Paul Glynn | Contributing Writer
Trinity College has decided to alter the criteria for the awarding of Entrance Exhibition Awards to incoming first-year students. As such, the 25 bonus points earned from Leaving Certificate Higher Level Maths will no longer be counted in the 560 points required for the scholarship, and the sum of the prize will be reduced from €300 to €150.
“Academic books are very expensive, and our students use these awards to support their studies. Unfortunately the budget is set.”
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The number of scholarships awarded to incoming students rose from 413 in 2011 to 757 in 2012, the latter figure representing over a quarter of all incoming Junior Freshman students that year. The budget for the Entrance Exhibitions had been set prior to the announcement, and the limitations decided on by the College were one of many options considered in light of new budgetary limitations.
Dr. Patrick Geoghegan, Senior Lecturer and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, attributed this increase of awardees in large part to the bonus points scheme, where Higher Level Maths students received a 25-point bonus in their results. Commenting on the decision not to raise the number of points required to 585, or even 600, as was considered, Geoghegan said: “Rather than just being able to honour a very small number, it’s great to be able to recognise the academic achievement of everyone who got 560 points (or its equivalent), excluding the Maths bonus.”
“We are trying to recognise potential as well as academic achievement as represented by results in the Leaving Certificate.”
A number of students eligible for the scholarship have voiced their disappointment with the reduced amount to be awarded. In response, Geoghegan commented that: “Some students have contacted me about this, and I have talked to some students who are disappointed that it has been reduced in this way. Academic books are very expensive, and our students use these awards to support their studies. Unfortunately the budget is set.”
College has considered various other means of staying within the budget for the awards, such as keeping the prize at €300 but raising the threshold to 600 points, or using the Relative Performance Rank (RPR) system that favours the highest-achieving students in schools. The latter system was Geoghegan’s preferred option, but could not be introduced this year, and is instead being tested as a possible method of calculating eligibility for the award in future years.
“The decision taken in relation to bonus points for Maths protects the integrity of the entrance scholarship award, and it was not without much interrogation that this measure was passed.”
Geoghegan added finally that: “We recognise that a points total alone isn’t the only measure of academic excellence, and we are trying to recognise potential as well as academic achievement as represented by results in the Leaving Certificate. But there is no contradiction as we recognise that excellence in any single scale – such as the Leaving Cert – is a remarkable achievement, and that is why it is good that College honours that achievement.”
Jack Leahy, Education Officer for Trinity College Students’ Union, told The University Times: “Ultimately, the decision taken in relation to bonus points for Maths protects the integrity of the entrance scholarship award, and it was not without much interrogation that this measure was passed. Though I understand entirely that approval was required from Board to amend the level of scholarship, the lack of clarity available to incoming students as to what amount their vouchers would be for is disappointing.” Leahy also stated that current students who received the first half of their entrance scholarship last year will not be affected by the move, and will still get the €150 book voucher that constitutes the second half of their prize.
The first Entrance Exhibition Awards offered by Trinity started in 1870 and continued for 115 years in their original format, where students would sit a series of morning exams in the college over four days. In 1912, the prize was £40 – a considerable amount at the time – but the award was only given to 12 students that year.
