UCC or Dublin?

KKBL

I live in Galway City and it has always been my dream move to Dublin for college and so I have UCD @ #1 on my CAO and TCD @ #2.
I'm going to do an undenominated Science course. The points in UCD should be around 480 and 490 or even 500 in TCD. Problem is I'm thinking I might end up with 460 or 470. So this leaves me with a dilemma as to what should be the 3rd preference on my CAO form. Like I said I really want to live in Dublin, I crave the cosmopolitan lifestyle, the diversity and multi-cultural atmosphere that a city with a population of over 1 million people can offer. Only problem is the Science course in DCU pales in comparison with UCC because there isn't as many options, plus UCC is ranked at #181 on the latest global university ranking while DCU is away down at #326, so its clear which uni is better in terms of reputation among employers. Aswell as having the better course & the better college, UCC is twice as big as DCU (6k undergrads in DCU, 12K in UCC) which is definitely more appealing to me. Another advantage of UCC is that its near the city centre in Cork while DCU is miles away. On the other hand DCU has a work placement included in its Science courses which UCC lacks.
Basically UCC seems like the better choice to me but can Cork compare to Dublin? I'm really unsure about which one to go with...

leaveiton

Hey, I'm not very knowledgeable about Cork or UCC, so I can't be of much help there. Would you consider Maynooth at all? I know it's not a big city, but it's not really that far from Dublin. I'm also hoping to do science next year, and Maynooth would be my second choice after Trinity purely based on the course. I understand that it's probably not what you're after, but just throwing it out in case you hadn't considered it. I know what you're saying about the course in DCU, I really don't like it myself either. However, just one thing I noticed in your post...

KKBL wrote: »

Another advantage of UCC is that its near the city centre in Cork while DCU is miles away.

DCU really isn't that far from the city centre! It's only about 20 minutes on the bus. In fact, it's probably a lot closer than UCD is.

GarIT

There isn't too much difference between Cork city and Dublin city. Dublin has one million people because they are all in large towns surrounding the city. Cork doesn't have as many large towns so the city is about the same. UCD is a few miles away from the city. Not that near it at all, DCU is only slightly further. You would have to get a bus from UCD or DCU into Dublin. Trinity and DIT are the only colleges in Dublin City.

KKBL

leaveiton wrote: »

Hey, I'm not very knowledgeable about Cork or UCC, so I can't be of much help there. Would you consider Maynooth at all? I know it's not a big city, but it's not really that far from Dublin. I'm also hoping to do science next year, and Maynooth would be my second choice after Trinity purely based on the course. I understand that it's probably not what you're after, but just throwing it out in case you hadn't considered it. I know what you're saying about the course in DCU, I really don't like it myself either. However, just one thing I noticed in your post...



DCU really isn't that far from the city centre! It's only about 20 minutes on the bus. In fact, it's probably a lot closer than UCD is.

I've done a lot of research so I've taken everything into consideration and what I love about science in NUIM is how the subjects are arranged into Biology, chemistry, maths, experimental physics, mathematical physics, computer science & engineering. Its so straight-forward and allows for a really broad view of Science. That structure appeals to me more than any other courses but I'd be worried that I'd get tired of that eventually and want to specialize, but that's not an option.
But like I said I really want to live in a big city, which Maynooth is not, so for that reason I'll have it at #4 or #5 on my CAO.
& ya the common entry into Science in DCU is so limited so thats why I'm unsure about the course itself.

GarIT

Belfield isn't a big city either. UCD isn't in Dublin its in Belfield. The best description for Belfield is a large town. Just so you know Maynooth is an hour by bus from Dublin City.

KKBL

GarIT wrote: »

Belfield isn't a big city either. UCD isn't in Dublin its in Belfield. The best description for Belfield is a large town. Just so you know Maynooth is an hour by bus from Dublin City.

Its part of the greater Dublin city urban are though :P

IRL_Sinister

Galway City is a lot more fun than Dublin City.

KKBL

IRL_Sinister wrote: »

Galway City is a lot more fun than Dublin City.

What makes you say that? and it won't be anyway if I'm living at home. I just want to experience living in big city and meeting people of many different backrounds, ethnicities, lifestyles, views etc and Dublin can definitely offer that, I'm just unsure whether Cork can too.

IRL_Sinister

Because anyone that from, or from around, Dublin go to Galway to party.

leaveiton

KKBL wrote: »

I've done a lot of research so I've taken everything into consideration and what I love about science in NUIM is how the subjects are arranged into Biology, chemistry, maths, experimental physics, mathematical physics, computer science & engineering. Its so straight-forward and allows for a really broad view of Science. That structure appeals to me more than any other courses but I'd be worried that I'd get tired of that eventually and want to specialize, but that's not an option.
But like I said I really want to live in a big city, which Maynooth is not, so for that reason I'll have it at #4 or #5 on my CAO.
& ya the common entry into Science in DCU is so limited so thats why I'm unsure about the course itself.

That's fair enough, just wanted to know if you'd considered it! I know what you mean about the specialisation thing, it's one of the things that'd put me off the course as well.

GarIT

KKBL wrote: »

ts part of the greater Dublin city urban are though :P

Its completely different though, its not the same as the city at all, Maynooth is in the greater Dublin area too, they use Dublin telephone numbers and Dublin bus even though it is in Kildare. The greater Dublin area is massive, it extends into all the surrounding counties. Belfield would be very similar to maynooth as its all students in the town. Your not from Dublin so you don't know what life is like here, what your talking about can only be gotten from trinity and dit.

Scrappychimow

GarIT wrote: »

Its completely different though, its not the same as the city at all, Maynooth is in the greater Dublin area too, they use Dublin telophone numbers and Dublin bus even tho it is in Kildare. The greater Dublin area is massive, it extends into all the surrounding counties.

What planet are you on , UCD is in dublin . It's only a short cycle from the city centre, cop on!

GarIT

Scrappychimow wrote: »

What planet are you on , UCD is in dublin . It's only a short cycle from the city centre, cop on!

Its not the same at all as actually being in Dublin though, there's a completely different atmosphere in city centre, there's no big crowds or anything like the city. Its a decent cycle to be fair. Its not the same as when you can walk to temple bar and walk home. It will be taxi fees all year if your going out to any of the big student venues.

AdamD

GarIT wrote: »

Its completely different though, its not the same as the city at all, Maynooth is in the greater Dublin area too, they use Dublin telephone numbers and Dublin bus even though it is in Kildare. The greater Dublin area is massive, it extends into all the surrounding counties. Belfield would be very similar to maynooth as its all students in the town. Your not from Dublin so you don't know what life is like here, what your talking about can only be gotten from trinity and dit.

UCD and Maynooth are completely different, UCD is a short bus ride/luas into town. If you're going anywhere for a night out, its going to be town. Your post is just clueless

GarIT

AdamD wrote: »

UCD and Maynooth are completely different, UCD is a short bus ride/luas into town. If you're going anywhere for a night out, its going to be town. Your post is just clueless

UCD and Maynooth are definately quite different, but I think there's an even bigger difference between Trinity and UCD. Like in Trinity your in the centre of the city, you can walk to anywhere from trinity, but its all Busses, luas and taxis or stay on the campus in UCD. If you have an hour off in trinity you can do something interesting like walk around Stephens green, or go shopping. With UCD you wouldn't have the time to get there and back. I've stayed around both of them before and I find them very different. But the similarity between UCD and maynooth is that your surrounded by students all the time, but in trinity your surrounded by all sorts of different people. That's my experience of them anyway. And from what I can tell having stayed in both and having friends that study in both your post is clueless, they all say that its very different.

eyescreamcone

Cork is a fantastic city to spend a few years in.
UCC is 10 mins walk from the city centre, with it's cool pubs and nightlife
If you could visit the city centre you would comment on how multicultural it is.
Also the university attracts a lot of foreign students so there is a good mix.
For college life UCC is hard to beat

KKBL

GarIT wrote: »

UCD and Maynooth are definately quite different, but I think there's an even bigger difference between Trinity and UCD. Like in Trinity your in the centre of the city, you can walk to anywhere from trinity, but its all Busses, luas and taxis or stay on the campus in UCD. If you have an hour off in trinity you can do something interesting like walk around Stephens green, or go shopping. With UCD you wouldn't have the time to get there and back. I've stayed around both of them before and I find them very different. But the similarity between UCD and maynooth is that your surrounded by students all the time, but in trinity your surrounded by all sorts of different people. That's my experience of them anyway. And from what I can tell having stayed in both and having friends that study in both your post is clueless, they all say that its very different.

My point is that living on the UCD campus you are part of Dublin city and its community. You will be going out in the city centre and shopping there too. Most students in Dublin go to UCD so even if its technically not in the city, it is really.

GarIT

KKBL wrote: »

My point is that living on the UCD campus you are part of Dublin city and its community. You will be going out in the city centre and shopping there too. Most students in Dublin go to UCD so even if its technically not in the city, it is really.

You are right that it will have a city feel to it (compared to Galway), I'm just trying to make sure you realise everything about it.

I suppose my attitude is different to other people because I've lived in a few areas that are similar distances from the city. And to me none of them feel like being in the actual city to me. There would be a noticeable difference between the lifestyle in Trinity and UCD, just because you can get nearly anywhere to do pretty much anything within a 10 min walk.

Like I've lived within a walkable distance of city centre and places that are a short bus journey away. people just act differently, like when you can get to a shopping centre after a 5 min walk on you would go most days, but if its a bus journey people are less likely to want to go. Before I've walked with mates to get the €1 sundaes in McDonalds on O'Connell street and you hang out in the city which will probably happen if your in Trinity, but its not as likely to happen when its €3 and 15 mins on a bus each way. When you have to get a bus people tend to do it because they need to go somewhere, not just to walk around because they are bored or something. That's why I think there is a big difference even though geographically its only 7km.

You can't really say most of the students go there because they don't. There are 22 colleges in Dublin excluding PLC colleges. More people might go to UCD than any other college, but definitely not most students. Last year in my school I think 11 people out of 180 went to UCD.

KKBL

GarIT wrote: »

You are right that it will have a city feel to it (compared to Galway), I'm just trying to make sure you realise everything about it.

I suppose my attitude is different to other people because I've lived in a few areas that are similar distances from the city. And to me none of them feel like being in the actual city to me. There would be a noticeable difference between the lifestyle in Trinity and UCD, just because you can get nearly anywhere to do pretty much anything within a 10 min walk.

Like I've lived within a walkable distance of city centre and places that are a short bus journey away. people just act differently, like when you can get to a shopping centre after a 5 min walk on you would go most days, but if its a bus journey people are less likely to want to go. Before I've walked with mates to get the €1 sundaes in McDonalds on O'Connell street and you hang out in the city which will probably happen if your in Trinity, but its not as likely to happen when its €3 and 15 mins on a bus each way. When you have to get a bus people tend to do it because they need to go somewhere, not just to walk around because they are bored or something. That's why I think there is a big difference even though geographically its only 7km.

You can't really say most of the students go there because they don't. There are 22 colleges in Dublin excluding PLC colleges. More people might go to UCD than any other college, but definitely not most students. Last year in my school I think 11 people out of 180 went to UCD.

OK well thanks for that, I might re-consider DCU seeing as its closer.