We posed the question to both Ents Officers: Which college has better students: Trinity or UCD?
Darragh Genockey, TCDSU Ents Officer
I believe Trinity students are better than UCD students due to their enthusiasm to do more in college than just their courses. The huge amount of Trinity students who get involved in activities outside their course is amazing. Almost everyone you meet in Trinity is part of a society, sports club, the SU, a publication, or some facet of college life not directly linked to their course. Everyone who really enjoys their time in any college will tell you it was the things they did outside of their coursework that was what they enjoyed about college, and this message is constantly reiterated to every student in Trinity.
There is a wealth of opportunities to get involved in something outside of your course in Trinity, and this is constantly growing too. There are new societies set up every year within the CSC, class rep numbers are growing year on year in the SU, the quality of publications within the college continues to improve, and all types of sports are catered for by DUCAC. I know the UCD Ents Officer will just repeat this message, but let’s look at the numbers.
TCDSU has over 350 class reps, whereas UCDSU has less than 100. Trinity has over 100 societies, whereas UCD has less than 50. Each year Trinity societies bring home bundles of awards from the national BICS awards, representing all members of the CSC on a national level. Both universities have similar numbers of sports clubs, even though UCD supposedly prides itself on its sporting scholarship scheme. Trinity also consistently wins more Smedia awards than our counterparts, along with Trinity being the home of Ireland’s oldest student newspaper (Trinity News), one of Ireland’s oldest magazines (Miscellany), and the TCDSU publication is the current holder of the Smedia award for best publication (The University Times). Sure, with the current campaign to abolish the University Observer (UCDSU publication), not even UCDSU like their paper!
These numbers show that Trinity students are more interested in getting involved in life outside of lecture theatres, and are also more successful when they do it. Although to simply base my argument on numbers would not be fair on the hundreds of people who I have had the pleasure of working with during my time in Trinity. Seeing the energy put into Freshers’ Week from every society and sports club committee is overwhelming. They spend countless hours working for free, just because they enjoy what they do, and want to give other students the chance to be the next generation.
In no way am I suggesting there are no UCD students who are enthusiastic in getting involved in college life outside of lecture theatres. I am saying that I have witnessed first hand what UCD student life is like, and I know that as a whole, Trinity students enjoy student life more than UCD students do. I have countless friends who have told me time and time again that they wish they had done more in their time in UCD, whereas I know very few people who attend Trinity and could say the same thing. I don’t know whether it is due to the fact that the UCD campus does not allow for a sense of community, or just because when people arrive there they generally stick to their cliques that they have from secondary school, but it seems like the UCD system is geared against making new friends and enjoying life outside of lecture halls.
I’m not saying Trinity is perfect, but I think if you walk into Front Square on the day each course graduates, it would be difficult to find a student who regretted going to Trinity. Trinity College is all about learning. Whether that is learning a new sport, or learning how to run events. It could be learning how to debate, or learning how to act. Learning how to write for a newspaper, or maybe even edit one. From day one in Trinity I was offered every chance to get involved in student life, and there was no way I was ever going to turn it down. I’ve seen so many friends go to UCD, go along to a few lectures, miss a few lectures, then sit a few exams and repeat a few exams. Three or four years later they get a degree. That is not what Trinity is about, and that is not why people go to Trinity. We may have the best lecturers in the country, but I view that as a bonus to having the best opportunities to get involved in college life and come out of college with more than just a degree. Trinity students know the college is about more than a few lectures, and that is why I believe Trinity students are better than UCD students.
Jonny Cosgrove, UCDSU Ents Vice-President
UCDSU Ents Vice-President Jonny Cosgrove
When sitting down to write an article like this there are risks involved that should be considered. Firstly, what will the man in opposition write? If his is moderate and mine completely lambastes Trinity and its students, I will look like quite the fool. This moment of worry came from a conversation with a BESS friend of mine who summed up the Trinity/UCD relationship in the most condescending way possible. “I know you guys in UCD talk about rivalry with Trinity but to be honest we don’t even consider it.” That hit me like a wet King James bible. Nothing like apathy to make you feel special. Comments like this make it impossible to pass up an opportunity like this.
Secondly, what if his article is self-deprecating, charming and tempered by a level of humbleness? This reflection was amended by a further reflection; what Trinity student is going to pass up an opportunity to prattle on (obnoxiously) about how good their University is especially when considered next to UCD. How do you know someone goes to Trinity? They tell you.
Thirdly, this appears in a Trinity paper. The audience is only Trinity. I will be dismissed as a malcontent and a ne’er-do-well who just missed out on Trinity. At this point I should say UCD was my first preference except for Oxford but considering I didn’t fill in the application, it was never really a goer.
Fourthly, am I forever and always banished from Trinity ladies undergarments for writing a piece about their college? So far in my life, I have had minimal success with that kind of lady so I think it is a risk worth taking.
Concerns abated, it is due time to bring a bit of sledging, as you cricket sorts call it, into this article. A good a place to start is with the largest group of people, BESS. When will they finally accept their status as an arts course? Every bit of that course is an Arts degree except the minor business side of the course, and lets face it, the ‘business’ students will be tottering down to Smurfit (UCD) to polish up that rough piece of coal and make it a diamond. So why not save yourself the time and start in a business school.
There was a moment in Trinity library (I do admit that your library is far superior in content and have availed of the services on a couple of occasions) sitting in what was termed the “BESS area” by a Science colleague of mine. A young man sits down and proceeds to put on a pair of those 3D classes … from the cinema … with the lenses poked … I’m not saying this is representative of Trinity or the people but it is definitely not an endorsement. In UCD the worst you can do is wear a Kerry jersey and really its not even that bad.
I think the question of ents should be addressed. I am not going to talk Trinity Ball because it is fairly well perfected and it can’t really be criticized. It’s an institution! UCD Ball, however, is bigger, and I would respectfully say, better. What I love most about Trinity is that sweetass venue with all those on-campus live international acts and… oh… that’s UCD. Where are all the DJs during the rest of the year? Just look at the list of people who have played on UCD campus; Justice, Tinie Tempah, Example, Dr. Lektroluv, Boyz Noize(twice), JLS, The Wailers, the list goes on. The Pav has its own unique qualities and sipping cider on a sunny day is hard to be beat. But where the UCD bar wins is that it is a venue, it is officially one of the cheapest bar in Ireland and all our freshers are on campus so easy to access, none of this Luas malarky. Plus our Donkey Kong-like Ents Officer has more Facebook friends than little Mario Genockey… just saying…
To wrap it up, like any good UCD student, I must finish with the line, bigger is better!
