The Student Room Group

Dublin: Trinity vs. University College

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone knew anything about Irish Universities. Spcifically Trinity College and University College. I'm thinking about applying for:
--Business Studies and French at Trinity
--Commerce (International) French at University College

Does anyone know which is better?
any information about either university, I don't know anything about them at all, so all information is appreciated!

and if anyone's been to Dublin before, what's the city like? Is it easy to get around? Is there a lot to do there? How big is it?

Also, is applying to Irish universities the same process as British ones?

Now that I'm looking at this other website it looks as if they don't post who gets accepted until 23rd August-2nd September, is that really true? That's only about a month before classes start. That doesn't seem right... :/

Thanks everyone!

Reply 1

I don't know much about the specific courses but Trinity v UCD in reputation stakes...Trinity beats UCD hands down. Both are very good universities but Trinity is like the Oxford of Ireland if you like. Dublin is a big city in Irish terms and even compared with some of the larger UK cities it's up there. Living there is v.expensive though. Public transport is great and the city centre is very pedestrian friendly. Culturally it is a big melting pot and there is no shortage of nightlife for all tastes (pubs, clubs, theatre, etc etc!)

Applying to Irish unis is totally seperate from UCAS and you have to go through the Irish version of UCAS which is CAO (www.cao.ie). From recollection they don't require a personal statement (yay!). Closing dates are 1st Feb/1st May for normal/late applications. There is a handbook on that website that tells you all about the application process.

Reply 2

Trinity definitely wins in terms of overall reputation. However, UCD does have a very good reputation for commerce and business subjects, as it has the renowned Smurfit School of Business. In terms of location theyre both central, although UCD has a campus (Belfield) whereas Trinity doesn't really.
I can assure you (I have applied to both) that applying to Irish universities is about 1000 times easier than applying to UK ones. Theres no PS, you don'y have to have a reference...it's brilliant.

Reply 3

If you're a British student hoping to go back to Britain to work after your degree, then Trinity should really be your choice. UC is essentially unknown here.