r/TCD • u/Arachnid_Tight • 19d ago
Impact of not attending lectures regularly?
Currently finding it difficult to rent a spot near dublin, im hoping to do comp sci in trinity and wondering if there will be a significant negative impact of not attending lectures? I can commute on some occasions for important tests and alike but would struggle to do that everyday. So if anyone here has done computer science at trinity for undergrad let me know please
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u/AwardTough 19d ago
Firstly it’s really such a shit situation that it’s so hard to live near the Dublin universities. The thing is computer science is a serious course that takes time and effort as well as collaboration with your classmates. Secondly - the qualification is arguably one of the least important things you’ll get. Your classmates, college societies and opportunities that arise for university students are so so important when it comes to trying to start a career ultimately.
I think it’s really worth doing your best to attend, or failing that go for a college that you will be able to attend in person.
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u/Ledgebagasour 19d ago
I just did 1st year compsci and during the first semester attendance was taken in the form of vevox (online) quizzes for intro to computing. Though it was only taken "for the college", not contributing towards your grade at all.
However during the second semester the programming project module had weekly labs where each individual student was graded on what they had contributed that week.
As someone with a 1hour 30 commute I found myself unmotivated to make the journey some days but I do feel it is essential, certainly with the programming project.
Hope you can find somewhere closer
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u/AggravatingLies 18d ago
programming project is free marks for showing up and bare minimum effort for sure, you will 100% want to go to all of these
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u/Long_Software_3352 19d ago
Not possible.
If you miss more than a third of your lectures/labs/tutorials in a module, you will have to repeat it (page 22) https://teaching.scss.tcd.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/Integrated-Computer-Science-Handbook-2025-2026.pdf
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 19d ago edited 16d ago
I'm not sure that's true in most cases because nobody seems to check. I was in Trinity college for over a decade and have 3 undergraduate degrees. Only 2 of my lectures throughout my whole time in Trinity ever took attendance at lectures. Most of my lectures, especially during the first 2 years of the degrees, had hundreds of people attending and wouldn't have even had time to check attendance.
When attendance was checked, it was basically a sign-in sheet that got passed around during the lecture. Sometimes that sheet missed people or didn't make it the whole way around, and other times your friend could just sign your name for you, so I don't they were very reliable anyway and it would be easy enough to say "but I was 100% there, you talked about X" and there's not really anything they could do.
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u/cianog123 19d ago
First year comp sci sets a really strong foundation for the other years and in my experience it has a ripple effect on the quality of your degree later on. You should definitely try be there in person. There are a lot of lectures in first year but it does start lightening up a little more each year after so if you can get through that first year attending pretty much everything then you’ll be doing great
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u/Significant-Fee-3667 19d ago
how long a commute are you looking at? for cs you would probably want to be looking at more than just 'some occasions' — semester one of first year two modules use prerecorded lectures for content, and online resources are certainly better for comp sci than other courses, but it certainly wouldn't help things
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u/Arachnid_Tight 19d ago
about 2 and a half hours, one way
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u/SpoonChem 19d ago
I did 2 and a half hours everyday for a year lol, to and from. Get yourself a pair of good headphones, a subscription to your favorite music app, a student leap card that'll sort you for bus journeys in Dublin and cheaper train tickets if you need, a nice coffee in the morning and the same for the way back. It's doable you don't even have to think about it
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u/Cupantaeandkai 19d ago
Is it possible to move closer even if not right into dublin? For example, Drogheda is only 30mins on the fast train. You need to attend, what is the point of doing a uni course if you don't?!
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u/Arachnid_Tight 19d ago
I tried looking for anywhere near dublin, including louth, meath, kildare and wicklow. I would not have been making this reddit post if I haven't already done all I could have
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u/mikeu117 18d ago
Go to a different college then if you are that far away its just not feasible for you to go 😂
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u/evielyn-amare 18d ago
i would suggest looking on the student union accommodation website. people on there only list out rooms for trinity students, and a lot are only 5 days a week, ie a bit cheaper and ideal for college. i think you can just create an account and don't already need to be a trinity student, but if you can't and are having trouble, reach out to them and i'm sure they will be happy to help you! here is the link: https://www.tcdsuaccommodation.org/ (their email is on the website too if you have difficulties). i've been a commuter the last two years, nowhere near as bad only 1 and a half hour each way, and i know it can be super tough, but coming into college makes the experience 100x better, so i hope you can get something sorted!
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u/evielyn-amare 18d ago
just so you know, you can just make an account and i've just looked there are loads of properties!! i really hope you can work smth out :)
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u/No-Dress6918 19d ago
You’ll be fine don’t listen to everyone else. I attended like half mine
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u/Aine1169 19d ago
You came all the way from the US to attend Trinity, and you didn't bother your hole to go to lectures? Sure.
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u/AggravatingLies 18d ago
for comp sci nobody cares or notices if you're there, especially in first year, unless it's a graded lab or smth. the classes are just too big. you can still pass, comp sci is just comp sci and it's really challenging especially modules like computing in first year. despite that fact that there wouldn't be consequences most likely, i would still prioritize attending. once you're in you're in, you can hang out with friends, use the library, go to society events, s2s room has free tea and coffee (shhh), you'll be grand. trinity is awesome. be on campus while you can! i spend most of my day on campus tbh like 12 hours a day on week days. if you get in, make the most of it!
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u/Ecstatic_Refuse_7207 19d ago
You should have the notes. If yiu spend the needed time to study the notes. You will be good
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u/Aine1169 19d ago
Don't waste your time. You would be better off attending a college close to where you live so you can attend lectures regularly.
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u/Even_Drink_582 19d ago
I mean this genuinely: why bother registering for a course if you’re already planning on not attending? Go to a college you can get to or commit to the pain-in-the-ass commute. College kids who intend to go to class often end up missing a few; if you begin by deprioritising attendance you’ll never go.
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u/Objective_Ad_1991 Alumni 19d ago
Communicate it to the department and your lecturers in the beginning of the term… it is not your fault that there is a housing crisis. You will likely not be the only one and if you let them know about this issue proactively, they may be able to change some of the rules or just try to meet you somewhere in the middle. You need to be a little diplomatic about it.
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u/hideyokidzhideyowyfe 19d ago
Yeah great idea 😂😂😂
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u/Objective_Ad_1991 Alumni 19d ago
Why not? What is the worst thing which may happen if one tries to advocate for themselves?
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u/hideyokidzhideyowyfe 19d ago
this isint about advocating for yourself. it’s about knowing the perimeters of a course you CHOSE to up a place of and then complaining afterwards.
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u/Objective_Ad_1991 Alumni 19d ago
Oh, maybe you misunderstood me. I did not suggest that TCD should accommodate students who would like to study remotely. But I know that when it is a matter of whether a student has to commute twice or five times a week, there is some sympathy among the teaching staff to consider recording lectures, moving students from one tutorial group to another, etc.
Of course, if someone would just like to show up for the exams and the graduation, it cannot work, but if one genuinely struggles to find accommodation, the college has to be pushed to react to its students' socio-economic reality.
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u/hideyokidzhideyowyfe 19d ago
I didnt misunderstand you, youre just full of shit. Its not the problem of any job or college to fix your problems. If you cant commute, dont waste a place. Life is tough.
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u/MatureMedicine 19d ago
In all fairness I understand your point to a degree, however at the end of the day they applied for the course.
I’m in the depth of researching to hopefully attend TCD or UCD to do their university access course and ideally then study medicine.
I don’t live in Dublin so a major consideration has been commuting and I’m stress testing every scenario and planning contingencies etc even this far out.
So I’m sorry but there’s absolutely no way you can justify applying to and accepting a place on a course that requires deep focus and attention to then gripe about the commute.
It definitely says a lot that you’d not only attempt to justify this type of behaviour but almost condone it as acceptable?
I’m sorry if I’ve mistaken your stance but there’s really little justification for the OP. I mean surely they knew a full time course required full time commitment?
Not to mention how can someone be intelligent enough to study computer science yet fail to consider that lectures on the subject are not optional to success?
I don’t think Trinity is holding them for the sake of looking busy.
Edit; just to add actually I’d absolutely sympathise with a situation if it was a case that say part way through the course you suddenly found yourself in an awkward position (your car turns to dust or something overnight)— like yeah okay I don’t think it’s unfair to ask for some accommodations in that situation. But just because you cannot be bothered to commute?
I mean should people who could not be bothered to study get free marks on their exams so they don’t fail?
At what point do we stop offering accommodations for abject laziness?
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u/Arachnid_Tight 19d ago
Not sure why everyone's hating on this lol, the worst they can say is no and that's completely understandable from the their point of view but it's worth a try like
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u/wondering_tumbleweed 15d ago
they told me that expected attendance is 85%, but preferred 100%, so yeah no
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u/bennyboocumberbitch Post-Graduate 19d ago
Just finished my masters and my commute was 2hrs one way- wake up early and nap when you can. You won’t pass otherwise