Is LCVP a waste of time?

Mr Rhode Island Red

Hoping that there's a few LC's and ex-LC's lurking that might be able to help me out.

I'm going into fifth year next week. With the subjects I've chosen I qualify for LCVP, but we aren't forced to do it if we don't want to (I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, Physics and French and well as the holy trinity, all HL). I was wondering if I should do LCVP or not.

The guidance counsellor in my school has said I should try to give it the slip, considering the subjects I'm doing and the workload I'll already have. She says the 3 free classes a week I'll get from not doing LCVP will be a big help to me.

A few fifth years have told me to do it, saying that it forces you to think about what you want to do after school, and that it's a break from the humdrum of normal class. They did say however that doing bits of a portfolio here and there can be a bit of a nuisanse though on top of normal homework.

Others have told me to avoid it at all costs, saying it's a waste of time and that 3 guaranteed free classes a week is way more use.

I'm certain that I won't be counting the subject for points. If it's anything to go by only 2 students got the Distinction in LCVP in last year's LC class.

So what's peoples' opinion on this? Is it a waste of time or is it worth doing?

Any and all advice appreciated.

owain

I would take it, the written exam is mostly common sense and the project is fairly easy really.
I was in your situation in 5th year, i wanted to drop it but wasn't allowed by the year head. We got nothing done in that class in 5th year and had to do the entire portfolio in 6th year which in fairness was fairly easy to get done in the 2 classes a week. I wasn't planning on counting it until my physics teacher left on maternity leave.....twice....in two years, leaving us with subs who hadn't a clue how to teach which results in getting a crap grade in physics as I lost interest. LCVP filled that gap with a handy, easily achievable 50 points. The exam is also in April/May so its out of the way early.
If possible your best bet is to do the portfolio and then not bother go to the classes, try find a free classroom to study during that period.
Also don't stress out over the LC. I am one of those people who was really relaxed in the exams, I found I wasn't able to sit down and focus so I took the two weeks we had between school finishing and exams starting to chill out and relax. I came out with 445 points without any study. Maths is the most important subject hands down. Keep with honours, we had to do extra classes on the weekend to cover the entire course but its easy to pass once you attempt everything and definitely worth the extra 25 points.
Sorry for the long winded reply

teafanatic

I'm probably not the best person to answer this since I'm only going into 5th year but I know a few people who've done it and I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't said to avoid it like the plague.

Since you've said you definitely won't use it for points and the only benefit to you would be to get you to think about what you want to do after school, I wouldn't bother with it. The extra time you'd gain from not doing the subject would give you plenty of time to think about what you want to do.

Studying and doing homework for it would take up time in the evenings that you could be using to bring up your other subjects which you will actually use for points and I imagine you'd appreciate the extra time and free classes in 6th year.

I don't have any experience with it but everyone who I've talked to said that for them it was a complete waste of time so I would think carefully about taking it on.

spurious

It's more 'education' than chasing points, so some people disregard it, often while bemoaning the fact that LC students leave school knowing nothing about how the world works.

themissymoo

I was in the same position as you, and chose to not take it. I don't regret my decision. I took Biology and Chemistry (I wanted physics too, but my school didn't run it for my year), and all of my subjects at higher level. If you think you're going to stick with HL for at least six of your subjects and do well in them, then you won't need the points.

I remember people in my year going through so much stress about the portfolios, the interview and the exam itself. Unless you think you'll be dropping down in a couple of subjects, don't do it.

Also, please please please start working in fifth year. It's almost impossible to just go to class, get by with 60%s in class tests and stay at HL in every level.

With Chemistry and Biology, use Studyclix to copy and paste all of the past exam questions into a document for each topic as you prepare for the test. You'll see that the same questions are asked year after year. This will be so, so useful to you in sixth year when you're revising. You can read over your notes, and then you can just look over what you need to know for that subject. It made revising ten times easier for me in sixth year towards when my friends were studying, as they had to go back to the beginning of the chapters and make notes to catch up on all of fifth years work, while still covering new material too.

Blue giant

I didn't do it and I'm fairly glad I didn't. A lot of people seemed to be under a lot of stress with portfolios, interviews and then the exam. The one real benefit that I can think of is the work experience. You could always do it for fifth year and then see if you still wanted to do it for the LC. I know of a few people who dropped it at the beginning of 6th year so that's always an option.

Jdoe

I had my first day in 6th year today after doing LCVP last year and I can honestly say it's a complete waste of time. The only reason I can remember I took it up is because the vice principal really 'sold it' when she was telling us how great it was at assembly last year.

However about a week into the course I found out how great it wasn't - my teacher is a complete fairy and shouldn't be let near a classroom so basically we done nothing for the whole year, or you could say we done a few topics in the portfolio to a really poor standard.

I had great plans of doing all this work perfectly over the summer but sure they went out the window so delightfully this weekend and for a few weekends ahead I'll be cleaning up the mess I created last year when I should be concentrating on other subjects.

Basically I'm saying if you feel like the points could be a safety net for you and you know that there's a capable teacher in charge by all means go ahead, other than that stay well away and grab those 3 free classes while you can. Start slowly in 5th year do your homework and get organised (I.e write notes and get folders for each subject as you go) then coming up to Christmas and summer tests start revising early to lessen the stress during these exams.

You'll be fine - best of luck

Kayleigh..

I would be good for someone who would struggle to get 50 points from another subject IMO.

I did it for a week and gave up and took Applied Maths instead.

pleindespoir

It is not freaking worth it. I only got a merit and consistently doing good in the written exams. I think to use that time to focus on other subjects is a better option. If you do all HL, having a distinction is a C1. I was brainwashed that it is very good but it was boring to death and it was such a disappointment. Haven't even known anyone who got distinction. So yeah, our school's collab with siemens was good experience but that's about it. Good luck!

Mr Rhode Island Red

Thanks for all the advice. Just heard that from this year onwards in my school they've changed the policy for LCVP. Everybody is pretty much forced to do it in fifth year if they qualify. They're then given the option to drop it in LC but only if they are doing all HL subjects and are getting a minimum of a C1 in all of their subjects in the 5th year summer tests.

Maybe this way I'll appreciate the 3 free classes a bit more come LC. It doesn't look like I can get out of LCVP for fifth year now without raising hell altogether with the VP, which I don't want to do considering she did me a good turn helping me get the subjects I wanted earlier on. But she said if I fulfill the criteria above, she has no problem with me dropping it come LC.

(Or is it a case that most of the work for the subject is done in fifth year, and that I'll be too far gone for it to be worth my while to back out in LC?)

Boaty

Depending on the teacher...most of the course is done in fifth year, I've 5\6 tasks for the portfolio finished to a distinction standard, I have a booklet which gives headings for the portfolio which came in really handy, also if you look at the marking schemes for each task of the portfolio it really helps.

gryfothegreat

I was in the same situation as you - I was forced to do it, even though I knew I'd never use it. I think I got the only distinction, but when my lowest grade was a B2...
LCVP was easy for me because I'm good at computer work and I basically did my portfolio myself. If you don't like using computers, stay away. The exam is a joke. There are no decent books, and you're at a disadvantage if you don't do Business. I didn't and I only did well because I'm a master of BS - I honestly did no exam papers. I spent most of the few classes we had doing my homework.
tl;dr: LCVP looks good on paper but is honestly a waste of time. Free classes to do homework or study are much better.

IrishLoriii

I cannot recommend LCVP enough you would get the entire course
done in 6weeks..I got a distinction and those 70 points defanitley made
the differance!

freshpopcorn

It depends on the type of student.
If your somebody who's doing a lot of ordinary subjects.
I'd recommend doing it base it's an way of picking up 50/70points.
All it is a few projects(not much thought went into them). We had an event for our local senior citizens and a recorded interview. We spent the majority of the time on the internet.
The rest of the time the teacher handed us out sheets and she read them and answered questions. We also did a few exam papers in class.
Everybody got either a merit or a distinction. There was never any work done outside of class(no running around crying about portfolios/interviews) even the exam was fine. We were allowed out of class the days before it to 'study' and we got to go home when it was done.

CliCliW

We had an amazing Teacher for LCVP when I was in the LC, he started working straight away and because he also corrects leaving cert papers he knew exactly what goes into it, so he picked it with a fine bomb to guarantee everyone got distinctions. We did no interviews that I can remember.

I don't think it gave me anything worthwhile to take away really other than a decent CV, I don't think I used the points.

Advice for LC workload: just put your head down, listen and participate in class, and do the homework you're assigned. If you take in information this way you shouldn't need to speed hours revising. I find that helped me get the points I needed, and I did a bare minimum of actual revision

Good luck!

Chicharito11

Free 50 points, wouldn't have my course without it. Best choice my friends and I have made in school. Do it, **** all work for easy points.

biosci

If you apply yourself and put a bit of work into your portfolio you will easily get the Distinction. There is no reason for you to do any of it as homework, your 3 classes a week will more than cover all you need to get done.

Also, the mindset of it being a "waste of time" is a load of conya imo. The real-life skills it forces you to learn are absolutely invaluable. For example the difference of quality in CV's between those who did LCVP and those who didn't, in my group of friends at least, is astronomical.

In my class of 15, six of us got the distinction and that made all the difference for each of our points.

So basically it's easy marks to get and even if one of your other subjects goes belly up on the day of the exam you'll know you have those 70 points there to get you through. Regardless of how boring it gets I'd highly suggest you keep it going through to the LC.

DiarmAFC

I would not recommend it. It is marked so extremely it is almost impossible to get a distinction. There is no real guidelines for the portfolio so you end up getting punished for lack of guidance. If you were to do it, definitely do business as this helps massively. It's basically ordinary business, I got an A2 in business but only a merit in LCVP, sums up our education system really, they can only hand out a certain amount of distinctions.

EoinAFC

For me personally I didn't get it. Not doing Irish limited my subjects and the option of LCVP would have been great. I'm convinced it would have boosted my points to get my first choice course so was quite bitter about it afterwards. All of the people i know that have done it said it was well worth the extra work as it gives you a bit of breathing space in regards to results.

Androidable

It's that good that in my school they forced it in our face. In 5th year I was like "What the F*ck is this ****e". When it came to 6th year, it sure was a nice life saver, do take it very helpful.