Arts in UCD

Dinxminx

Just wondering if I'm the only one going to go for it this year.... Most of the people here seem to be looking to be actuaries or doctors or anything 500+.

I'm starting to feel like a dumb*ss, especially since the other day I heard someone refer to my chosen course as "retard arts".

Am I all alone?

Young Siward

Don't be put off by 'retarded' arts. It's not.

Yes, I was one of those last year who thought they'd get in advance of 500pts and wanted one of those high flying courses that are tricky to get...

I didn't get the points, and rest assured many here (and everywhere) who have massive - and perhaps unjustified confidence will also 'miss out'. I got mid 400's and to say I was disappointed when I got my results back is putting it very mildly. I ended up in Arts in UCD. I enjoy it a lot and for the record I share classes with some Actuaries (who basically are doing arts in first year) and my results thus far have been better than their average. Arts students are in no way inferior in my mind at all, and if I could go back a year I'd make my current course no. 1 on the CAO. People often have a bit of a swipe at Arts students since in most cases, we tend to do only about 15 hours a week between lectures and tutorials. Same is true in law, and both courses tend to have a lot of outside reading etc (Although exams in law are very difficult).

The biggest disadvantage in Arts - especially in First Year is lecture sizes. Theatre L will 500 students isn't really a great place to make friends.

A good Arts degree, especially combined with a Masters will set you up for a well paid career, and not one at McDonalds.

Dinxminx

Thanks Siward! That helped! Oddly enough I already have friends in UCD doing Commerce, B&L, Law and Arts so hopefully the freindship thing shouldn't be an issue...

lestats_bride

Yep i'm going for arts in UCD mate!!

I'm out in Connemara but can't wait to get up to Dublin and do my history,politics and arabic!

Only Human

Dinxminx wrote:

Just wondering if I'm the only one going to go for it this year.... Most of the people here seem to be looking to be actuaries or doctors or anything 500+.

I'm starting to feel like a dumb*ss, especially since the other day I heard someone refer to my chosen course as "retard arts".

Am I all alone?

I'm aiming for 300 ponints! If anyone's a retard it's me.

hada

Here's a well known fact - Arts and Engineers make up college up in UCG and i'm pretty sure it's the same elsewhere around the country.

I think without those two courses, there wouldn't be a social scene

Oh and about the course - Know what you want to get out of it before you go in, do you're little bit of study (if you do an hour in the library every second day of the week mon-fri, you'll be doing more than 98% of other first arts students)

It's always good to pick 2 or so subjects that you have a keen interest in (and hopefully can get some form of plausible employment from) and then 2 subjects that are passable, but you might not exactly love them. In that way after the year, you can afford to spend time on the two subjects you like (and that might be a wee bit harder) and do enough in the other two to pass them easily..

But most of all - enjoy yourself, but you will, so that goes without saying

ghostchant

I'm in ucd, and the people I know in arts are doing way more work than me, even if their hours are much less, so one things for sure I don't think anyone can insult arts students about their workload

Sangre

Just remember only 5% of people who sit the Leaving Cert will get over 500 points and it decreases pretty dramatically the higher you go.

Oh and Arts is for bums.

grimloch

Sangre wrote:

Just remember only 5% of people who sit the Leaving Cert will get over 500 points and it decreases pretty dramatically the higher you go.

just curious where you found that out from?

kasintahan

Arts, if you are good at making friends, is one of the most enjoyable courses to do.
HUGE 1st year classes are just not conducive to meeting people though, join soc's (and attend them).

The workload can be tough depending on the couses you choose (mine don't demand much of me because I've either done them before (Computers), are easy (Info Studies) or are just plain interesting (Psychology - tough exams though)).

Sangre

I can't find a link for it with a brief google but as an average its about right.
Just remembered it because a lecturer mentioned it the other day and I've read it before in a few different sources.

DadaKopf

I got my degree in Arts UCD, I was weird and actually wanted to do it. Loved every minute of it and made great friends. Hell, it's UCD, you're spoiled for choice in terms of meeting people. As people have said, join a society or get involved in SOMETHING. Whatver you're interested in, there's something for everyone.

Don't worry and have a great time!

kasintahan

DadaKopf wrote:

I got my degree in Arts UCD, I was weird and actually wanted to do it. Loved every minute of it and made great friends. Hell, it's UCD, you're spoiled for choice in terms of meeting people. As people have said, join a society or get involved in SOMETHING. Whatver you're interested in, there's something for everyone.

Don't worry and have a great time!

As did I.

UCD has everything (except a swimming pool). Which makes it much better than pretty much any campus.

I was in DIT Kevin St. before which was terrible for facilities (bizzarly it actually had a swimming pool) but had great class social life (small classes and surrounded by pubs and late night clubs). I found the lack of healthy extracurricular activities impacted on my studys though (I lived on boards for 3 years there and became a master of Counter Strike ).

My recommendation - pick a course you know you will enjoy, then pick a college you will be happy in.

PS - Trinity is probably one of the best tradeoffs between reasonable facilties, active socities, decent courses and social scene.

RagShagBill

Do the fact that there are so many places for UCD Arts in anyway diminish the value of the degree.

And the the member from Connamara going to do History, Politics and Arabic...you too? If I do UCD Arts that's what I plan on doing. Journalism by any chance?

Waltons

kasintahan wrote:

Arts, if you are good at making friends, is one of the most enjoyable courses to do.
HUGE 1st year classes are just not conducive to meeting people though, join soc's (and attend them).

The workload can be tough depending on the couses you choose (mine don't demand much of me because I've either done them before (Computers), are easy (Info Studies) or are just plain interesting (Psychology - tough exams though)).

I was actually considering taking Computer Science and Info Studies in UCD!
Would you advise me to?

Jonny Arson

Dinxminx wrote:

Just wondering if I'm the only one going to go for it this year.... Most of the people here seem to be looking to be actuaries or doctors or anything 500+.

I'm starting to feel like a dumb*ss, especially since the other day I heard someone refer to my chosen course as "retard arts".

Am I all alone?

Arts in UCD is the most popular course in the entire CAO - FACT

Why is it popular? Its popular because so many people at the ages of 17/18 don't have an idea want they want to get out of life in terms of career and Arts is a safe option if you are uncertain because the course gives you a wide range of options in terms of your subject choices. You are not tied to doing something in Arts. There are so many choices available ranging from Languages like French, Spanish, German, Greek to Human Science subjects such as Psychology, Sociology. You should get my dirft, there are so many options you can do in the course. I am currently studying Geography, Sociology and Information Studies which is a good mix. Yes there are alot of people in the course who doss and do nothing and are only there to please mummy and daddy but if you have the drive and determination to get what YOU WANT out of the course then put it down if you want and ignore the stigma that some indiviuals have towards an Arts degree. However it is almost certain you will need to undertake a postgrad after completion of an Arts degree.

On the other hand with regards to the size of the course there is a huge problem. There are roughly about 1200 people doing Arts this year. The course is frightengly big. You can have up to 500 random faces in some of your lectures and from 1st hand experience it is extremely daunting. Some people will enjoy Arts and the amount of people doing the course others wont. I have hated my first year. I've enjoyed the course somewhat but I've hated the size of the place since day one. It is very easy to feel lost and isolated in the course. I have found it sooo difficult to make friends and I have found that there is a huge clique element within the course in terms of no one wants to get to know new faces and thus there is virtually no social aspect to the course. Now some people will say the opposite, its really just a case of who you are fortunate to meet and get to know. If you do choose Arts in UCD my most important advice I can give to you is to join good and motivated CLUBS/SOCIETIES during fresher's week. If you join the right ones you should meet some great people and have such a laugh.

Best of luck in the leaving!

ghostchant

Yeah I'd echo what zane just said.
I'm a first year in the science faculty which is smaller than arts, but even there the amount of people can be daunting, and I've had a tough year in terms of making new friends.
Anyone I hang around with I've known since before college started, none of who are in my faculty, let alone my course
But if you're someone who's good at making new friends you'll have a great time

Sangre

College is what you make of it.

ghostchant

Sangre wrote:

College is what you make of it.

yeah thats what i mean i didn't make a good enough effort this year to make friends and take part in societies but i do love my course and if you get involved ucd has the capacity to be fantastic

next year i'm gonna really make an effort

rainbow kirby

ghostchant wrote:

Yeah I'd echo what zane just said.
I'm a first year in the science faculty which is smaller than arts, but even there the amount of people can be daunting, and I've had a tough year in terms of making new friends.
Anyone I hang around with I've known since before college started, none of who are in my faculty, let alone my course
But if you're someone who's good at making new friends you'll have a great time

The best thing I ever did in UCD was to join the taekwondo club in my first freshers week. A good club or society will have you meeting with lots of fantastic people.
</TKD club plug>
Science, even though not as big as arts, can be dauntingly big. Especially for subjects like biology and chemistry. I was lucky, I fell in with a really nice group of people after about 2-3 weeks of the first term in first year, and we're still in most of the same classes so it's handy. And I was never brilliant at making new friends.

kasintahan

Waltons wrote:

I was actually considering taking Computer Science and Info Studies in UCD!
Would you advise me to?

Computers is easy (if you've programmed before, otherwise it's moderatly difficult). You'll do Java and computer Architecture in 1st year.

Info Studies is easy too - but NOBODY seems to know what it is. We asked our tutor and even she could only explain by examples. I haven't done the exams yet so I can't comment on them. The course is changing (for the better) next year.