ADVICE NEEDED!

Planemo

Im a 6th year student looking to do medicine next year but I dont do french. i was wondering if it would be worth my while to take it up now as without a third language im limited to trinity but it might be too much of a head f**k to take it up this late- any advice

Claypigeon

hawaiichair wrote: »

Im a 6th year student looking to do medicine next year but I dont do french. i was wondering if it would be worth my while to take it up now as without a third language im limited to trinity but it might be too much of a head f**k to take it up this late- any advice

If you mean taking up German/French at this stage in order to get a d3 in advance of applying to 3rd level, I'd say it depends on how badly you need it and how you deal with languages. To be honest passing Ordinary in German (I know this for certain) and French (I didn't do it but 3-4 friends dropped to Ord near the end since they weren't counting it for points and wanted a lighter workload to focus on other subs) are generally pretty easy and are more about comprehension, understanding and vocabulary than grammar and structure/writing prose or long pieces.

From my POV (I'm sure others will disagree, and rightly, since it's up to the person) German is easier to pick up and learn than French which has a little bit more intricacy earlier on in learning it.

I'd contact Trinity and make sure you know your course requirements. If you do need it, I'd say a pass at Ordinary is do-able particularly if you are the type of person who is willing to learn off stuff for exams. Hope this helps, this is all my opinion on the subject(s) themselves so ask around.

Twilighter

If you definately need a 3rd language for any university I would advise taking one up at ordinary level. I didn't do the OL French paper but it is pretty basic - name, age, family and stuff, you would definately get at least a C on it.

You could get grinds in it to bring you up to speed aswell. Good luck

PhysiologyRocks

I'd say give it a go.

It's possible. I've seen people do it.

It's worth a try, and it'll improve your chances. Sure it's a bit of extra work, but trying to get into only one college is also extra stress.

Best of luck!

That_Guy

OP if you're thinking of taking up a language then it might be worth getting that Rosetta Stone program.

I've got it at home and it's very helpful. You should use it on a daily basis even if it's only for half an hour. Really helps. Great for beginners and great for refreshing your memory.

I wouldn't advise using it as your main study aid though.

thedizzler

Do you speak any French at all?
French can be a toughie, as it's the most popular third language studied for Leaving Cert. level, which pushes up the standard. If you have a base it's possible to improve upon, but if you've nothing at all would you think about Spanish? It's less intricate than French with more similarities to English words and fewer study it, which can reduce the competition a bit.

pathway33

Does it have to be a european language or would Japanese count? As far as I know Japanese is a 2 year course rather than the 5 year ones for the european languages.

If you do a search for Japanese on this forum you will find some posters who have described learning japanese as quite easy. I imagine an OD3 would be very possible.

But check if its acceptable to the colleges because it is only a 2 year course I think