Please help! Distracted mother.

Jess11

My son did LC last June. Though he did honours course for all subjects in school, he got cold feet during exams and took all pass papers except Irish and English. Got a B in Irish and D in English ( he expected a B ). He got A's and B's in all other (pass) subjects. Was only eligible for Level 7 courses as he didn't get 2 honours. Only got 330 points as he took mostly pass papers.
He got a course in DIT (8th choice) that he has no interest in. I suspected he was doing badly, but he didn't want to talk about it. I spoke to someone in the college and discovered that he hasn't attended even half of the lectures and has handed in any of the 6 assignments that are well overdue. College says no hope of getting through this year. He asked recently to repeat LC but I disagreed as I thought he'd be ok once he got through 1st year in college. Not now the case. No places left in repeat LC schools. Don't think he could hack the Institute. He is very immature and only sees what he wants to see. Doesn't know what he wants to do. Wants an easy job with lots of money! Killed telling him it doesn't exist.
He could repeat English and has some options for level 8 courses with 330 points, if he gets the honour. Don't want him lying in bed even for one day.Impossible to get a job for this year and maybe repeat LC next year. Needs lots of time to mature! Anyone any ideas. I'm distraught. Don't know what advice to give him. Finishing college. Has he forfeited his free 1st year in college now? Will we have to pay full fees for 1st year if he gets into college again? Really appreciate any advice.

Fad

He has forfeited half the fees for this year(As have I), if he stays beyond the 28th (Not entirely sure about that date, it is around then) he looses all the fees for 1st year.

If he wants to repeat, let him.

pathway33

It's not too late for him to repeat as an external student (i.e without any school tuition) although if he is not motivated he may end up doing worse than last year. Different english course than last year.

Application forms for external students are on www.examinations.ie . I think the closing date is sometime in January.

dan_d

It might be an idea to just let him fail - tough love. I've a cousin who did nothing for the LC, got abysmal points and then repeated. And my God did she work the 2nd time around! And I know plenty of guys from college who failed one year of exams and never did it again.
Failure might make him realise that the real world bites and that he won't get anything out of anything unless he puts an effort in. Plus all his friends will have gone on a year ahead of him - which usually hurts the most. It would be a tough lesson but hopefully a valuable one. I say this because you are saying there are no places left in grind schools, and he's already forfeited half the fees anyway. Plus ( not to be rude) but he doesn't sound like the most motivated, so maybe an external repeat wouldn' t be a good idea.

theowen

I'm sure there's places in the Insitute; there was a few people joining this week and the last.

unknown13

The english course changes each year so repeating english would be hard if he was an external candidate

tootyflutty

To let him fail the year/christmas exams may teach him a lesson, but that is not all there is to think about. Financially you would want to be quite stable to have to continue to support him for the rest of the year as well as to pay repeat fees next year.
I suggest a serious sit down, whether he likes it or not, you are the one paying for his education and by the sounds of it his social life too. In my opinion I would either try and get him to repeat this year, though it may be a bit late to start learning a new English course, considering how unmotivated you say he is.
Another possibility is to appy to repeat next year and withdraw him now, there are quite a few of hotel/shop jobs going that would be perfect to keep him busy during the day, and probably summer holidays too and allow him to mature a little bit without harming your bank account further, seeing as you will have lost at least half the registration fee as it is.
He could always apply to do a FETAC or PLC course starting next september, these courses cost about 300-500 euro for the year, and offer some great skills and access to most College courses. There are so many types of courses out there, I am sure there would be one somewhere to suit him and keep him from losing out on any further education.

Johnny Giles

What about a FÁS course?

jesus!tony

Well if he wants to repeat english the things we are doing are:
King Lear
Dancing at lughnasa
Lies of silence
Poetry in 'this is poetry 2010'
and English key notes.
I think that is all

Sleipnir

If you get a place in college and it's you're 8th choice, you've no interest in it. I'm a firm believer in "do what you want to do, not what you're good at" when it comes to college.
e.g. I know a kid who is great academically; can read a book and know what's in it which got him through his exams with flying colours. He got the points for medicine so, that's what his parents made him do, even though he has no interest in doing it and isn't made up that way academically anyway. I think he's a guaranteed med school drop out as a result.

OP, there's no point in him continuing this course is there? How many adults could do something they have no interest for three years and excel at it too?

Personally, I think he need a time to mature and repeating his leaving cert next year could give him the focus he needs.

Ask him to think about the options he had open to him after under-performing in his LC.
Before his LC, he had a large amount of options.
Didn't do too well and his options shrunk to the point where he had to choose something he didn't want to choose.
Entered college doing a course he doesn't like and his options shrunk even further.

If he says;
"Right, I hate this course so I'm done with it. I'm going to drop out now and focus on my leaving cert for next year. I know what it's like now to only get a course that I have no interest in so I'm going to get a course that I want"

The only way he can do that is with a good leaving cert.

I don't know if you're in Dublin but if you are, I would recommend St. Laurence's They focus on the points you need to do what you want to do.

Sleipnir

Oh, and a job stacking shelves or dealing with the public is a great maturer.

b12mearse

Jess11 wrote: »

My son did LC last June. Though he did honours course for all subjects in school, he got cold feet during exams and took all pass papers except Irish and English. Got a B in Irish and D in English ( he expected a B ). He got A's and B's in all other (pass) subjects. Was only eligible for Level 7 courses as he didn't get 2 honours. Only got 330 points as he took mostly pass papers.
He got a course in DIT (8th choice) that he has no interest in. I suspected he was doing badly, but he didn't want to talk about it. I spoke to someone in the college and discovered that he hasn't attended even half of the lectures and has handed in any of the 6 assignments that are well overdue. College says no hope of getting through this year. He asked recently to repeat LC but I disagreed as I thought he'd be ok once he got through 1st year in college. Not now the case. No places left in repeat LC schools. Don't think he could hack the Institute. He is very immature and only sees what he wants to see. Doesn't know what he wants to do. Wants an easy job with lots of money! Killed telling him it doesn't exist.
He could repeat English and has some options for level 8 courses with 330 points, if he gets the honour. Don't want him lying in bed even for one day.Impossible to get a job for this year and maybe repeat LC next year. Needs lots of time to mature! Anyone any ideas. I'm distraught. Don't know what advice to give him. Finishing college. Has he forfeited his free 1st year in college now? Will we have to pay full fees for 1st year if he gets into college again? Really appreciate any advice.

send him to australia or canada to work until he decides weather he wants to return to college or LC. it'll give him time to mature and figure out what he wants to do.

Johnny Giles

Get him a job as a binman. He'll cop on then and might decide what he wants to do.