You may have seen yesterday that the wise Trinity heads claimed that they were the best college in Dublin, but we think we have something to say about that. Being all lofty they decided they needed 50 reasons – assuming that we could never match that, so we have put together our own list. See we all know UCD is where it’s at, and you don’t need a degree from Trinity so see that we are more fun to be around and less stuffy than our “esteemed” rivals over in Trinity College Dublin…
50. There’s ample parking for students (provided you’re in before 10am)
49. It’s not a fashion show – people get away with wearing uber casual clothes around campus
48. UCD is home to Leinster Rugby
47. UCD is Ireland’s largest and most diverse university with over 31,000 students, drawn from approximately 124 countries, and we all know size matters…
46. In 2012 work was completed on our Expanded Student and Sports Centre opened containing an Olympic Swimming pool, cinema and a new gym.
45. The cinema in the new centre which shows new blockbuster movies weekly at a discounted rate to students
44. We’ve have our very own homeless man (Oldman Belfield) on campus who gets fed by the college every day – rumor has it he stopped a girl from being attacked back in the day & that’s how he gained residence
43. We have a €423 million turnover each year
42. UCD Library sees over 2 million visits per year, so we’re clearly the smarter bunch
41. UCD is home to two lakes – one man made, one natural, and you can feed the swans at lunch time. Urban legend has it that they only built the lake so they’d have enough water to put out a fire in the Science Building
40. We’ve kicked Trinity out of those rankings in recent years and we’re now in the top 1% of higher education institutions world-wide
39. The Coronas used to play all their early and free gigs here
38. Homegrown celebrities like LibroCop & Tripod Guy are always around
37. UCD is located on a beautiful leafy 133-hectare campus close to Dublin’s city centre, which provides a mix of academic facilities, research institutes, libraries and archival collections, enterprise space, student villages, and sports and recreational facilities.
36. Notable Alumni include: James Joyce, Denis O’Brien, Feargal Quinn, Dara O’Briain, Roddy Doyle, Chris O’Dowd, BOD, Maeve Binchy, Gabriel Byrne, Peter Sutherland.
35. The university’s graduates have had a large impact on Irish political life – four of the nine Presidents Of Ireland and six of the thirteen Taoisigh have been either former staff or graduates of UCD.
34. Acts such as Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, LMFAO & Felix The House Cat have all played the Student Bar but the wildest gigs were always when the Saw Doctors played.
33. The Agricultural Science students bring the craic to campus, and seeing lambs around campus in spring isn’t an unusual sighting
32. UCD is the national leader in research funding, the University has established four major interdisciplinary research themes that match Ireland’s needs and current global challenges. The university has won over €480m in externally funded research contracts in the last five years.
31. The Commerce & Economics Society established the original ‘Iron Stomach’ before every college from here to Hong Kong stole it
30. We offer a course in massage therapy that includes a practical element
29. UCD disaffiliated from the Union of Students of Ireland in 2013 in a move that sent shockwaves throughout the student movement, as we were the first to do so.
28. We’ve our very own Dail style debating chamber that hosts some of thrilling talks, speakers and debates 5 nights a week
27. We were the first college to provide condoms to students even when it was illegal.
26. The UCD Ball was once Europe’s largest ever student run show with over 8,000 students in attendance. Acts like Booka Shade, Iglu & Hately, Professor Green & The Saturdays have all played – hence why our tickets are €35 and not €80
25. In Boston Legal, Season 2, Episode 21 “Word Salad Day”, there is a reference to a study from UCD that “found that the effects of divorce on children are far more damaging than the death of a parent”.
24. We’ve won the Sigerson Cup 32 times – the most out of any other college in the country
23. The Arts building basement was home to the trap, where students could successfully avoid lectures and take up playing pool full time. Rumour has it this is where Ken Doherty learnt his trade.
22. The old student bar that was built like a bomb shelter. Not only did it host the finest gigs but also served €3 meal deals every Friday which were a massive hit.
21. Christy Moore wrote a tongue in cheek song about UCD’s Literary and Historical Society called “The Auditor of the L and H”.
20. UCD is the only Irish University to compete in both the major Irish leagues for rugby and soccer with University College Dublin A.F.C. and University College Dublin R.F.C. competing in the top leagues of their respective competitions. Also our football team will potentially qualify for a Europa league spot under the fair play rules next year.
19. Dara Ó Briain founded one of our college papers ‘The University Observer’ who won Newspaper of the Year at last years Student Media Awards, while the College Tribune was established in 1989 by the legend that is Vincent Browne
18. The UCD Ents Domino’s Ball, you get to look swanky whilst attending a super cheap ball and heaps of free pizza
17. We’ve our very own fully fledged radio pod in the centre of campus that is used to broadcast Belfied FM.
16. Our Vet building on campus hosts and helps a range of animals and is great for a wander around.
15. The random facts and jokes from the bloke who does the annoucements before the exams in the RDS – the please remove the backs of calculators speech will stay with you for years
14. Being able to actually walk on the grass…
13. We’ve produced more Supreme Court justices and chief justices than any other colleges put together
12. The infamous Thursday morning 7.30am poster runs for all society and SU events taking place the following week, and battling with the powers that be over incorrectly placed posters
11. We’ve a roof over our concourse that keeps us dry when dashing around the campus.
10. We’ve our very own research farm complete with cattle, sheep, horses and a whole host of other animals – Lyons estate
Out on #UCD Lyons Farm today, beautiful surroundings even in the pouring rain! pic.twitter.com/sryUdwOPVh
— UCD Vet Sciences (@ucdvetmed) October 8, 2014
9. The ‘pass by compensation rule’ which allowed many students to enjoy a good social/study balance, and carrying over modules to the next year means you can have a true Van Wilder college experience
8. Because we have an iconic statue of an egg on our campus
7. UCDSU recently passed a referendum to support marriage equality by 97%
6. The so good it’s bad video used to promote the Law Ball every year
5. Because when someone hacks our computer system, they do it in a hilarious way
Using a computer in UCD & there appears to be some sort of virus changing every picture to a picture of Nicholas Cage pic.twitter.com/lH8aAJxmIG
— Richard Looby (@RichardLooby) March 26, 2014
4. Denis O’Brien gave us 30million for the craic to build a new school
3. We’ve got a riot proof campus, built specifically to prevent mass congregation which stops anymore stupid water protests, and means you can always get to your lectures without a gang of tourists in your way
2. The fact that all our campus accommodation is actually on campus and not a lengthy bus journey away.. (cough Trinity Halls)
1. And finally, the sheer thrill of hopping the gates into Res. after a night out, trying to dodge campus security
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