Back to College

My first week back in UCD has passed, and after sitting in each one of my subjects lectures and getting back into the groove of 6.30am starts, I can once again give my analysis on the semester to come.

Looking strictly at my timetable, I can already see that Thursday will be exclusively my absolute favourite day, starting at 11.00am (which means I get a lie on till about 8.30) and finishing at 1.00pm (which means I get home early before rush hours). In second place then we have Monday and Wednesday sharing the slot. Both days I would normally finish at 12.00pm and 1.00pm respectively, starting at 9.00am both days, but on 3/12 weeks in the year, I will have late finishes these days due to laboratories. Next comes Friday, albeit that its 9.00-3.00, I only have lectures and the 18 bus leaves at 3.00 which means I have easy access getting to Walkinstown for Johns Ambulance. And then in last place comes Tuesday. While it is an 11.00-4.00 job, the history of architecture for two hours in the afternoon pretty much kills the day.

History of Architecture III
This picked up right where it left off last semester. Shoot me please. It's no so much the lecturer, he's quite interesting himself, but the content is just *ugh*. It's as though the staff made no real attempt to make the module interesting or exciting, other modules have practicals and field trips to vary the course but this is just the same thing week in week out, sit down, listen, take notes, learn notes. What's worse? We've History of Architecture IV next year!!!

Maths for Engineers IV
We've the same guy that we had for Maths 2 and 3 in first year. The content is pretty heavy, continuing on from Maths 3 but at this stage we've come to expect it. His methods are good and thanks to History of Architecture it's not the worst one out there.

Mechanics of Fluids I
This is probably shaking up to be the toughest module this semester. The content of the labs looks to be pretty tricky (that's what I'm waiting for now as I write this!) and the lectures look set to take up stuff we learned this time last year to a whole other level. Thankfully the lecturer seems quite capable, leaving gaps in the notes (which are excellent so far) for us to fill in and help keep us paying attention.

Environmental Engineering Fundamentals
I took this as an elective and the course is being given by my in-campus mentor Bill Magette. At the moment we're just dealing with ethics, and the processes involved in the Engineering Design phases, though with interesting reading assignments, in-lecture notes like the class above and an interesting lecturer in Bill himself, this looks to be going in the right direction.

Construction Materials
It's somewhat of a relief after last year that we're finally starting to do stuff specific to Structural and Civil engineering (which as you may have guessed are the students attending this module). Realisitically the course seems a little dull at the moment, as quite frankly the intricate details of concrete manufacturing don't quite tickle my pickle, but the content on soil mechanics aswell as a look back at metals which we covered in Material Science last year suggests that this module won't be too bad.

Building Construcion
I knew from lecture 1 that this would be my favourite module. It is what it says it is. Here we're looking at everything that goes into the design process aswell as identifying and categorizing building types and components, not to mention in depth analysis of the construction of the building components themselves and absolutely anything and everything that goes into buildings is being discussed. With an exciting lecturer who involves the class and encourages a weekly learning programme in the online assignment quizes, this one is certainly looking up.

Back to you in the studio!

~The Damo