Mature students- what do you think of UCD?

Azures

Is UCD a great place to be a mature student? How easy is it to make friends with other mature - ish students? Where do mature students tend to live? Are the clubs and societies 'Mature' friendly? What is the Arts degree experience for matures? ... and all other mature opinions that will help me decide which offer to take up are welcome! Thanks!

Maldesu

I'm really enjoying it. I've passed through a few other places before coming to UCD and its by far the best. You will find that a lot of the other mature students know each other from the access courses, but even though I never did it, I've made friends with loads of them. We're actually meeting today after an exam to get happily drunk, with some coming up from Wicklow for the fun.

For the most part, mature students live off campus, mainly because they have families or just can't imagine living in shared accommodation with a younger generation. There is a mature society in UCD who do monthly lunches for everyone. Plenty other other socs have a wide age group. Met a mature student last year who was a die hard archery fan.

Also doing the Arts degree. Any group work will probably drive you nuts, mainly because younger members either don't care, or just can't get into a working system. Also for the matures, it can be hard to share power in a group. Life experience always goes a long way in a course, making it easier to talk to your tutors/lecturers.

The rest does depend on what subjects you are taking, but regardless, make sure you have time to take on the workload. One English module require a book to be read each week. Doesn't sound like much until you have 5 other modules with work to be done on the same week. Be careful when selecting your modules - one friend of mine selected Classics, Sociology and Geography which is a nice mix, but on Monday and Wednesday, the lectures were in a row - up to five hours straight in lectures - no time for food at all.

Hope this helps and you can PM me for more info if you want.

Azures

Maldesu wrote: »

I'm really enjoying it. I've passed through a few other places before coming to UCD and its by far the best. You will find that a lot of the other mature students know each other from the access courses, but even though I never did it, I've made friends with loads of them. We're actually meeting today after an exam to get happily drunk, with some coming up from Wicklow for the fun.

For the most part, mature students live off campus, mainly because they have families or just can't imagine living in shared accommodation with a younger generation. There is a mature society in UCD who do monthly lunches for everyone. Plenty other other socs have a wide age group. Met a mature student last year who was a die hard archery fan.

Also doing the Arts degree. Any group work will probably drive you nuts, mainly because younger members either don't care, or just can't get into a working system. Also for the matures, it can be hard to share power in a group. Life experience always goes a long way in a course, making it easier to talk to your tutors/lecturers.

The rest does depend on what subjects you are taking, but regardless, make sure you have time to take on the workload. One English module require a book to be read each week. Doesn't sound like much until you have 5 other modules with work to be done on the same week. Be careful when selecting your modules - one friend of mine selected Classics, Sociology and Geography which is a nice mix, but on Monday and Wednesday, the lectures were in a row - up to five hours straight in lectures - no time for food at all.

Hope this helps and you can PM me for more info if you want.

Thanks for your reply, very useful

dr gonzo

UCD is a fantastic place to be as a mature student. I finished my arts degree with friends of all ages, mature is not a concept that applies beyond the paperwork. I have found that if someone cares about age it sadly is often the mature student him/herself rather then the younger crowd.

UCD = amazing, friendly and mature friendly place for any age, but you have to make the most of it by taking a chance with different people. It would be a shame to go through college with only mature friends, if that makes sense?

Azures

dr gonzo wrote: »

UCD is a fantastic place to be as a mature student. I finished my arts degree with friends of all ages, mature is not a concept that applies beyond the paperwork. I have found that if someone cares about age it sadly is often the mature student him/herself rather then the younger crowd.

UCD = amazing, friendly and mature friendly place for any age, but you have to make the most of it by taking a chance with different people. It would be a shame to go through college with only mature friends, if that makes sense?

Decided against UCD in the end, couldn't. figure out a way of affording to live in Dublin as a mature student.

Snako

Due to my lengthy time in UCD, I technically became a mature student!! But that's irrelevant as far as the mature student experience goes....

But over my many years and various interactions on the Belfield campus, I'v come to realise that there is very much a dichotomous set of cultures between Students and mature students, these almost autonomous circles only and just about, overlap in the realm of academic contact hours.

Both sets are aware of each other but oblivious to trends going on in either, so I suppose what I'm saying is that, mature students as a group are quite independent of what goes on around them, I mean this in a positive way, they have in so many words formed their own enclave of social interaction, where one can be emerged in comfortable and amenable environment,

This is not to say the mature students are not sociable, but from my observations, they definitely posses a much different mindset, temperament and general philosophy to the rest of the student population, I myself found this most refreshing when discussing not only assignments and exams but also topical news etc.

One of the things I have taken from my time as a student, is my advocacy for the mature student, if I could go back I would have started a year or two later, in this case the word 'mature' applies to mind & body.