repeating at 22

daddyorchips

well let me start from the beginning, when I was first in school I had no interest in learning and I ended up doing the leaving certificate applied which I actually failed yes I failed the lca, but now im older and I think I have finally realised i want to go to college and make something of myself, so at 22 am i to late or is there still hope for me. I want a career in social work or law which i know will be more than hard but its harder being 22 uneducated and unemployed. And advice welcome even from current LC students

SpiceWeasel

Generally,you are considered to be a mature student if you are at least 23 years of age on January 1 of the year you enter your course. If you are interested in a particular college you should check how it defines a mature student.

If college is your aim, no need for LC

daddyorchips

SpiceWeasel wrote: »

Generally,you are considered to be a mature student if you are at least 23 years of age on January 1 of the year you enter your course. If you are interested in a particular college you should check how it defines a mature student.

If college is your aim, no need for LC

but is there not a lower chance of me getting into a course if i am a mature student would i not have a better chance with an LC ?

Yakuza42

daddyorchips wrote: »

but is there not a lower chance of me getting into a course if i am a mature student would i not have a better chance with an LC ?

I wouldn't think you would have a lower chance.. Every course generally allocates a certain percentage of the places to mature students (I'm not sure exactly but let's say for example 1 out of 30.) As far as I know the application procedure for mature students is more interview based, and providing you pass all that then you get one of the allocated places. If no mature students apply etc then they just give the places to other people.

There are 55 people in my class and I think around 4 of them are mature students.

daddyorchips

Yakuza42 wrote: »

I wouldn't think you would have a lower chance.. Every course generally allocates a certain percentage of the places to mature students (I'm not sure exactly but let's say for example 1 out of 30.) As far as I know the application procedure for mature students is more interview based, and providing you pass all that then you get one of the allocated places. If no mature students apply etc then they just give the places to other people.

There are 55 people in my class and I think around 4 of them are mature students.

so as a mature student could I apply to say dcu and do law and philosophy ?

DonnaMarieAva

I did my LC in 2011. I hated it. I got 280 which is not a lot by any means. But, I did a Fetac course in Pre-Nursing studies level 5 and that's how I got into college at 18. You don't need your Leaving for a Fetac course. If you plan on going to a university, then you should apply as a mature student. Because there are not a lot of Fetac places. If you are going to an institute of technology, it doesn't matter how you apply because the IOT's are generally more lenient towards anyone. For example, I am doing an accounting course in LIT thurles. To do the course, I would have needed three distinctions. I got seven anyways. But if I wanted to go to a university, I would have needed five or above. For the same course and modules!! If you still want to do the LC, do it. But I don't see the point especially when you can rely on the aul Fetac! Where there's a will, there's a way.....

Yakuza42

daddyorchips wrote: »

so as a mature student could I apply to say dcu and do law and philosophy ?

I see no reason why. Like DonnaMaria said, where there's a will there's a way. Just make sure you do your homework on exactly what the course is about, prepare all your material for the interview re. why you want to do it etc.

I would recommend, however, that you do some form of training either in Law or Philosophy prior to applying via the mature student route. You could potentially and most likely will be up against someone who has a background in the industry, maybe they have been doing work experience or have been on FAS placement etc.

For example, my mother recently graduated (as a mature student of course) from AIT with a degree as an Accounting Technician. Prior to getting the place on the course she had done a FAS Access course in accounting technician(cy)? I'm not sure that she would have been accepted into the course in AIT had she not had any prior experience.

Diziet

You should certainly do a course of some description to ensure that you are up to organised studying, assignments, assessments and exams. It would be a shame to get into college and find it hard to cope with the structure; better to learn the structure and learn to study before you get into college.

Definitely not too old; I know students who entered third level in their forties and got good degrees.

aimzLc2

Of course you are not too old! i am repeating the leaving this year and so many people in my course are 21 , you could always go to a repeat school? no one here notices what age anyone is , it also had college courses so there are many adults around the place.

Yakuza42

aimzLc2 wrote: »

Of course you are not too old! i am repeating the leaving this year and so many people in my course are 21 , you could always go to a repeat school? no one here notices what age anyone is , it also had college courses so there are many adults around the place.

+1 on that. Forgot about repeat schools...you would be the same age as pretty much everyone there.

shawki

Repeating at 25, Tough going but it'll be well worth getting through it!