Question on careers...

roast

Question.

Im in college right now, doing a course I hate. I got 305 points in my leaving cert. Would it be possible for me to change to a Medical college? How would I do this? Or would I need to re-sit the leaving cert to get points?

-Michael

Raspberry

You would most definatly need to resit the leaving cert. Maybe even the Junior Cert also. It's probably not worth your while.

PeakOutput

you can resit the leaving or drop out and wait till your 23 and apply as a mature student. there is also a postgraduate medical school in limerick now so if you have a degree(not sure if it has to be related) i think you can apply there and get a medical degree in a shorter time but im not 100% on that

also after hours is hardly the right place

EamonnKeane

Sorry to say it but if you could only get 305 in the Leaving you would definitely fail a medical course. People who get six, seven, eight A's are known to drop out.

roast

And what would be involved with the Mature Student thing?

Aye, after hours might not be the right place....
But for years I've always questioned the Irish Education system. Hmmm...If it aint broke, dont fix it, right? But Its not a good system relying on points I think. Theres a lot of pressure on students (Hell, I'm sure you all know) and now I'm stuck in a **** college doing a **** course, and realise I want to do something else. Oh well.
Rant over.

connundrum

There's a whole Education Forum, as well as a Work & Jobs Forum - you may get more detailed answers there.

Best thing you can do is ring up the college you're interested in and ask.

rick_fantastic

roast wrote: »

But for years I've always questioned the Irish Education system. Hmmm...If it aint broke, dont fix it, right? But Its not a good system relying on points I think. Theres a lot of pressure on students (Hell, I'm sure you all know)

It is probably one of the fairest education systems in the world. Do you question it because you didnt get the points you needed from it?

study hard = points you need = college you want

or

do F.A = not enough points = college you dont want

of course there is pressure on students. get used to it. if you think the pressure put on you to do well in your leaving cert is bad, wait until you get a job!

Doctor DooM

rick_fantastic wrote: »

It is probably one of the fairest education systems in the world. Do you question it because you didnt get the points you needed from it?

study hard = points you need = college you want

or

do F.A = not enough points = college you dont want

of course there is pressure on students. get used to it. if you think the pressure put on you to do well in your leaving cert is bad, wait until you get a job!

not THAT fair. Someone with Eidetic memory would fly the leaving cert.

PeakOutput

SDooM wrote: »

not THAT fair. Someone with Eidetic memory would fly the leaving cert.

its the best way to be fair to the majority

after a few years though the person who sat the leaving is a completely different person and the leaving cert is no longer an accurate measure of that persons ability which i suppose is why they have the mature student programme

connundrum

connundrum wrote: »

There's a whole Education Forum

Got my hopes up there

Miss Fluff

If you want to pursue a career in medicine you should really think about sitting the leaving again or alternatively doing 3 A Levels. If it's something you really want to do then you should go for it.

connundrum

Myth wrote: »

Got my hopes up there

Oh yeah, sorry I meant.. eh.. group of forums.. or fora

EamonnKeane

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Sorry to say it but if you could only get 305 in the Leaving you would definitely fail a medical course. People who get six, seven, eight A's are known to drop out.

Not true the points are high because so many people want to do it, not because the course is so hard.
People drop out because it is a vocation and alot of unsuitable types enter into it for the wrong reasons.
There is a difference between getting 305, chomping down as hard as you can on the spoon that is feeding you and never opening a book and getting 305.

aidan24326

roast wrote: »

Question.

Im in college right now, doing a course I hate. I got 305 points in my leaving cert. Would it be possible for me to change to a Medical college? How would I do this? Or would I need to re-sit the leaving cert to get points?

-Michael

You have a couple of options. Repeat the leaving and hope to get in the region of 570 points. If you feel this is a realistic possibility then why not go for it? But it's a massive jump from 305 to 570 and it would be a waste of your time unless you really have the capability and the motivation to do it.

Other possibility is do a science degree and go that route. You could then apply to get into first med (skip pre-med) and take it from there. No guarantee but if you do well in the science degree (1st or 2.1) you'd have a reasonable chance. Bear in mind you'd hardly even get into a science degree with 305.

The UL route is post-grad and only available to degree holders with a 1st class honours in their chosen area. Even then there's limited places and stiff competition.

For you to get from where you're at now to being a qualified doctor would be a long long slog and it would be up to you to decide whether it'd be worth it. I'd suggest not but that's just my opinion.

One other thing. The level of points for a course does not dictate the quality of the course as such, it only tells you that a course with high points has high demand. Whether it's any good/useful is another matter. Look at national school teaching. A decent job but hardly anything spectacular, yet the points have gone through the roof due to high demand. Relatively short hours, long holidays etc make it an attractive option to many.

Pick something you think you'd enjoy and go for it. But medicine? You'd be faced with years of slogging to wind up in a job that isn't all it's cracked up to be on ER. Long hours, high stress etc etc

WoollyRedHat

I think F.E.T.A.C offer an alternative. Not 100 % sure now, just know if you didn;t get enough points and wanted to do lets say nursing you could take a fetac course on it which could help you get into college that way. Not so sure how much it covers though, look it up on google.

Xavi6

rick_fantastic wrote: »

It is probably one of the fairest education systems in the world. Do you question it because you didnt get the points you needed from it?

study hard = points you need = college you want

or

do F.A = not enough points = college you dont want

of course there is pressure on students. get used to it. if you think the pressure put on you to do well in your leaving cert is bad, wait until you get a job!

I don't agree that it's fair. I was an A student in English the whole way through and wanted to study journalism yet I was penalised in the points system as my maths/science ability was not up to scratch and there wasn't a hope of getting 495 to do the course in DCU. Why should I be punished based on subjects that I'm never going to use for the course? I think a lot of courses should be points AND portfolio based i.e. you submit some of your work for consideration and it's taken into account.

I had to go and fork out nearly fifteen grand to do the course privately and now I have my journalism degree. I was clearly good enough to get one but the points system doesn't allow for that. The OP could be in a similar situation.

PeakOutput

Xavi6 wrote: »

Why should I be punished based on subjects that I'm never going to use for the course?

because there are people who can do aswell as you in english AND do well in the other subjects and they should get the course over you and thats pretty much how it works now. its not perfect but i cant see a fairer way

zuutroy

PeakOutput wrote: »

because there are people who can do aswell as you in english AND do well in the other subjects and they should get the course over you and thats pretty much how it works now. its not perfect but i cant see a fairer way

Thats some logic! "hmm we have two promising young golfers in front of us, but only one space in our academy. I suppose we'll take the guy thats good at bowling too"

shane86

PeakOutput wrote: »

because there are people who can do aswell as you in english AND do well in the other subjects and they should get the course over you and thats pretty much how it works now. its not perfect but i cant see a fairer way

A fairer way would be where you dont have to bother doing subjects on the leaving that you are useless at.

Same story with me. I got a B1 in Honours English and B2 in H History (I could have got A in both if I studied. Which I didnt). I broke my bollix trying my hardest at Maths and scraped by with a D3. I was never going to enter a profession where i needed it, so why did I have to learn it? I have never had to get the standard deviation of x or whathaveyou since then, so what is the fooklin point? The UK is much handier, you do your best 3 subjects. If Id taken Englsh, History and Geography, and bothered studying, Id have got the equivalent of the 600 points.

College was pretty sh1te anyway. Most of the lookers had dropped out by November, most of the sound lads only turned up once a week, so it wasnt reallly a laugh a minute.

funk-you

In the UK you are choosing when you are 15 or 16 what career you will do. I think this is way to young. The Irish system gives you a more rounded education and there are plenty more ways of getting the course you want in the long run than just the points system. It might take an extra year, possibly two but if you want it you'll get there.

-Funk

woodseb

Moonbaby wrote: »

Not true the points are high because so many people want to do it, not because the course is so hard.
People drop out because it is a vocation and alot of unsuitable types enter into it for the wrong reasons.
There is a difference between getting 305, chomping down as hard as you can on the spoon that is feeding you and never opening a book and getting 305.

if you got 305 points you either aren't clever enough to realistically pass 6 odd years of medical school or if you didn't open a book and got 305, you haven't got the discipline or the work ethic to make the grade - harsh but true.

If the OP can go back and ace the leaving it will prove ability to do med, the fact still stands that loads in medical school that have either worked very hard in their leaving or are naturally clever still drop out.

the points system works for courses like med, not that i agree with the system entirely

PeakOutput

zuutroy wrote: »

Thats some logic! "hmm we have two promising young golfers in front of us, but only one space in our academy. I suppose we'll take the guy thats good at bowling too"

completely different situation imo but if you can think of a fairer way im all ears the people who put the work in get the reward.

i didnt put in as much work as my mates so they should have more options than i do its as simple as that really. there is nothing in the leaving besides maths(maybe) that you cannot do very well in by simply putting in the work. hell you can make it really easy on yourself by picking easy option subjects like engineering / woodwork / geography.

the leaving cert is not rocket science its just that the majority dont put in any effort. the only major problem is at the extremes when people do amazingly well and still cant get into medicine or do amazingly **** and cant do anything but an apprenticeship or go straight to work for the majority, ie the people in the middle of those extremes it works just fine

PeakOutput

woodseb wrote: »

the points system works for courses like med, not that i agree with the system entirely

i wouldnt agree with that. id imagine alot of people who get top points(and lets face it alot of people know they are going to get close to top points) feel under pressure to put down medicine or law because if they have the points they may aswell whereas their interests lie elsewhere. this leads to places being filled by people who will drop out and these places ARE NOT then filled with the people 20/30 points below them who actually have the interest in being a doctor or a lawyer, this creates a false demand and in a supply and demand system artificially drives up the points.

Monkey61

Xavi6 wrote: »

I don't agree that it's fair. I was an A student in English the whole way through and wanted to study journalism yet I was penalised in the points system as my maths/science ability was not up to scratch and there wasn't a hope of getting 495 to do the course in DCU. Why should I be punished based on subjects that I'm never going to use for the course?

That's ridiculous though in fairness. Maths is only one subject. And why would you choose science subjects if you weren't going to get the points in them. Even if your not the brightest its easy to get 495 points through the 6 other subjects that aren't maths. Languages, humanities etc....all very useful for journalism.

There is absolutely no way I would feel safe in the hands of a doctor who could only manage to get 305 points in the leaving cert. Quite frankly thats monstrously low.

woodseb

PeakOutput wrote: »

i wouldnt agree with that. id imagine alot of people who get top points(and lets face it alot of people know they are going to get close to top points) feel under pressure to put down medicine or law because if they have the points they may aswell whereas their interests lie elsewhere. this leads to places being filled by people who will drop out and these places ARE NOT then filled with the people 20/30 points below them who actually have the interest in being a doctor or a lawyer, this creates a false demand and in a supply and demand system artificially drives up the points.

ignoring the fact that a) it's also unfair to second guess someone who arrives at college with 600 points and question if they want to be a doctor and
b) if you open up the course to more it will create even more demand, pushing up whatever entrance criteria is used.


Fact is the points system ensures that the best students get the chance to study to be a doctor. There's going to be a dropout rate in any course and therein they have time to decide if they didn't want to do it.

tallaght01

if the OP has gotten his 300 points by getting 3 A1s in sciences, then he could try and get onto a science degree.

If you get a first in a science degree you can apply for medicine, or you can do the graduate entry exam.

I don't know much about the graduate entry exam, as it came out after my time, but there's a huge thread on it in the biology/medicine forum.

If you use a science degree to get in, be prepared that it might not happen. All 4 people in my year (biomedical sceinces) who got a 1st applied to medicine, and I was the only one given a place. Make sure you're happy to work in science if medicine doesn't happen for you.

As a job,medicine ain't all it's cracked up to be though

PeakOutput

woodseb wrote: »

ignoring the fact that a) it's also unfair to second guess someone who arrives at college with 600 points and question if they want to be a doctor and
b) if you open up the course to more it will create even more demand, pushing up whatever entrance criteria is used.

A) im not second guessing anyone its experiences of friends that lead me to conclude that there is a significant enough % of people doing high point courses simply because they have the points to do it.

B)doubling the places will not double the demand or half the points it will simply allow double the people in thats all. therefore it would be worth it imo

Xavi6

Monkey61 wrote: »

That's ridiculous though in fairness. Maths is only one subject. And why would you choose science subjects if you weren't going to get the points in them. Even if your not the brightest its easy to get 495 points through the 6 other subjects that aren't maths. Languages, humanities etc....all very useful for journalism.

Firstly a science subject is compulsory for leaving cert so I would have to include that or Maths in my best 6.

Secondly I chose my subjects when I was 16. Who the hell knows what they want to do with the rest of their life when they're that age?

And as for it beong 'easy' to get 495? Cop on will ya. That's an average of over 80 points per subject if you're doing all honours. Yeah piece of piss :rolleyes:

I never said the points system was unfair, I said that people should be judged on their actual relative ability as well. What's wrong with that?

PeakOutput

Xavi6 wrote: »

And as for it beong 'easy' to get 495? Cop on will ya. That's an average of over 80 points per subject if you're doing all honours. Yeah piece of piss :rolleyes:

i dont know what age you are but im 22 and most if not all of my mates think it would be a piece of piss to get 500 in the leaving if they were doing it again now. admittedely its coz they are more mature and their work ethic has changed but still the leaving cert is not a hard exam

MrJoeSoap

PeakOutput wrote: »

because there are people who can do aswell as you in english AND do well in the other subjects and they should get the course over you and thats pretty much how it works now. its not perfect but i cant see a fairer way

And there are people who can do worse at English and still get the course ahead of someone with an A... your argument makes no sense.

woodseb

PeakOutput wrote: »

B)doubling the places will not double the demand or half the points it will simply allow double the people in thats all. therefore it would be worth it imo

going by your reasoning...if you reduce the points to say 450, won't those who expect to get those points similary put down medicene as their first choice ie increasing demand

also are you aware how much it costs to put someone through medical school?, you can't just double the places :rolleyes:

MrJoeSoap

PeakOutput wrote: »

i dont know what age you are but im 22 and most if not all of my mates think it would be a piece of piss to get 500 in the leaving if they were doing it again now. admittedely its coz they are more mature and their work ethic has changed but still the leaving cert is not a hard exam

It's easy to think that now, but what use is that to anyone? If I went back and did two years of full-time study I could easily get 500 points. Still, thats two years of my life gone.

If I was to sit the leaving cert again tomorrow morning I'd probably get 200 points.

LaVidaLoca

the Irish system is it doesn take into accoutn people who are only good at one thing.

You could be a maths genius and be totally crap at everything else, and thus fail to get into college to study maths.

Its very silly.

Xavi6

PeakOutput wrote: »

i dont know what age you are but im 22 and most if not all of my mates think it would be a piece of piss to get 500 in the leaving if they were doing it again now. admittedely its coz they are more mature and their work ethic has changed but still the leaving cert is not a hard exam

You just answered your own question really. Hindsight is a great thing.

I went 23 last week so did my leaving the same year as you probably.

PeakOutput

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

And there are people who can do worse at English and still get the course ahead of someone with an A... your argument makes no sense.

well actually my argument is that there is no other fairer way, im just giving reasons why the current system works fine for the MAJORITY which is all that matters imo

going by your reasoning...if you reduce the points to say 450, won't those who expect to get those points similary put down medicene as their first choice ie increasing demand

you dont get to choose what the points are, you get to choose how many places there are and how hard the leaving cert is thats all the points are a by product of demand. by making the course more accesible you take away the "prestige" of "doing medicine" therefore only people who actually want a career in medicine will do it. for the first few years demand will go up sure but when people get used to it it will settle down

also are you aware how much it costs to put someone through medical school?, you can't just double the places

thats irrelavant,first of all i was using it as a simple way of getting my point across secondly of course you can it all depends on how much you want to increase the places if you want it enough its worth the money if you dont its not

You just answered your own question really. Hindsight is a great thing.

i didnt ask a question i made a statement that the leaving cert is not that hard with the right attitude basically

MrJoeSoap

PeakOutput wrote: »

i didnt ask a question i made a statement that the leaving cert is not that hard with the right attitude basically

Yes, but it is easy to say that when you've finished it and don't have to do it again. The vast majority of people only do it once, and an even greater majority only spend the two full years preparing for it once. At that age it can be tough to get the right attitude.

The exams themselves might be quite conquerable in hindsight, but getting a sufficiently mature frame of mind at 17/18 years of age isn't always.

Xavi6

PeakOutput wrote: »

well actually my argument is that there is no other fairer way, im just giving reasons why the current system works fine for the MAJORITY which is all that matters imo

Ah so let's look after the higher end of the education scale and f*ck the rest?

There is a fairer way - for courses like journalism that are quite specific in the subjects required allow students to present a portfolio and be interviewed for the course as well as taking their points into account. Make them show an interest and be fully deserving of the place.

A lot of people dropped out of DCU the year I wanted to do it. They are wasting places that could have been given to someone like me who truly would have appreciated it.

The Sparrow

Xavi6 wrote: »

I don't agree that it's fair. I was an A student in English the whole way through and wanted to study journalism yet I was penalised in the points system as my maths/science ability was not up to scratch and there wasn't a hope of getting 495 to do the course in DCU. Why should I be punished based on subjects that I'm never going to use for the course? I think a lot of courses should be points AND portfolio based i.e. you submit some of your work for consideration and it's taken into account.

I had to go and fork out nearly fifteen grand to do the course privately and now I have my journalism degree. I was clearly good enough to get one but the points system doesn't allow for that. The OP could be in a similar situation.

You know you could have just repeated your Leaving Cert and dropped Maths and whatever else you disliked for more favorable subjects and saved yourself 15 grand!

As for the OP, only you know how hard you tried to get the 305 points. If it was really difficult to get those 305 then perhaps something like medicine is not for you. However if you really did feck all and got 305 and are willing to go back and resit the Leaving Cert and really apply yourself then you might have a decent chance. Even if you don't get Medicine you may get enough points to do something that you like better than what you are currently doing.

Xavi6

woooo232 wrote: »

You know you could have just repeated your Leaving Cert and dropped Maths and whatever else you disliked for more favorable subjects and saved yourself 15 grand!

So do the leaving again, cram 2 years of new subjects into a year and MAYBE go up a hundred points? Eh no thanks.

The point I'm making is that the system only really caters for the hierarchy of second level education, not those who are aren't academically strong in all areas.

rainbow kirby

I took 8 subjects in my Leaving Cert just so I wouldn't have to count 2 languages for points. Gogo A1 in Applied Maths.

The Sparrow

Xavi6 wrote: »

So do the leaving again, cram 2 years of new subjects into a year and MAYBE go up a hundred points? Eh no thanks.

The point I'm making is that the system only really caters for the hierarchy of second level education, not those who are aren't academically strong in all areas.

eh worked for me... went from 270 points (admittedly after doing little work) to 485 or something and coincidentally I got into the very journalism degree that you wanted to. I took up easy subjects like business which I got an A2 in by doing very little work. It was definitely worth going down that route instead of splashing out 15 grand!!!

woodseb

PeakOutput wrote: »

you dont get to choose what the points are, you get to choose how many places there are and how hard the leaving cert is thats all the points are a by product of demand. by making the course more accesible you take away the "prestige" of "doing medicine" therefore only people who actually want a career in medicine will do it. for the first few years demand will go up sure but when people get used to it it will settle down

i understand how the CAO system works, but if you increase places in the course making it more accessible, the minimum points required will fall. The prestige linked to medicene is less to do with the points rather than the place a doctor holds in society and the salary that comes with it, you can't change that. If you assume that some who get 600 are compelled to choose med, it is wholly unreasonable to assume that this won't happen to students with lower points coming from school who also have the opportunity to choose medicene.

think about it, coming out of your leaving with an expected 450-500pts and you don't know what to do. Do you choose Arts, Commerce or Medicene?

Xavi6

woooo232 wrote: »

eh worked for me... went from 270 points (admittedly after doing little work) to 485 or something and coincidentally I got into the very journalism degree that you wanted to. I took up easy subjects like business which I got an A2 in by doing very little work. It was definitely worth going down that route instead of splashing out 15 grand!!!

So to do a journalism course clearly you had the necessary skills and qualities yet were penalised for not getting the supposed necessary points. Therefore if you had been able to present yourself and your case you could have saved yourself that year of repeating.

The Sparrow

Xavi6 wrote: »

So to do a journalism course clearly you had the necessary skills and qualities yet were penalised for not getting the supposed necessary points. Therefore if you had been able to present yourself and your case you could have saved yourself that year of repeating.

Like everything else the Leaving Cert and the points system is just that: a system. You just have to be smart enough to know how to get around that system and how best to operate within it. Good training for journalism actually!:)

I imagine that it would be very time consuming for universities if they had to interview and look at portfolio's for everybody that applied to each course.

I know that some people like you have obvious grievances with the system but I think that it is probably the fairest way possible to determine how you get into college. I mean it would hardly be fair if it was largely to do with an interview and somebody who had a bad day or was nervous didn't get into a course even though they had better academic results.

Xavi6

woooo232 wrote: »

Like everything else the Leaving Cert and the points system is just that: a system. You just have to be smart enough to know how to get around that system and how best to operate within it. Good training for journalism actually!:)

I imagine that it would be very time consuming for universities if they had to interview and look at portfolio's for everybody that applied to each course.

We're not talking about some feckin part time job in a poxy local shop here. These are decisions and choices that shape the rest of someone's life so yeah the system should make sure everyone is given a fair go.

woooo232 wrote: »

I know that some people like you have obvious grievances with the system but I think that it is probably the fairest way possible to determine how you get into college.

It's not the fairest way. It's the way that involves the least hassle for universities. Do you think they give a sh*t who gets the course? Of course they don't.

woooo232 wrote: »

I mean it would hardly be fair if it was largely to do with an interview and somebody who had a bad day or was nervous didn't get into a course even though they had better academic results.

Yet it's fair that's it's all to do with one set of exams? How many people get nervous or are sick on the day of a big exam and don't do as well as they could have?

MrJoeSoap

A weighted combination of continuous assessment, portfolios, interviews and exams would be a more fair system than what we have at the moment.

PeakOutput

Xavi6 wrote: »

Do you think they give a sh*t who gets the course? Of course they don't.

its ok that we disagree on the system but the above is pure bull****. universities gain their reputations on their graduates not their intake. therefore the quality of their undergrads is very important to them. if u actually get passed the first layer of contact in a university(ie the admissions office) and go straight to heads of department / head of courses they are ridicolously helpfull and encouraging about getting people who want to be in their course into the actual course.

The Sparrow

Xavi6 wrote: »

We're not talking about some feckin part time job in a poxy local shop here. These are decisions and choices that shape the rest of someone's life so yeah the system should make sure everyone is given a fair go.

Ah don't be so dramatic. Its hardly the defining factor in most people's lives. It certainly wasn't in yours. You were able to go down the private route and pay to do your degree in journalism. I was able to repeat and do my degree in journalism. Hardly looks like the Leaving Cert was the defining part of either of our lives so far. Anybody can repeat their Leaving Cert. But if an interview doesn't go well you can't repeat it.

Xavi6 wrote: »

Yet it's fair that's it's all to do with one set of exams? How many people get nervous or are sick on the day of a big exam and don't do as well as they could have?

Exams are the fairest system. Everybody sits the same exam and everybody has the same chance to do well. In fact an interview like you suggested is less fair because it is largely dependant on the bias of the interviewer. Maybe he/ she is having a bad day when they see you but a great day when they see someone else? Maybe you are overlooked for a hot blonde that the interviewer would like to look at for the year? Whilst these variables are unlikely they do not exist in an exam situation when everyone has the same chance to do well

Therefore an exam based system is the fairest to everybody and if you do not do well enough you can do what we did. Pay or repeat.

Xavi6

PeakOutput wrote: »

its ok that we disagree on the system but the above is pure bull****. universities gain their reputations on their graduates not their intake. therefore the quality of their undergrads is very important to them. if u actually get passed the first layer of contact in a university(ie the admissions office) and go straight to heads of department / head of courses they are ridicolously helpfull and encouraging about getting people who want to be in their course into the actual course.

But so what really? Can they over turn the points system and give you a place if you approach them? No they can't.

If universities really wanted the best candidates for that particular course as opposed to the best candidates overall then we would have exams, portfolios, continuous assessments and interviews. We don't.

SheroN

If you can't get over 400 points in the leaving cert. I question how you can leave the house without damaging yourself.

Xavi6

woooo232 wrote: »

Exams are the fairest system. Everybody sits the same exam and everybody has the same chance to do well. In fact an interview like you suggested is less fair because it is largely dependant on the bias of the interviewer. Maybe he/ she is having a bad day when they see you but a great day when they see someone else? Maybe you are overlooked for a hot blonde that the interviewer would like to look at for the year? Whilst these variables are unlikely they do not exist in an exam situation when everyone has the same chance to do well

Therefore an exam based system is the fairest to everybody and if you do not do well enough you can do what we did. Pay or repeat.

I never said it should be purely interview based. Why can't more than one factor be taken into consideration? Exams don't suit everybody, interviews don't suit everybody so why not combine the two with for example portfoilios and get an overall evaluation of a student? I don't understand why you would be against that.