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The Institute of Education

  • 06-09-2008 10:50am
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32


    Hello all.....:P

    I'm moving house and changing school, and the school that i want to go to is the institute, fifth form....

    i have a few questions, if anyone could help me out it would be fantastic!:)

    1. Is it terribly hard to get in? What is usually discussed in the interview?

    2. Do they enrol all year round? obviously, i would be joining the year late if i were to go in... would they be willing to let me join in at like halloween?

    3. lets say i were to get accepted next year.. would i be able to go back to fifth form even though i have finished fifth year? i only ask as hear that they complete both fifth and sixth year course in fifth form.. i dont want to be trailing behind in sixth form..

    4. i hear you get to choose your teachers.. is that true? and if so, any reccomendations?

    i really really would appreciate any feedback re questions above!

    :D:D:D


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Cokehead Mother


    You'd save a lot of money if you went to a regular school. You might wanna consider it.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,072 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    You are paying them a big whack of money to go there (or someone else is) - do you really think they will turn that down?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 396 ✭✭DanOB


    im starting there on tuesday myself, 5th form, so the interview is still fresh in my memory :)

    1- its not terribly hard to get in, no, however the interview is a bit daunting at first. I had mine with the vice principle, and as soon as my mother and i sat down in the office we were put at ease by her. In the interview they discuss your past academic record with you, your plans for the future, hobbies, why you want to enrol in the institute etc..

    2- they enrol all year around as far as im aware, dont hold me to it though

    3- thats more or less what i did, i was near the end of my 5th year course in another school and i realized that i had gotten nothing out of it, so i left about 3/4 of the way through the year.. now im going back into 5th form, so yes

    4- basically you choose your timetable yourself because some classes are repeated you can choose which one to do, im yet to go through this myself so, it should be interesting!

    anything else just PM me!

    -Dan


  • Registered Users Posts: 1 dressgirl


    Hi eternaldream! Im just about to go to UCD having spent both 5th and 6th year at the institute so if youve any other questions feel free to ask.

    First off Im just gonna say the Institute is great and youre going to love it!
    The interview is simply a formality, and its prime purpose is really just to tell you about the school.

    They take in students all year round definitely.

    Just a piece of information I dont think you realise, in 6th year they pretty much start at the beginning of every subject, finishing what should be a 2 year course in a year so you wouldnt be trailing behind if you were to just to go into 6th year. That being said I loved my 5th year there and its far more relaxed than the 6th year and well worth it.

    Now in terms of teachers, Im dont know what subjects you are doing, but Id definitely recommend Susan Cashell for history. Shes really brilliant. Keith Hannigan is great for Business, really good fun too! Clare Greally for Irish, shes scary but good at what she does! As for English, be prepared to pick four teachers as english is split up into Language, Drama, Comparative and Poetry. Denis Creaven and Paul Mccormack were great English teachers, so was Cian Hogan but you can only get him in 6th year.

    Wow this is a really long post!! Sorry I rambled!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    4. i hear you get to choose your teachers.. is that true? and if so, any reccomendations?


    I did a Physics course there, if you do Physics chose Pat Doyle, he's brilliant.

    Martin Kelly teaches in my school but he also teaches in the Institute, does the comparative section I think, if he teaches 5th year pick him :)


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,148 ✭✭✭mehfesto2


    My advice would be to go to your regualr school until you actually do your LC. Concentrate on English especially. If you need to, then apply to the IOE.

    I went there and it was a common tactic for many students. With an A in English, my best friend was able to concentrate on his other subjects in more detail with great help. I really regret going there for 5th year. Did nothing my old school wouldn't have but cose a lot more.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    mehfesto2 wrote: »
    My advice would be to go to your regualr school until you actually do your LC. Concentrate on English especially. If you need to, then apply to the IOE.

    I went there and it was a common tactic for many students. With an A in English, my best friend was able to concentrate on his other subjects in more detail with great help. I really regret going there for 5th year. Did nothing my old school wouldn't have but cose a lot more.

    The OP is moving school to begin with, realistically would there be any point in moving into a new school then moving to another?

    Also getting into another school this late (one with no fees especially) would be next to impossible.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 60 ✭✭irondragons


    I be going there on Tuesday also.

    The interview was, well. So-so. I mean, it's most certainly more about touring the school, I did get a bit of an eye-to-eye because my backround is quite disastrous, but I just made it in there. They'll have a plethora of kiddies like yourself lining up to get into what places are left (mid Oct), so you'll obviously have to make a standout.

    The person I had interviewing me, was digressive as ****. I swore I almost fell asleep. I do remember her asking me "What do you think of that, Michael?" And I was there, "Um..." thinking of a response, because I had no idea what the question was relating to, a "that would seem fine" sufficed. So, word of advice, don't do what I did. But then again, I have terrible listening skills.

    Good luck out there. :pac:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 396 ✭✭DanOB


    I be going there on Tuesday also.

    The interview was, well. So-so. I mean, it's most certainly more about touring the school, I did get a bit of an eye-to-eye because my backround is quite disastrous, but I just made it in there. They'll have a plethora of kiddies like yourself lining up to get into what places are left (mid Oct), so you'll obviously have to make a standout.

    The person I had interviewing me, was digressive as ****. I swore I almost fell asleep. I do remember her asking me "What do you think of that, Michael?" And I was there, "Um..." thinking of a response, because I had no idea what the question was relating to, a "that would seem fine" sufficed. So, word of advice, don't do what I did. But then again, I have terrible listening skills.

    Good luck out there. :pac:
    ha, im dreadin tuesday


  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    you wont find it diffucult to get in there,at 5 grand a year they wont be refusing people. there were plenty of people in there when i was in 5 th year there that had been expelled etc.
    its easy to do **** all in there but really if you do the work you will be happy with your results and thats what matters at the end of the day.
    i did 5 th and 6th year there and chose to do barely anything and as a result i did pretty crap and now am repeating my leaving cert this year,so use your opportunity if you do decide to go there and make the most of it


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,179 ✭✭✭FunkZ


    One of my mates got expelled from a boarding school and got in there in Febuary oif fifth year.

    If you want to know what teachers are good you're gonna have to tell us what subjects you'll be doing :P


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,362 ✭✭✭K4t


    leesmom wrote: »
    you wont find it diffucult to get in there,at 5 grand a year they wont be refusing people.
    :eek:

    wait....

    :eek:

    €10,000 for two years? or do you get a discount deal?

    Whatever happened to 'Free Education'? :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,440 ✭✭✭✭Piste


    K4t wrote: »

    Whatever happened to 'Free Education'? :rolleyes:


    It exists. Plenty of people go to non fee-paying schools.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32 Eternaldream


    Whoa, a load of responses by the time i got to check this out!! :) Thanks to everyone!

    Dan - thanks for the advice, has been a load of help! Good luck on tues, hope it turns out as you want it to be.. if i do go there it'll prob be next year so you'll be in sixth form! :p

    DressGirl - you're a doll, have fun in UCD and thanks a mill for the teacher reccomendations!!

    Fad - i will hopefully be doing a physics course so thanks for the heads up bout pat doyle! :D

    Irondragons - thanks for the guidance... lol...:pac:

    i really do have my heart set on the institute, so hopefully everything will go alright! :p

    PS my subjects would be English(H) Irish(H or O, not too sure yet:confused:) Maths(H) Chemistry(H) Physics(H) Biology(H) Spanish(H) and German(H)

    XXX:P


  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    no you dont get a discount for the two years , you do however get a discount if you choose to do grinds there,although when paying that kind of money you shouldnt need grinds:rolleyes:
    op for german you will have orla,shes the only germsn teacher there,and a good one too.
    i thought susan silke was good for biology,you will probably have tara lyons for chemistry.
    for english there are alot of different teachers,paul mc cormack is good,and denis craven,like someone else said,they give you good sample answers to learn off.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 396 ✭✭DanOB


    eh its actually €6,950 euro a year.. not €5,000


  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    oh my sincere apoligies:eek:
    i gave an estimate,its not like i had the money myself at 17 years of age.it was paid for me,thankfully.
    correct me if i make any more mistakes:rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 125 ✭✭nycman


    €13,000:eek::eek: for 2 years:eek::eek::eek:

    Hows that for the "Rip-Off_Republic.


    Jeezum Crow:eek:


  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    could have got me some nice clothes with that money:Dthe money would have been more useful in that way


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,072 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    leesmom wrote: »
    oh my sincere apoligies:eek:
    i gave an estimate,its not like i had the money myself at 17 years of age.it was paid for me,thankfully.
    correct me if i make any more mistakes:rolleyes:

    Do you think the fact that someone had paid all that money had any effect on how much you applied yourself to working while there or do you think you would have put in as much effort elsewhere?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    not really, i was only 16 when i started in 5th year there and the cost of it wasnt really on my mind as my mum had just died a few days after i began there.
    thats just me though, but i did meet some people who actually took out student loans to pay for themselves to go there and for accomodation etc and i could see the difference in them and those whos mummy and daddy paid for them to go there,a lot of them were more concerned with how they looked rather than applying themselves to study.
    i found it difficult to apply myself because of all going on in my personal life which left me with a lack of wanting to do anything to do with study or school.
    im nearly 21 now and am repeating my leaving this year in a non fee paying school as this time i really want to do it,and make a proper go of it,if i really wanted i could probably go to the institute again however i really dont feel the need for a massive amount of money to be paid for me to do something i can do for free and get just as much out of it.
    you can get 600 points in a public school just as much as you can get 600 points in a private school.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,072 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Sorry to hear about your mum - that must have been hard.
    Good luck with the Leaving this time round.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 fvsmm


    leesmom wrote: »
    could have got me some nice clothes with that money:Dthe money would have been more useful in that way
    whats more useful the your education?


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    The insight to not spend money on something that can be obtained for free otherwise? : p


  • Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭gaybitch


    There are some brilliant teachers in the Institute. I went to a non-fee paying school, but I did a 4 day crash course at Christmas last year, and my French and Biology grinds were great. Corinne Gavenda was the name of the French woman, and something Burke was the name of the Biology man.

    Seriously, that Biology grind was really good. He really explained things in a way that meant you could understand them easily, and in a funny, memorable way. Definitely one of the best teachers I've come across! I'd recommend him highly.


  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    at the time for me the money would have been spent better somewhere else as i didnt do well beacause i wasnt too bothered,thats all i was saying.you have to really want to do well in your leaving cert,you can spend all the money in the world on grinds in fancy schools and on a private education but thats worth zero if you dont want to apply yourself.
    yes there are some good teachers in the institute but there are also some pretty bad ones too,just like any other school


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,362 ✭✭✭K4t


    - The problem with your average non fee paying school is that you will probably have more than one or two teachers who are as good if not better than the teachers in the fee paying schools in their respective subjects.
    - However, in the fee paying schools, you can be sure that all the teachers will be to a certain standard i.e. an extremely high one, while in your average non fee paying school, you are bound to have a few poor teachers.
    - You also won't have all the pricks who haven't matured since first year and continually disrupt classes in the Institute, which is a plus I must admit.

    I still don't think fee paying schools are worth the money and are about prestige in a lot of cases :rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 26 catchthepigeon


    '' at 5 grand a year they wont be refusing people''

    eh its actually €6950 a year. GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 744 ✭✭✭leesmom


    bit late sweetie someone got there waaaay before you,i went 3 years ago and it was 5 grand a year then.anyways how about read all the posts before you go repeating what someone has already said..............................


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    K4t wrote: »
    - The problem with your average non fee paying school is that you will probably have more than one or two teachers who are as good if not better than the teachers in the fee paying schools in their respective subjects.
    - However, in the fee paying schools, you can be sure that all the teachers will be to a certain standard i.e. an extremely high one, while in your average non fee paying school, you are bound to have a few poor teachers.
    - You also won't have all the pricks who haven't matured since first year and continually disrupt classes in the Institute, which is a plus I must admit.

    In all seriousness you just distinguish between any school at all and grind schools, fee paying schools that arent grind schools can have abysmal teachers that cant be got rid of, because the school doesnt pay them, the government does. One thing the institute really has going for them is the lesser affiliation with the department of education, so they can fire teachers at will if they dont preform to the standard expected of them.

    To reiterate what i said, i go to a fee paying school, and theres a high standard expected, there are quite a few horrific ones, alas i shant go into specifics as one of the maths teachers in my schools floats around here every so often.

    You are right on the last bit though, some people never change.


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