MacConmheadha wrote: »

The next biology lecture will be interesting to say the least...

pahahaha

YCT527

MacConmheadha wrote: »

Also, my maths tutor is really good (X101 on Tuesday evenings), everyone seems to be floating from the other tutor group into ours.

Yeah, I had noticed that lately in my tutor group alright (in X130). Well, only one reason for it, that is, the tutor is not that good. Not only his monotonic voice puts me nearly to sleep, but he couldn't really explain too well on each maths problem either. I think I might 'float' into your group soon...

glenn3ie

In SE4 myself. Niamh O'Sullivan's classes were grand for us. She lets you bring in an A4 sheet with formulae on it into the final exam. I liked her module, although, I did it in 2nd year, having done Eugene's in 1st year.

Good luck.

YoungSpoon

YCT527 wrote: »

Yeah, I feel the same here. Only if she can pause a bit once in a while to allow us understand of what's going on. Well, one thing to do, go to maths learning centre at a suitable time. I think I'll go there tomorrow so I'll be prepared for the 1st CA in week 7.

The book is very straight forward too. If I pass, it'll be 'cause of that.

Aoifums

I'm lost in Chemistry I flunked that stupid lab test and I've no idea what's going on in some of the lectures. I was following up to a point and then I just lost all clue as to what's going on.
Also, why isn't there a proper periodic table of the elements in our chemistry book? Or am I just really thick/blind?

p1akuw47h5r3it

Aoifums wrote: »

I'm lost in Chemistry I flunked that stupid lab test and I've no idea what's going on in some of the lectures. I was following up to a point and then I just lost all clue as to what's going on.
Also, why isn't there a proper periodic table of the elements in our chemistry book? Or am I just really thick/blind?

Aw dont worry I'm pretty much the same...Just keep trying to study as best you can, and just keep asking ur lab tutor loads of questions even if u think ur pissing them off thats why they are there!!

I flunked the test aswell got 2

ironictoaster

As long as you attend them labs and do the reports, you'll be grand tbh.