Current Commerce Student Eoghan reflects on what it is like to study in UCD and what a typical day is like studying business.
Studying Commerce in UCD is not a walk in the park. It challenges you to experience new subjects that you have never encountered before in secondary school and trains you to asses many working theories in the world of business critically. Exploring modules (classes) across the vast spectrum of the subject that is the business helps you as a student gain a clear and broad overview of every aspect of corporations both big and small. For me so far the course has thought me a lot while giving me some unforgettable opportunities. Let’s run through a rough week studying commerce in the Lochlann Quinn School of Business.
Each week you will have roughly 15-20 hours of lecture and tutorials and then a further 15 hours of additional work outside the classroom that will see you either working at home or working in the library on campus. Each semester you will sit six modules across a broad range of subjects from Finance and Accounting to Business in Society (which looks into ethical business in the world today).
Lectures are large sittings, where core content is explored by your lecturer. The presentation of lecturers varies depending on the subject for example in more theory based subjects most lecturers opt to use a power point presentations with the aid of some video material. In lectures with more practical bases like Mathematics for Business and Financial Accounting lectures will use a PowerPoint style presentation while also making use of the visualiser in order to go through some problems and questions during class. Lectures can last for either fifty minutes or in the case of a double lecture, can go on for two hours with a short break in the middle.
Tutorials are smaller sittings with up to fifty students and are more similar to the classes you would be use to in secondary school. The tutor will go through extra materials and practice questions to help give you a further insight into what was covered in the most recent lecture. All tutors are experienced postgrads or masters students or in the case of Accounting some are qualified chartered accountants whose expertise and knowledge in their discipline is vast and they’re always more then happy to take questions and work through problems which students may have found difficult. Tutorials last for 50 minutes and usually happen once a week.
Commerce is a course that so far has really helped me develop both academically and personally. Some modules ensure you’re a pushed from your comfort zone and are based entirely around group work with class. It allows you to expand your friend group and network with students who you may never have met otherwise. A lot of practical modules follow this path, such as Business Live in first year. This module allows a team to steer the path of a newly simulated business against competitors in your tutorial group, pushing you to make key business decisions such as marketing, accounting, production and manufacturing as well as business analytics decisions. Following the 12 weeks simulating your business in the market, its time to present your company to the board of directors and this pushes many students out of their comfort zone presenting to professors as well as the rest of their class. It is a daunting process at first, but one which allows you to practice your presentation and interpersonal skills. Other modules may allow for some continuous examination such as some small in-class tests which may be worth 5% each, a midterm and also a final exam.
Studying Commerce in UCD has allowed me to broaden my vision of business and its place in the world and has opened me up to opportunities like hearing from guest speakers such as humanitarian and former CEO of Goal Ireland John O Shea and other great Irish entrepreneurs. It has given me the chance to study abroad in Canada for one semester, which I will delve into in a separate blog post, and most importantly the opportunity to apply to some of the largest multinational firms for a year long paid internship/ work placement, which will be invaluable in the future should I be lucky enough to be offered one.
If you are not afraid of a challenge, being pushed out of your comfort zone and have a keen interest in business, then Commerce is most definitely the course for you to choose. You can find out more about studying Commerces courses in UCD here on the MyUCD website.
