Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Jonny Arson

Oh what a tune that was...... Joe Strummer you F'n legend.... R.I.P.

Eh anyway forget about my blabbering becasue I REALLY NEED SOME ADVICE.

Ok the sceal is that I'm certain I failed 1st year Sociology in my repeats as I stated as far as a week ago. Yes I know it's premature to say that but if answere 3/8 questions which were answered crap you would come to the same realistic conclusion. Obviously by failing that means that I've failed the year. Devastating? That would be an understatement considering I passed my other 2 subjects (Geography and Information Studies) with flying colours and I wanted to do these 2 subjects in 2nd year.

So WTF should I do next? That's the question that has been the only thing on my mind for the last week and I don't have a notion about the answer to that one. My only 2 options are to either say bye bye UCD and go into the big, bad, brave world of the workforce for the next year and earn money to pay for a new course in 2006 OR to go into the big, bad, brave world of repeating 1st year. Honestly both options are sh!t but I have to make my mind up.

There are numerous permutations to what I should do so I'll go through the pluses and minuses of each option.

If I stay and repeat..............

+ It would mean I have a second crack of the whip and I can achieve a degree. (I have a keen interest in Geography
+ I could do only 1 subject since I've passed the other 2 subjects
+ I don't believe I would be obliged to do Sociology again so I could do a new subject and have something new to aquaint myself with
+ I would have alot of free time on my hands to study, get involved in things and to work to pay off fees.
+ I get another chacne to experience college life

- I would have to pay around 2k to repeat the one subject. I'm not made of cash.
- I would have only maybe 4-6 hours a week. I would hardly be out here. May not be worth my time. May get disillusioned or lose interest.
- As many people know I hated my 1st year here. I was unhappy and having so few hours out here may only compound things for me further.
- TBH there isn't another subject in the course that particularly grabs me by the balls. I would be VERY nervous about a doing new subject incase I may hate it.

If I go into the workforce............

+ I will earn alot of money for myself and have the financial ability to pay for any future course I may do.
+ I could end up in a job I love and make a career for myself.
+ I will have freedom from exams etc.
+ I can go and do new things with my life
+ It could be good personal experience for me and I may become a better person for it

- I would be away from education for a year and I might not want to return.
- There is not another course out there that particularly I'm interested in. The only other course I would have considered rose in points above my quota (I crept into Arts if you know what I mean) so I could find myself in another limbo
- I may not be happy in the fulltime workforce.
- Even if I did go onto do another course I could end up disliking it.

In reality there are so many different permutations to doing both. No matter what decision I make it's a risk and could raise many possibilities either good or bad. I'm wondering what would you be inclined to do if you were in my position? I have no idea what to do and hearing other people's ideas may be helpful. I do know it's my decision and my decsion only but any ideas would be helpful. Also please don't be biased in your reply because some of you know me in person and would probably love for me to stay and some of you may want rid of me aswell!

Cheers,

Alan

Mr.Nice Guy

Well I'm not going to tell you what I think you should do, but I will outline what I would have done which I think is what you asked anyway.

Personally I was sure I was going to fail the Summer exams and be faced with a tough choice of finding another college before the 'exceptional closing date' in July with the CAO, or to risk doing the repeats. I was astonished to discover I passed the first time of asking. If I had failed, chosen to do repeats and failed again? I honestly think I would have left.

Why would I have left? I'm the kind of guy who likes to feel like I'm going forward. If I had failed my Leaving Cert I honestly don't think I would have repeated! I'm just not that sort of person. If I were in your position (it's worth pointing out here I don't even have a job!) I would seek employment for a year and sort myself out. I would then contemplate applying through the CAO for another course. I don't think I would try and do Arts again.

Basically I would have left, got myself a job, worked hard, used the money I would have earned to apply for a different course in a different college and have gone from there.

But that is me. You're probably completely different to me. I don't really know what advice to give you except to picture where you see yourself a year from now using the two scenarios you used and try to figure which scenario is better for you.

Good luck in whatever you do.

Ed

If you like your other two subjects, then stay. I was in a similar situation when i was in first year. Started off doing sociology, economics and statistics - sociology and economics weren't a problem, statistics was. I failed and failed badly(actually i didn't show up for my summer exams so my result says abs). The stupid mistake i made was to take the cheap route. i repeated statistics externally which cost next to nothing(they've changed the cost now, so i think it's about a grand to repeat externally), but i just didn't go to lectures even though i could have - you're not supposed to if you repeat externally, but there's no one there who'll check.
Anyway the end result was a college year wasted and a summer ruined studying my ass off, and despite bringing my grade up a lot it wasn't enough and i was left in the position where i should have been thrown out of ucd.
Thankfully through help from the SU education officer at the time(abey campbell), malcolm latham (assistant dean of arts at the time) and a lot of begging on my part i was gievn the opportunity to do what i should have done a year earlier - i got a loan and paid for first year again, but took up a new subject(archaeology).
The end result is that i now have a degree in sociology and archaeology - i also owe the bank a fair bit, but you'd be surprised how quickly you can chip away at debt when you're working.
Anyway - basic point - don't let the hatred of an individual subject force you out of UCD (i came very close to dropping out, and looking back it would have been a terrible mistake on my part, because UCD has been very good to me).
Weigh up your options, and just bear in mind that you've already come a long way, and an extra year (or two in my case) isn't the end of the world.

pbsuxok1znja4r

I have kind of a dilemma aswell, maybe someone can advise me here:

I just finished 1st year of mechanical engineering, and I'm very very scared that I've failed my repeats. Lets just say I may as well have not turned up to the summer exams, and I didn't do all that much study for the repeats either.

So, if I did fail, I really don't know if I should repeat 1st year, or just leave, maybe take a year out and do something else. I can't imagine my life without having a college degree though, and I doubt if my parents can either. I really have the feeling that if I repeat 1st year I will hate it - I made loads of really great friends in 1st year, and it will be horrible being left behind by them. I don't think I have it in me to go making a whole new set of friends all over again...
Then there is the cost, I'm not 100% sure on how much it'll cost to repeat, but I'm sure it'll be at least a couple o' grand. Thing is though, my parents are that desperate for me to have this degree that they would pay it for me...

I know that if I repeated, I would breeze through the year without difficulty. I don't mind the subjects or anything, they're what I'm good at. The reason I failed this year is just ecause I was completely unfocused on college. I really don't think I cared, but I do now.

If I fail, should I repeat 1st year? has anyone else actually repeated, and if so, how did you find it?

And when are the results of the august exams out? Are they lenient with the marking usually?

Ed

Your friends aren't going to ditch you if you have to repeat the year If they do, well then they're a bunch of pricks to be honest, and you're better off without them. Don't look at it as having to make a load of new friends, just look at it as making more friends. Don't know how much mech eng is to repeat, but if money's an issue, or you don't want to put the burdon on your parents, then get a loan.
If you enjoy what you're doing then keep it up.

m1ke

To the op:
You seemed to have considered it in a good bit of detail. From your facts i'd draw the following conclusion:

A year is a very short space of time. Lots of people have to repeat. If you dropout it'll always be a chip on the shoulder. Since you like the subjects you're doing stick with it - if you start another course in 2006 you'll just have to go through this all over again... a waste of time and money when you could be starting second year.

If a college degree was a product like it is in other countries without free education then it would be worth into the hundreds of thousands of euro so whatever the cost it's a bargain. You could always do a part-time job @ 20 hours a week anyways.

To scouser.tommy:
If you think you can finish the 4 years then i'd repeat. If you think you'd have the same problem in subsequent years then you should think about switching to something else. If you can find out why you were unfocused then you can sort yourself out for the future.

Anyhows, best of luck.... i failed first year also and was about to drop out for a year but I stuck with it and just graduated and now have 4 different MA offers for next year so if you stick with it things can work out.

blondie83

To Zane - if I was in your situation I'd stick with it ,but thats just me, and whats right for some may not be right for others and all that. For me the question would be "what do I have to lose by repeating the year?" It would be great if you could pick a new subject though. Anyway the important thing is that whatever decision you make it's one that you feel comfortable with - otherwise you'll always be going "what if..." When are the results out?

Scouser Tommy - I did elec, lots of people failed and repeated, in fact there was a few people in my year that were originally two years ahead of me but repeated twice! There's one poor guy who's repeated twice already and just barely failed this year so he'll be repeating again - 7 years for his BE! I'm not trying to put you off here, I'm just trying to say that repeat students are very prevalent in the faculty and if you choose it you certainly won't be the only one. They tend to stay friends and hang out with their friends from their old year, but also make friends with people in their new year and get on with them too, so they've lots of friends and twice the number of class parties to go to! Good luck anyway whatever you decide to do :cool:

LovelyHurling

My results are due out soon and I'm about 70% sure of failing the year. I am def going to leave should I fail to get through. I worked extremely hard for the Leaving - obsessively hard - got 1st choice on a high points course and feel awful now that Ive blown it. However as gutted as I am, I'm not that cut up about leaving the course, turns out the profession in question isn't for me at all. What really annoys me is that Ive probably failed - then again that might be a good wake up call to get me on another track.

I blame the points race - if sewage science was 590 in Athlone IT (No offence) I would have had it #1. Weird eh? The long and convoluted road to my point ends here:

If you're failing, it's time to examine why before you decide to hang on or jump ship. If you're failing because you spent too much time drinking then maybe you should hang on. However if you're like me and failed because you weren't arsed or ended up in a course it turns out doesn't appeal to you, then you may have some serious reconsidering to do

rainbow kirby

However if you're like me and failed because you weren't arsed or ended up in a course it turns out doesn't appeal to you, then you may have some serious reconsidering to do

Sounds like me last year. I decided to leave a course I wasn't enjoying... in 3rd year. Now I'm broke... but doing something I prefer.

beanyb

I think if I was in your position, I'd stick with it. I know that you really hated most of your experience in UCD so far, but this could be your chance to make it better.

-You get to start out with a whole new group of people, and though you're inevitably going to have the d4 idiots again, maybe you'll find some really nice new 1st years to befriend!

-While you see having so few hours as a disadvantage since it might lead to never bothering to go to college, you could look at it positively. It could give you the chance to really get involved in all those socs that you intended to last year, but never bothered.

-You get to take advantage of this whole horizons thing (i assume anyway) and take a whole new subject. I know you say that no other subject really appeals to you, but you could just head into a few differen ones in the first few days, and you never know what you might find.

I dont know if any of this is going to help you, ultimately this is your decision to make. But I think if you really hated UCD as much as you say you do, you'd have left a long time ago, and wouldnt be worrying so much about this. But that's only my opinion!

panda100

Hey zane-i repeated my third year internally-it was the best thing i ever done cos it shook me up a bit and for once i attended every single lecture,tutorial and dissection.You said before that you do like the course its just really the environment of ucd that you dont really like so i would definatly repeat.It made me grow a bit of confidence for myself and also to learn to balance my studying with my socialising!Failing that exam may well be a blessing in disguise and you're obviously well capable of doing your course by passing the other two sbjects-congrats!
You should know that you can repeat externally or internally-externally just means you dont go to any of the lectures or anything and you just sit your exam in may-its quite cheap to do this.Internally means you pay to repeat the whole year again and so can attend lectures and tutorials!maybe the external option may be the best option for you as you can work during the week,get a bit of money together and then repeat you exam in may.Taking the year out may give you a bit of time to think about whether your course is right for you and you can do a bit of research,work experience to see if you may prefer another course instead!
Whatever you do dont drop out its better to leave your options open and repeat externally cos once you leave your course in ucd itl be very difficult to get back into it again!

arbeitsscheuer

Ok well everyone else (esp. Ed and panda100) has posted much better advice and argument than I ever could hope to achieve in a reply, so I'll just tell you what I'm doing.

I've failed 2nd year Politics, and am going to repeat the year Externally. As panda pointed out, this is much cheaper (somewhere around the original registration fee mark - e800 approx) than repeating Internally (e3,000-4,000??? Somethin' like that).

Upshot of Internally is that you get tutorials, essays, lectures etc. Basically you're kept busy and, provided you don't mirror what you did first time around (i.e. nothing) you'll definitely pass. With External repeating, you run the risk of just becoming lethargic (as Ed experienced) and end up not bothering to do anything, only realising your mistake when May rolls around again. As a bonus: Since you're in First Year, if you repeat Internally you can also choose to do a totally different subject this time around. If you REALLY hated Sociology ya might wanna do this. As for me, as a 2nd year, I have no such choice. It's Politics or the Gardai for me. And I think I fail the sight requirements...

Anyway, I'm repeatin 2nd yr externally. And I'll probably become lazy. But f**k it, we're here for a good time not a long time, eh?

EDIT:

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

Joe Strummer you F'n legend.... R.I.P.

Only about 2 years late Zane, but don't worry, I'm sure he appreciates it.

Blush_01

Umm... what they said.

A friend of mine repeated one subject last year. As you said yourself Zane, he had very few hours each week. He held down a full time job, allowing him to pay for college, and is now into second year.

I don't know about you, but I'd find it really difficult to go back to college after spending a year earning money. It'd kill me to go back to being stoney broke all the time again. I find it hard enough to go back after the summer break, even though I have a part time job during the year. If you get out of the habit of having no money, it's hard to face it again.

I don't really know, I guess I've always been told to stay in college until I finished my masters because it's too easy not to go back. There's enough going on in the world to resent, why resent not finishing your degree when you had the opportunity to?

Jonny Arson

LovelyHurling wrote:

If you're failing, it's time to examine why before you decide to hang on or jump ship. If you're failing because you spent too much time drinking then maybe you should hang on. However if you're like me and failed because you weren't arsed or ended up in a course it turns out doesn't appeal to you, then you may have some serious reconsidering to do

TBH I wish I spent alot more time in the bar! I failed the one subject because it wasn't like what I thought it would be, I was naive when it came to doing readings etc. and a dreadfully hard repeat paper certainly didn't help matters for me. The course overall does appeal to me. I honestly do not have a notion of what career I want to do and since I do have a keen interest in the field of Geography I feel the course is best suited for me despite obviously not being a perfect course.

The fact I passed my other 2 subjects without any problem does say to me not to give up but I did not settle in here at all in my 1st year and honestly I don't think I will ever settle in to UCD due to it's large scale environment and the general type of people that go here. Education aspect it probably is a yes to stay, personal aspect it probably is a no. Soooooo confused!

DrIndy

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

TBH I wish I spent alot more time in the bar! I failed the one subject because it wasn't like what I thought it would be, I was naive when it came to doing readings etc. and a dreadfully hard repeat paper certainly didn't help matters for me. The course overall does appeal to me. I honestly do not have a notion of what career I want to do and since I do have a keen interest in the field of Geography I feel the course is best suited for me despite obviously not being a perfect course.

The fact I passed my other 2 subjects without any problem does say to me not to give up but I did not settle in here at all in my 1st year and honestly I don't think I will ever settle in to UCD due to it's large scale environment and the general type of people that go here. Education aspect it probably is a yes to stay, personal aspect it probably is a no. Soooooo confused!

Go to Trinity! Problem solved!!!






















Repeating externally (or going "Off Books" in Trinner) is a good idea as you stay in college, get a year out to work and still pop into college and have a gander/pint.

But its fatalistic and downright silly to give up the ghost until the fat lady sings.

Don't drop out. If you do, then the allure of money you are earning will prevent your re-entry. Its better to stick it out.

Jonny Arson

Sorry guys, I'm unable to reply to your respective PM's. Once I sort out the weird problem I'll get back ASAP. Thanks a million, very helpful.

Alana

Wait until ur results, then who knows you might have passed, don't count your dinosaurs until they have hatched.

If I were in your shoes, I'd be thinking maybe taking a year out would be a good idea-ie so you can get the mula u need to repeat, also get a different view of the world, appreciate stuff more, & see the big bad capitalist world for all its lovely shiney things.

Plus a bit of time might help you clear your head and make decisions. I was kinda in your place once, with the whole uncertainty thing about uni, and taking time away from all the "argggggggggggh wtf am I going to do?!?!" malarky helped me, and now I'm quite happy with what I'm doing.

However taking time out aint for everyone...

In the end it is up to you Mr. Av a look see at the pm i sent you, hope it helps.

kittenkiller

Don't leave me!!!!

Repeat externally.
Pick a new subject to keep you interested, entertained & motivated.
It means only doing 2/3 of the workload which is enough to keep you from slacking off but not enough to have you swamped.

Picking a new subject also means that you have more choices for the following year.

You're only a babby (by mine ancient years) so there'd be no point in throwing in the towel just yet.
Give next year a go in UCDD.
You'll have more friends, knowledge of the area & won't feel as isolated as you did last year.

Please please please repeat?

That said, if i fail the exams just passed, don't repeat & just come work in the bank with me!

Lisapeep

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

I did not settle in here at all in my 1st year and honestly I don't think I will ever settle in to UCD due to it's large scale environment and the general type of people that go here.

If I were you. I'd stick with the course. You'll be glad, in several years time, that you went to the effort of getting yourself a degree! And lots of people would love living an extra year as a student!

If, however, you feel that UCD isn't where you want to be studying, then maybe you should look into the possibility of entering into the 2nd year of a Geography course in another college. After all, you do have the relevant qualifications in Geography and Information studies! It would be probably too late to do that this year but you could look into it for next year!

Jonny Arson

I think this rules out repeating externally.............

Fees & Grants Office wrote:

Repeat students: Please note that while an 'examination repeat' option was available for a trial period, this is no longer permitted for 1st Year students. All repeat students must register and pay fees based on number of modules taken.

Repeating externally wouldn't appeal to me anyhow becasue I'd be doing evil Sociology again and would not be bothered with it.

I think it looks like that I'm gonna very reluctantly stay and give 1st year another shot. Honestly, I feel the fact that I did well in my other subjects proves that I've got more to offer and I probably would regret packing it in over an evil Sociology exam. Working a full time job really doesn't appeal to me at this stage of my life and the fact there isn't another course out there that I have any interest in is telling me to give UCD another go.

This year will be more like a part-time year since I'd only be doing one subject so I can still do new things and hopefully find a good part-time job. TBH I have no doubt I'll still hate this college, still hate the people and never properly settle but I've still got a chance of getting a degree and I will be more educationally focused this time around. However I'm still uncertain about alot of things auch as subject choice, how modularisation would effect me and exactly my fees (my advisers and the fees office have been so unhelpful it's a disgrace) but I feel staying is the option I'm most confortable with but if the college continues to be so unhelpful I wouldn't rule out changing my mind.

Well officially another 10 days till results come out...... tick tock tick tock

Vainglory

Zane, the Fees office tend to answer me quickly when I use my Education Officer voice, do you want me to give a ring tomorrow and ask them?

Vainglory

PS Run for class rep next year.

Jonny Arson

Vainglory wrote:

Zane, the Fees office tend to answer me quickly when I use my Education Officer voice, do you want me to give a ring tomorrow and ask them?

I'll give them another shot myself tomorrow and if I hear the same useless crap I'll call on you! Thanks. BTW I'm still thinking about repping.

Vainglory

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

BTW I'm still thinking about repping.

Good stuff. Nomination forms require 10 signatures and available in a handy cut-out version in this year's Freshers' Guide. I mean, Student Survival Guide. We renamed it.

Dave!

^
When do we get the Guide thing? During Freshers' Week, or Reg week, or wha?

Jonny Arson

Failed as I pedicted.

kittenkiller

Any idea what you're going to do?

rainbow kirby

The only thing I can say here to Zane is *hug*.

tintinr35

will it be that easy to repeat this year due to the whole ucd horizions modularisation credits yada yada yada. cause its going to be a whole new course cause last year was the last year of the old programme??????

ferdi

i failed first english but passed my other two subjects in 03/04.

in 04/05 i picked another subject (archaeology) and repeated it (c. 5 hours per week )

now its 05/06 and i'm in second year.

easy.

Jonny Arson

Zane from MTV2 wrote:

Failed as I pedicted.

I can't even spell ''predicited'' right...... no wonder i failed!

Even though I did have a very strong inkling I failed I'm still gutted though becasue I was only 6.5% away from passing the frickin' thing. If i had a fair paper one I would have defo passed so I do feel cheated....... I didn't even want to do Sociology in 2nd year. What's really making me absolutley violently sick is that from this year compensation is being introduced into Arts. If this was this time next year I would have been passed into 2nd year......... someone isn't looking down on me.

kittenkiller wrote:

Any idea what you're going to do?

Well the plan was to repeat the year and do a different subject but something since yesterday is now telling me that this course maybe just isn't for me. I went to 2nd year Information Studies yesterday and I was thinking to myself ''what type of career am I going to get out of this?''

tintinr35 wrote:

will it be that easy to repeat this year due to the whole ucd horizions modularisation credits yada yada yada. cause its going to be a whole new course cause last year was the last year of the old programme??????

Modularisation won't effect things at all, it may actually benefit me. With the credit system I just need to do 20 credits. So I can choose / 1. a full subject in Arts / 2. 2 minor subjects in Arts of 10 credits each / 3. 1 minor subject in Arts (10 credits) or 2 electives (modules of 5 credits) in Arts or an other faculty. Basically I have more options than someone would have had if they were repeating last year and I don't have to do Sociology again. I also believe there is a possibility that I may only be required to do 10 credits this year depending on my performance in certain aspects in Sociology so I could only have maybe 2 or 3 hours a week!

ferdi wrote:

i failed first english but passed my other two subjects in 03/04.

in 04/05 i picked another subject (archaeology) and repeated it (c. 5 hours per week )

now its 05/06 and i'm in second year.

easy.

Funnily enough I was at the very first 1st year Archaeology lecture this morning. Seemed ok. It was an introductory lecture so it's best not to read too much into it yet. I have heard that it is boring which may worry me but I think it may well be a subject more suited to my individual abilities. Better doing something you like than doing soemthign you have no interest in. What I liked about it is the fact that the majority of the course is based on coursework.

I've also gone to Economics and Italian lectures but they've been intro lectures but I'm gonna go to various lectures over the next 2 weeks to suss out what would be best for me.

rainbow kirby wrote:

The only thing I can say here to Zane is *hug*.

thanks