Leaving Cert for mature students

gbro800

I'm wanting to do the Leaving Cert 2010/11 as a mature student, 30yrs old. I left school after my Junior cert and spent 15yrs as a construction worker and very very soon to be unemployed.
I want to do the leaving as an external student and study at home and get some private grinds. Is this too ambitious? Some friends told me its pretty easy and I'll do it in a year no problem.I could do 6 Higher level subjects if I work hard at it. I know I am motivated and when I'm jobless in a few weeks I can study full time. Also, I got good results in my junior cert (some at ordinary level).
The only negative thoughts I have is that its been 15yrs sinces I've studied anything and the leaving is only 10 months away. Should I just do O level subjects? should I do it over 2yrs? If I thought it wasn't that difficult I would like to do it in a year, do H level subjects and get good points for college next year. Any advice would be appreciated
I know as a mature student there are other options but I prefer the trad route of the leaving, getting points and college/uni. I would need to be 6months unemployed to get into leaving cert adult courses and I can't afford private college. Thats why I'll be studing from home.

sex panther

hey i repeated my lc last year as an external student, it was hard work but i think you could defo do it, i got all the text books and downloaded all the curriculums from the dept of education website, I also got all the past papers. I did 5 honours and 1 pass which was maths cos im just crap at maths,
(i was in the grinds class with other lc students twas funny cos i was the same age as the teacher)
the subjects were all fine except for honours irish it was serious double dutch but i got a C3 so at least i passed!

You need to register with a school to do the actual exam in so i did it in my local school and i gave the school money and they sent me on the pre papers, (i went into a room at home and did them and himself timed me) it was then i decided on doing honours or pass, but aim for honours and you can always drop to pass if needs be. Also if u can afford it some private schools do a weeks revision at xmas and easter, they are fantastic cos all the teachers are really motivated to help you, but it is very pricey!

Best of luck anyways oh and even if u apply as a mature student they will look very favorably on u going back to repeat the leaving

gbro800

I think I'll go with the 6 higher level subjects. see how far I can go with them. Thanks for the tips

Go2Guy

Hey how did this go for you? Well I hope. Just thinking of doing something similar myself. If you've any advice etc fire it on.
Anthony

gbro800

I sat the exams last year and managed 390pts which was good considering I had only one year to do it after 14yr gap of education. I started 6 H level subjects but dropped down to O for Maths and Irish as those subjects are huge with 2 papers, too much content to learn in one year. All the material was new to me and I was up at 6.30am, 7 days a week, from Feb onwards, because I didn't want to spread it over 2yrs. The hardest part in the Leaving is learning stuff that is boring/useless such as quotes from a Shakespear play and themes from Irish poems and all that mad stuff. Certain things did interest me, like learning Spanish, I liked Maths and Accounting also. If you want to do it in one year and do H level subjects, you better embrace yourself for plenty of study. If you have 2yrs its better, and O level subjects might be enough, depends on what college course you want. You may even get accepted into a college course as a mature student without the Leaving, especially if its a course thats not in demand such as computer courses, students don't want to take those courses despite the excellent job prospects. If you do decide to do the Leaving, get some private grinds, especially at the start, and get info from the teachers about what books to buy and what plays/novels you should study as that changes every year. Best of luck, its a lot of work (if doing H level subjects) but worth it in the end