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Repeat LC or stay in UCD?

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  • 02-11-2007 3:17pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3


    Just wondering could anyone give us a bit of advice on something that's been troubling. My situation is:

    I did the leaving cert this year and got 440 points and so was fairly damn happy with my results. During the year I hadn't really much of a clue what I wanted to do and so intended on doing an arts degree. I had put down primary teaching as my number 1, and at the time would have liked to have got it but to be 100% honest wasn't really pushed one way or the other as arts sounded like a course that I would enjoy. And so when I didn't get it I was quite happy to go off to UCD to do english and history. However, since even the first week I've felt that it isn't the course for me and that I'd love to be doing primary teaching. The points for primary teaching were 450 this year, and I'm very confident had I repeated I would get that many points. My brother repeated and he went up by 70 points, and he said that I should definately do it. I was just wondering would it be sensible to go back and repeat at this late stage? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    You should talk to one of the student advisors... I haven't had any experience with them personally, but everyone says that they're very nice and helpful.

    If you're certain that you couldn't do another 5 semesters of english and history, then you should leave your course. I'm pretty sure you missed the deadline after which you have to pay fees if you enter a different course.

    Are you certain that you'd like to do primary teaching? If so then you should repeat your Leaving. If you put the head down then you should be able to go up 10 points no problem.

    But before you do that, I'd recommend taking a bit of time out from the studies... Make a decision about the arts course and either finish the year, or drop out at the end of the semester, but then just get a full-time job and work for a while. Take a bit of time to clear your head and make sure that you want to do the teaching, then go for it.

    There's no rush to get through college... you don't have to have a degree when you're 21/22.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 388 ✭✭Blut


    A friend of mine was in a similar situation to you a few years ago. Accepted science in UCD, did a month or two of it then decided he'd much rather be in a different course and went back to school to repeat the LC. He said 6th year part two was the absolute worst year of his life - all of his friends off at midweek student nights having a great life and him in school every day 8am-8pm studying. Plus knowing nobody left in his year and having already covered half the things he was doing making it even more boring...

    But on the flipside he got 110 points higher in his second LC (380->490) and got into the course he really wanted to do and now 2 years on is very happy in it.

    I think the main question is are you absolutely 100% sure you want to do it because if you're not youll really regret dropping out. That and be absolutely sure you'll put in the effort to improve your points.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3 JDizzle


    To both replyees (not sure if that's a word!) I'd just like to thanks very much, you're advice has been greatly appreciated. To the the second person, I do really want to do this course and have for a good few years now. And I know if I went back I'd work a lot harder as I'd have something definite to aim for, plus a lot of my friends did TY and so are doing the LC this year. Your friend, did he find it hard to get back into doing the leaving cert? You don't have to be registered with the examinations board or anything do you, or can you remember your friend ever mentioning it? Any info you have would be a great help, thanks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭Rosita


    I would imagine if you stick at English and History you would enjoy them in the long run. It seems very early in the time to be coming to a decision on pulling out of the course. Primary teaching is a very decent and honourable job but you can always do that as a post-grad after your Arts degree by which time you would have the option of secondary teaching anyway via your Arts degree if that grabbed your fancy by that stage.

    I would say that an Arts degree leaves more doors open to you than the Primary teaching. Look at it this way, if you continue on you'll graduate with your BA at the end of 2009/10 and if you did a post-grad (18 months) option for Primary teaching at the end of that you'd graduate from that at end 2011 and courtesy of your BA would have other options available anyway as I mentioned.

    If you pull out of the Arts now, and go back to the Leaving Cert in 2008, you are looking at 2011 before you have your B.Ed anyway. It seems to me you have nothing to lose and plenty to gain by sticking with what your are doing. You are not burning any bridges anyway. The only risk factor is if you would actually get into the post-grad Primary Teaching course, but that's always a risk anyway. Even repeating the Leaving has its risks, unless you are certain you really underperformed.

    By the way, I detested English in First Year BA and loved it in the end.


    P.S. If you are considering repeating the Leaving Cert you will have to register and probably will have to do so through a school. It is best, obviously, to enquire about this as early as possible though I do know that this is not an issue until after Christmas in the school year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,729 ✭✭✭Pride Fighter


    Soldier on, hopefully you can turn it around.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12 Dublin.07


    I definitely agree with the person who posted two ahead of me (sorry can't remember their name). Arts in UCD takes a full year to get into. I came from a big school and knew a good few people in all my courses but it still took the year to figure out my little niche in UCD.

    I think Arts is great because it gives you the time to try out loads of different things. That, and along with the fact by 2011 you will have 2 qualifications rather than one will make you alot more employable and your CV stand out more than others going for the same position. Arts also teaches you stuff that you can't learn from a book like critical reasoning. You will have a much broader education and will mature alot more. Primary school teaching courses are just like being in school.

    I know in first year I was dead set on doing the post grad in Psychology when I graduated but after getting involved in societies and things outside of college I realised I'd love to do PR or Marketing.

    I think choosing such a narrow degree such as primary school teaching really keeps your options very small. College isn't about the courses its what you do outside of them that makes it great (just make sure you do enough to pass your exams!).

    Best of luck...only you know what the right decision for you is though


  • Registered Users Posts: 895 ✭✭✭imp


    I was in a similar position a few years ago, I was absolutely hating my time in TCD, so I dropped out after 1st year and just worked for a year while I figured things out, after that I went back to repeat the LC and got into the course I'm in now, honestly its one of the best decisions I've ever made.

    I would recommend though that you try and get through first year or at the very least the rest of the first semester, as its possible that once you get properly into the course you'll enjoy it a lot more. I know its a bit of extra expense but I think its really worth it in the long run.

    If you do decide in the end that you're not happy in your course, then I'd definitely recommend going back to do the LC again, it'll be more than worthwhile if it gets you into something you really enjoy and it sounds like you have the ability to get through it.

    When you go back to do the LC you do have to register again with the Examinations Commission (I think that's what they're called) and you need to find a exam centre that'll let you sit the tests there. I went to the Institute when I repeated so they supplied me with the necessary forms etc. but if you're studying on your own I think you'll need to call the Exam Commission, and I just asked my old school to let me resit the exams there, a lot of people just did them in the local library.

    I'm not sure if any of this is all that helpful, feel free to PM me if you've any questions though and I'll try my best to answer them.


  • Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭seinstein


    I spent 4 years in UCD until I dropped out, I had to repeat first year in one subject and repeat second year in the other (!), until I realised I was wasting my own and other people's time.

    If you want my opinion, I think Rosita above has a point - once you have got in to a college, do the courses you have chosen, then you will have a BA in something, and doors will be open to you. You will then be able to simply go and do your course in primary teaching...

    The main reason you should complete your degree is because by the end of it you will have more insight into the subjects you are studying and you might decide that you don't even need to repeat the leaving after all. however you might find that you will have forgotten most of the lc subjects by the end of the degree...but if I were in your position I wouldn't leave the college to do a dimploma course (if that's what primary teaching is). :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,469 ✭✭✭Pythia


    seinstein wrote: »
    but if I were in your position I wouldn't leave the college to do a dimploma course (if that's what primary teaching is). :)

    I am almsot sure primary teaching is a B.Ed (ie a Bachelors).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    They could change their mind and do secondary teaching possibly... HDip


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