Want to drop out, PLEASE HELP!

MissKeegan

Okay, I really want to drop out of my first year course in UCD. I'm doing Arts but I don't like the subjects I'm doing, I'd rather change but I'm too behind to swap now. I'm way behind on my subjects now and I really want to take the year out to clear my head etc.. But I would like to know if I'd still have to pay and would I be able to re-apply for Arts next year with the same Leaving Cert/ CAO points? Could someone please tell me what would happen if I dropped out which I think is the best choice for me now.

Notorious

Getting to the arts program office would probably be your best bet. From what I know if you drop out before the start of the next term, you can get half of your 'free fees' back. You'd just have to reapply via the CAO next semester though.

You could always take the messy route of switching to the arts classes you want to do in semester 2, and essentially start first year again after Christmas. The arts desk will be able to tell you more than I can though.

moretothegirl

MissKeegan wrote: »

Okay, I really want to drop out of my first year course in UCD. I'm doing Arts but I don't like the subjects I'm doing, I'd rather change but I'm too behind to swap now. I'm way behind on my subjects now and I really want to take the year out to clear my head etc.. But I would like to know if I'd still have to pay and would I be able to re-apply for Arts next year with the same Leaving Cert/ CAO points? Could someone please tell me what would happen if I dropped out which I think is the best choice for me now.

what subjects are u doing, and what ones do you wish you had chosen?

MissKeegan

Thanks, I think I'll go to the programme office tomorrow and check it out. I really need to figure it all out sooner rather than later.

I'm doing History, French, Philosophy and Classics. There's a big workload with all these subjects together and I'd rather just do Irish (I've attended all Irish schools since I was 4), and Psychology (which was my original plan but I couldn't figure out how to work the registration site and it was full up by the time I did) and French.

Michaelrsh

MissKeegan wrote: »

Okay, I really want to drop out of my first year course in UCD. I'm doing Arts but I don't like the subjects I'm doing, I'd rather change but I'm too behind to swap now. I'm way behind on my subjects now and I really want to take the year out to clear my head etc.. But I would like to know if I'd still have to pay and would I be able to re-apply for Arts next year with the same Leaving Cert/ CAO points? Could someone please tell me what would happen if I dropped out which I think is the best choice for me now.

Here's information about the fees issue when you drop out:

'Free' fee students

(a) 'Free' fee students who register and officially withdraw (by returning student card) from Friday 25 September 2009 to Friday 29 January 2010 inclusive are liable for payment of the Student Services fee and the Student Centre levy i.e. €1657.50*. FURTHER, half of the tuition fee will be claimed on the student’s behalf from the HEA. A student will then be liable to pay half the tuition fee for the equivalent duration of attendance if s/he registers within the next 5 years in any Irish third level institution.
(b) 'Free' fee students who register and officially withdraw (by returning student card) after 1 February 2010 are liable for payment of the Student Services fee, the Student Centre levy i.e. €1,657.50. FURTHER, the full tuition fee will be claimed on the student’s behalf from the HEA. A student will have to pay full fees for the equivalent duration of attendance if s/he registers within the next 5 years in any Irish third level institution.
* If entitled to "free" fees; if not, the appropriate tuition fee must be paid.
(Note: no charge applies to students who transfer to another third level institution as a result of a higher CAO offer).

Got this from the UCD website. For more click here.

Basically if you leave now you'll have to pay half of the full tuition fees, where now the Higher Education Authority are paying your full fees except the €1,657.50 (i.e., student centre levy & student services fee).

Your paying €1.657.50 now (if you don't have the maintenance grant).
Your will pay €3828.75 every year if you drop out and go back to college next year. (if you are not eligable for the maintenance grant).

I think personally if the government brings back third level fees then drop out of your course if your not interested in it. There's no point forking out fees for something you hate when you could be spending them on something you would be interested in.

If you want howeve, you can reapply to the CAO with the same points next year. Find out more on the CAO website.

moretothegirl

MissKeegan wrote: »

Thanks, I think I'll go to the programme office tomorrow and check it out. I really need to figure it all out sooner rather than later.

I'm doing History, French, Philosophy and Classics. There's a big workload with all these subjects together and I'd rather just do Irish (I've attended all Irish schools since I was 4), and Psychology (which was my original plan but I couldn't figure out how to work the registration site and it was full up by the time I did) and French.

if you just stick it out to christmas then after christmas you get a chance to change modules. change to two irish modules (this should allow you to take irish as a major next yr but double check that there wasnt any required modules in semester one that you HAD to do first) and you could also try take psych modules after christmas too. remember that very few ppl get to take psych as a major after first yr though. if you do this with irish, and you already have french, this will allow you to do french and irish in second year as your majors.

im not sure if your aware of the structure for second and third yr but u either choose to have 2 subject equal majors, or a major and a minor. but you dont go forward with all 4 of your subjects your doing at the moment.

misslt

The Module registration for Sem 2 opened y'day!

annabanana91

Michaelrsh wrote: »

Here's information about the fees issue when you drop out:

'Free' fee students

(a) 'Free' fee students who register and officially withdraw (by returning student card) from Friday 25 September 2009 to Friday 29 January 2010 inclusive are liable for payment of the Student Services fee and the Student Centre levy i.e. €1657.50*. FURTHER, half of the tuition fee will be claimed on the student’s behalf from the HEA. A student will then be liable to pay half the tuition fee for the equivalent duration of attendance if s/he registers within the next 5 years in any Irish third level institution.
(b) 'Free' fee students who register and officially withdraw (by returning student card) after 1 February 2010 are liable for payment of the Student Services fee, the Student Centre levy i.e. €1,657.50. FURTHER, the full tuition fee will be claimed on the student’s behalf from the HEA. A student will have to pay full fees for the equivalent duration of attendance if s/he registers within the next 5 years in any Irish third level institution.
* If entitled to "free" fees; if not, the appropriate tuition fee must be paid.
(Note: no charge applies to students who transfer to another third level institution as a result of a higher CAO offer).

Got this from the UCD website. For more click here.

Basically if you leave now you'll have to pay half of the full tuition fees, where now the Higher Education Authority are paying your full fees except the €1,657.50 (i.e., student centre levy & student services fee).

Your paying €1.657.50 now (if you don't have the maintenance grant).
Your will pay €3828.75 every year if you drop out and go back to college next year. (if you are not eligable for the maintenance grant).

I think personally if the government brings back third level fees then drop out of your course if your not interested in it. There's no point forking out fees for something you hate when you could be spending them on something you would be interested in.

If you want howeve, you can reapply to the CAO with the same points next year. Find out more on the CAO website.

ok im slightly confused about this...also im droppin out so does that^^mean that if i drop out now i have to pay half the tuition fees in order to drop out or just the 1657.50 which i know i cant get back?

also do those tuition fees apply if i decide to do a part time 3rd level course next year?

Michaelrsh

annabanana91 wrote: »

ok im slightly confused about this...also im droppin out so does that^^mean that if i drop out now i have to pay half the tuition fees in order to drop out or just the 1657.50 which i know i cant get back?

also do those tuition fees apply if i decide to do a part time 3rd level course next year?

You will have to pay the tuition fees for the time that you spend in college, simple as that. Also, if you drop out now at this point in time (i.e., before 1 February 2010) you will have to pay half of the tuition fees, for any course in Ireland that's under the HEA "free fees" scheme, if you apply to a university next year through the CAO. This means that for every single year that you're in that new course, you will have to pay half of the full tuition fees for that new course, whereas a normal student who never dropped out of college before wouldn't have to pay the tuition fees at all. Remember the €1657.50 isn't technically part of the tuition fees, there separate. Also, you could potientially lose you eligability for the maintenance grant if you drop out.

I know, it's very harsh!!

If I'm wrong about this would someone please tell me?!

annabanana91

so i pay 1657.50 aswell as tuition fees in order to drop out?are you sure?sorry its just that i asked my programme director and they were really vague about what had to be paid before droppin out:(

Michaelrsh

annabanana91 wrote: »

so i pay 1657.50 aswell as tuition fees in order to drop out?are you sure?sorry its just that i asked my programme director and they were really vague about what had to be paid before droppin out:(

Yes. Simple as that.

And like I said you'll have to pay half of the full tuition fee next year if you want to apply for a new course anywhere in Ireland for the full duratio of that new course. Simple as that. Doesn't matter if it's part time or anything, once it's a course unde the HEA's "free fee" scheme.

Alyosha

annabanana91 wrote: »

so i pay 1657.50 aswell as tuition fees in order to drop out?are you sure?sorry its just that i asked my programme director and they were really vague about what had to be paid before droppin out:(

You've already paid the €1657.50 back in September.

Michaelrsh wrote: »

Yes. Simple as that.

And like I said you'll have to pay half of the full tuition fee next year if you want to apply for a new course anywhere in Ireland for the full duratio of that new course. Simple as that. Doesn't matter if it's part time or anything, once it's a course unde the HEA's "free fee" scheme.

I'm pretty sure that bit's wrong. If she dropped out now, Anna Banana would only have to pay half of her first year fees in any new course. Likewise if someone dropped out of Arts after 2 years to do Engineering they would have to pay full fees for 2 years, but the free funding would kick in again after that. I think.

Malmedicine

Alyosha wrote: »

You've already paid the €1657.50 back in September.



I'm pretty sure that bit's wrong. If she dropped out now, Anna Banana would only have to pay half of her first year fees in any new course. Likewise if someone dropped out of Arts after 2 years to do Engineering they would have to pay full fees for 2 years, but the free funding would kick in again after that. I think.

From people I've talked to and dropped out and switched course ^^^^ this is what happened to them. You only pay for the time your there if its six months then if you do arts again its 2 and a half years free fees if you do medicine its 5 and a half free fees. Talk to program office pronto though they should set you right.

annabanana91

so i dont pay any more besides the 1657.50 until i start a brand new course next year or whenever ??!i contacted my programme advisor but still havent heard back about the tuition fees situation...although paying half the fees in order to drop out seems a bit ridiculous considerin the reason most people are dropping out now is because they cant afford it...:(

IsMiseLisa

annabanana91 wrote: »

so i dont pay any more besides the 1657.50 until i start a brand new course next year or whenever ??!i contacted my programme advisor but still havent heard back about the tuition fees situation...although paying half the fees in order to drop out seems a bit ridiculous considerin the reason most people are dropping out now is because they cant afford it...:(

Are you eligible to a grant? I'm in the same boat as you. Dropping out of Carlow college any day now.

Basically, you only have to pay half tuition fees ONCE if you drop out before the end of Jan. If you get a grant, you can claim back on the registeration grant. Out of the 1500 that it cost me, I should get back 1200 of it (ie that's paid for me next year).

I have to pay half of my tuition fees which comes to 2150, plus the extra 300 euro of reg, which brings all the money I owe to 2350. Which isn't too bad. I can pay that off with the first installment of my grant.

Basically, grant wise, I'll get the other two installments next year. Every year following I'm still entitled to the full grant.

If that makes sense... hope it helps!

ayapatrick

IsMiseLisa wrote: »

Are you eligible to a grant? I'm in the same boat as you. Dropping out of Carlow college any day now.

Basically, you only have to pay half tuition fees ONCE if you drop out before the end of Jan. If you get a grant, you can claim back on the registeration grant. Out of the 1500 that it cost me, I should get back 1200 of it (ie that's paid for me next year).

I dont understand what your saying there, did you pay the 1500 with your own money, or the grant paid it and because you only done a few months in college you get most of the registration fee back?
At the start of the year i paid the 1500, and then because i got the grant i was refunded that 1500.
If i was to drop out before the end of January id have to pay half fees next year, but would that also mean id be get half of the registration fee paid next year? I wouldn't be entitled to part of the grant for the time i spent in college.

Aprilstar

Hi I'm doing the Humanities course in carlow college but I don't really think its for me. I'm afraid to drop out because of the grant situation. I just got accepted for a maintenance grant. I haven't been paid anything yet. I'm looking into doing a PLC next year. Will I get a grant if I drop out of Humanities?If I do go back to third level will I get a maintenance grant?Whats the story with the fees does anyone know?Has anyone been in this situation before?

TimeToShine

MissKeegan wrote: »

Thanks, I think I'll go to the programme office tomorrow and check it out. I really need to figure it all out sooner rather than later.

I'm doing History, French, Philosophy and Classics. There's a big workload with all these subjects together and I'd rather just do Irish (I've attended all Irish schools since I was 4), and Psychology (which was my original plan but I couldn't figure out how to work the registration site and it was full up by the time I did) and French.

An arts student did NOT just say that.

Daisyxx

I want to drop out also, I'm serioulsy unhappy with my course and wish I had thought through my CAO instead of filling it out for the sake of it It's the fees that are holding me back from making a decision.....

muffinz

TimeToShine wrote: »

An arts student did NOT just say that.

:rolleyes: Hilarious. I have an insane workload at the moment, so many projects, essays, exams... And yes, I'm doing ARTS.
Although, some of my friends have sweet f*ck all to do, no work or anything until the Christmas exams. Lucky them...