Need serious advice!

Faith

Okay, I need advice from someone who actually knows what they're doing.

I'm in 5th year, and I'm generally considered intelligent, but I have a serious mental block when it comes to Irish. I ca'nt speak the language, don't understand the grammer, and I couldn't string together a decent sentence if my life depended on it. I just don't understand the basics. I want to go to pass Irish next year, but my parents can't understand this and are trying to forbid me to do it. To make up for the points, I want to take up Classical Studies. I loved history, and got an A in the Junior Cert, but I had to drop it. I'm doing english, irish, maths, french, physics, chemistry and biology. How advisible is it to do Classical studies in one year? Is it a difficult subject, and is it hard to get an A?

Basically, should I A) drop down to pass Irish, b) Drop down to pass irish and take up CS or C) Stay in honours Irish and stuggle desperately for the next 14 or so months?

Please don't say do Applied Maths because I tried it and hated it.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Dont be at yourself

You're already doing 7 subjects and, as only your best 6 results count towards your points, you don't need to take up CS.

I was in a similar position myself. I dropped down to pass irish in 6th year and prettymuch ignored it, with my six other subjects going towards my points total.

As for your parents, a few bad results in summer and christmas exams will change their mind

claire h

It's you, not your parents, that's going to have to sit the Leaving Cert next year.

Are you doing honours in all your other subjects? Because seeing as only six are going to be counted at the end of the day anyway, it isn't an entirely crazy idea to just take six honours subjects without having a safety net - it means you can focus on those six and not have to worry about any of the others. I'd vote for dropping down to pass Irish and not taking up an extra subject - it'll mean you'll have enough time to devote to the six subjects you'll be counting for points, and even though you *could* do Classical Studies in a year, it'd be putting unneccessary pressure on yourself.

Faith

Yup, the rest are all honours, and they're fine. It just feels like taking a risk, only realyy having 6 subjects.

It's a mentality that I have to change, because if I stay in Ireland, I need no more than 450 points for my chosen courses, and my main preference in Scotland, anyway, where I won't even need irish.

Bottle_of_Smoke

honours irish is one of subjects that takes up too much time for what its worth, maybe if you're fluent, or went to an irish primary you'd be ok but you're not. dont do it, personally i think one should only do six higher subjects anything more is a distraction

what college you want to go to in ireland? apart from ncad and nui colleges you dont need irish at all

Faith

Ehh... UCC would be one, because I live in Cork. But the thought of going there makes me feel really enclosed or something. I've lived in Cork for 17 years, and it's really time to leave! Trinity might be another, but the points are way higher. That's as far as I've thought about it, because like I said, Scotland is my main choice (well, actually America is, but they don't offer scholarships to international students :rolleyes: ). So Cork or Dublin.

PrecariousNuts

I was in the same situation last year, I'm pretty bad at german and just plain crap at Irish. I dropped down to pass and took up Applied maths on my own outside school. So now I have physics, chemo, bio maths applied maths and english to get me my points.

Get rid of the honors Irish I say. Its too much trouble and work especially if you rather the sciences like me. I just do my own work in pass Irish now, its dead easy. I got 80% in the mock orals and if you think you're bad at Irish I'm even worse. Real orals were pretty easy too.

Nedrac

I am doing classics this year and i reckon with the little work that i've done i'll still manage to get a 'B' at least on the day. Basically i read 7 books over the two years all read once. now all i do to study them is read through my notes which i'll be happy to hand over to someone once i finish up the LC. There all typed by my teacher and there pretty good. I also have sample questions and past paper.

PrecariousNuts

Wait, classical studies is just reading books?

Nedrac

Just readingi have around 120 pages of notes on all my topics have read all the books once and now just read through all my notes once every two weeks i reckon i'll get a 'B' easy.

Nala

Go to pass Irish.You need a D3 in Irish for any NUI course and if you're struggling you'd be as well off doing pass.

seamus

I also dropped to pass Irish in November of 6th year, Best decision I ever made in school. Immediately, I no longer had the stress with having to struggle with the subject, and it freed up a lot of study time. Got an A2 in pass in the end...

Your parents can't forbid you from doing pass Irish. Your parents can't make the school make you take honours. At the end of the day, you're the one who has to sign confirmation of your subject choices, and you can change it then.
Explain the situation to your parents, don't ask can you do it, tell them you are doing it. They did Irish in school too, so they'll probably empathise and understand.

strawberry

Originally posted by Faith
Okay, I need advice from someone who actually knows what they're doing.

I'm in 5th year, and I'm generally considered intelligent, but I have a serious mental block when it comes to Irish. I ca'nt speak the language, don't understand the grammer, and I couldn't string together a decent sentence if my life depended on it. I just don't understand the basics. I want to go to pass Irish next year, but my parents can't understand this and are trying to forbid me to do it. To make up for the points, I want to take up Classical Studies. I loved history, and got an A in the Junior Cert, but I had to drop it. I'm doing english, irish, maths, french, physics, chemistry and biology. How advisible is it to do Classical studies in one year? Is it a difficult subject, and is it hard to get an A?

Basically, should I A) drop down to pass Irish, b) Drop down to pass irish and take up CS or C) Stay in honours Irish and stuggle desperately for the next 14 or so months?

Please don't say do Applied Maths because I tried it and hated it.

Thanks for any help you can give.

You sound like me, ie all the same subjects, didn't like Irish. I did grinds in Irish for two years and endd up doing quite well in it, but it was still my weakest subject; I'd say just go with the six you have, you'll be able to do better in them if you give theem more time instead of learning a new subject in a year. I've heard classics is a very hard subject to get A's in.

Agent Smith

Originally posted by neev
Go to pass Irish.You need a D3 in Irish for any NUI course and if you're struggling you'd be as well off doing pass.

thank god, i'm only aiming for a d3 myself!

Squall

I did pass Irish aswell as pass maths, I took up Social and Scientific in 6th year to make up for it. I think this might be a good choice as an extra subject for you as your'e already doing science subjects and some of what you do in Biology and Chemistry will overlap with the S+S course. I managed a B3 with very little work and I didnt do any science subjects already either.

The only thing is that the course has changed since I did it and it may be alot harder than it used to be. Its worth checking out if your sure you need to do an extra subject.

Scarinae

Don't just take up Classical Studies because you think you'll be able to get good grades in it, its because of that attitude that it has such a high failure rate. If you want to pick up another subject I've heard Economics is the shortest curse, but if you're reasonably confident in your six subjects that aren't Irish you shouldn't need to do this. Good luck

Dave

Honours Irish isn't worth the hassle. If you drop down now, you'll never have to open an Irish book again. It frees up alot of time for other subjects.