Starting a New Course

Sal Paradiso

I'm a JF in TCD this year but I'm severely unhappy with my course and have almost certainly decided to start again next year with a different one seeing as I have plenty of points to do other courses!, would people recommend this or is there any problems people could foresee with the plan?

thebossanova

Sal Paradiso wrote: »

I'm a JF in TCD this year but I'm severely unhappy with my course and have almost certainly decided to start again next year with a different one seeing as I have plenty of points to do other courses!, would people recommend this or is there any problems people could foresee with the plan?

You may be liable for full fees next year depending on your situation. Did you reregister after christmas? Other than that, go for it! Don't get stuck doing a degree you don't like!

Sal Paradiso

Yeah i re-registered (because of parental pressure mainly) and i'm aware of the fees situation, which is kinda sickening, how much exactly would it be

thebossanova

Then you'll be liable for full fees probably which vary depending on you nationality etc... but i take it your Irish.

http://www.tcd.ie/Treasurers_Office/fees/fees_coursefees.php

Sal Paradiso

So i'd have to pay the tuition fees and the student charge? i.e 5 grand plus

Sir Ophiuchus

Unfortunately, yes.

But it's doable - I did it, and for two years, not one.

Sal Paradiso

Wow, wouldnt say the rents were best pleased with that situation!

just-joe

Do it!! Just change. I thought I should have at the end of first year, then I said "nah i'll give it another shot next year if I work harder I'll know whats going on...". Didn't happen at all, and at that stage I wan't sure what I wanted to change to and so ended up just keeping it goin. Change now while you only have a year down, and only a year of fees to be paid.

However, note that:
You should try and be really sure that you'll like what you change to. (you dont want to change and not like the new one either). If I was you, for the rest of the year, I'd try to spend as much time ditching lectures of your own course and going to ones of the things you might consider. And apeak to as many people as you can.

Think about why you want to change. If you don't really know what ya want to change to, and you can manage in the course youre in at the mo, then there might not be much point? Especially if you're just going to think about getting a job straight after college. ie Employers care less about subject, and more about grade. But obviously if you dont think you could make it through 3 more years of whatever youre doing then don't stick with it!

I hope this helps.

electrogrimey

If you can't afford the fees, you could do a course in UCD or somewhere that does 3 year courses, that way you can still get your 4 free years covered.

Although, UCD. Ew.

thebossanova

electrogrimey wrote: »

If you can't afford the fees, you could do a course in UCD or somewhere that does 3 year courses, that way you can still get your 4 free years covered.

Although, UCD. Ew.

Don't think it works like that. If this was the case why couldn't the OP have the HEA pay for 1st year again from the 3 remaining years of free fee's available to him/her? I'm open to correction of course.

electrogrimey

thebossanova wrote: »

Don't think it works like that. If this was the case why couldn't the OP have the HEA pay for 1st year again from the 3 remaining years of free fee's available to him/her? I'm open to correction of course.

They could, but they'd have to pay for 4th year themselves. AFAIK you get 4 free years of college, with which you can do what you want. I'm also very open to correction.

dabh

Have you checked out the possibility of transferring into some other course without losing a year? If you are in TSM, is there a possibility of transferring to one of your two subjects? Though it is possible that neither seems attractive at present.

Such transfers do happen. Have you talked with your tutor (who will presumably need to put through the paperwork if you do seek to transfer)?

devinejay

Any chance your thinking of doing English? Seeing as you're a Kerouac fan:D

Aoibheann

electrogrimey wrote: »

They could, but they'd have to pay for 4th year themselves. AFAIK you get 4 free years of college, with which you can do what you want. I'm also very open to correction.

Not how it works. Sure med students would have to pay their last 1/2 years if they only got 4 free years first of all!

I'm terrible at explaining this, but basically you get one shot at each year of education you complete, if that makes sense. By that I mean, if you fail and need to repeat the year, you'd be liable for the tuition fees for that repeat year. Any subsequent years would be back to the free fees situation. Again, if you do a year of a course and drop out, if you were to start a new course, you'd be liable for the full tuition fees in the first year but not the subsequent years. Taking myself as an example in that case, I dropped out of a course after first year, and am now in the first year of TP. I'm paying full tuition fees for this year, but won't have to next year.

I hope that makes at least some sense.

Edit: OP, is there anything else you'd prefer to study? I took a year out between dropping out and starting the new course to give me a chance to think about it. It was definitely worth it, it's something worth thinking about if you're unsure of what you want to do.

devinejay

So you only get one free first year, one free second year, one free third etc.

Aoibheann

devinejay wrote: »

So you only get one free first year, one free second year, one free third etc.

AFAIK that's pretty much it!

phlegms

That seems like a deceptively simple system for the Irish govt. There must be something nonsensical and convoluted about it we are missing..

claire h

Sal Paradiso wrote: »

I'm a JF in TCD this year but I'm severely unhappy with my course and have almost certainly decided to start again next year with a different one seeing as I have plenty of points to do other courses!, would people recommend this or is there any problems people could foresee with the plan?

Go for it! Do look into the other courses though, have a chat with anyone you know who's doing them, get a sense of what topics they cover, what theoretical approaches are used, how work is assessed (e.g. essays/presentations/lab reports etc).

shamoono

I am currently repeating Leaving Cert to get Medicine. In the really bad circumstances of me not getting Medicine(again) and going straight to another course such HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES will I be able to at some stage transfer to Medicine or change my course to medicine.

Is there any hope?

El Futurismo

I'm in the same situation. Don't know how I'm going to afford paying again