All over the place with my course: 1st arts...

1992

Hey guys,

I'm a first Arts student studying French, Spanish, Soc and Pol and Legal Studies. Lectures finish for the semester at the end of next week and I really don't know what to do. Here are my problems....

(-1-)
You see, I really regret choosing French as one of my four subjects. I started missing classes in it halfway through the first semester. I went to some but I ended up missing the three exams of that semester. Because the module was graded by continuous assessment (basically the three exams), I ended up failing the first module of French. During the second semester I ended up going in to French for maybe the first two weeks, but after that I ended up never going again. I tried my best but because I despised it so much I literally could not motivate myself to go in. I regret this now but it's a bit late for that. So more than likely that's the second module of French failed. I actually enjoyed the third module, the culture one, and I am relatively confident I will pass it. So overall that's 5 out of 15 credits for French so that's French failed. I know there are repeats coming up but even if I studied for 2 months I still think I'll fail the repeats.

So because of the failure of one of my subjects does this mean a fail for first arts as a whole?

(-2-)
I'm pretty sure I will pass my other three subjects- Spanish, Soc. and Pol. and Legal Studies. I would like to keep Spanish and Legal Studies on for next year but I'm not sure if that's possible now. To advance to Legal Studies in second year you must be in the top one hundred of the class. I'm quite confident that I will be. The only problem though is that apparently you must pass all four of your subjects in first arts to be considered for Legal Studies in Second Arts.

So to conclude I'm basically lost and don't know what to do. I'm stressed out to the max. I just don't know what options I have (that's if I even have any!). If any of you at all can even offer me the smallest bit of advice it would be extremely appreciated.

Thanks so much people

Ficheall

That's one problem.

Solution: Do some study and pass the repeats - it shouldn't be impossible.

I'm not sure how it works re continuous assessment etc, but you should be able to still pass the modules.

LAVADUDE

Well the obvious solution is to actually study and pass your exams & the repeats.
Otherwise you have 2 other option, repeat & pick subjects you like or drop out altogether.
There is no magic solution to this situation other than hard work. Although attending one of those overcoming procrastination workshops might help get you motivated

TheCosmicFrog

Get yourself a blank refill pad, a pen and your French notes, then study the ass out of them. You don't need to know them all, just enough to pass each module (40% - shouldn't be hard).

I'm not trying to be mean, but this is simply it - make it or break it.

Croppy Bhoy

Arts is a pretty ridiculous course. You can do great in the two subjects you want to continue with, but not be allowed to do so because you failed 2 diddy subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with your degree.

I have no idea why you can't just start off with 2 subjects.

WesternNight

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

Arts is a pretty ridiculous course. You can do great in the two subjects you want to continue with, but not be allowed to do so because you failed 2 diddy subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with your degree.

I have no idea why you can't just start off with 2 subjects.

Arts courses exist. Accept it and move on with your life.

OP, if you fail any of your official exams (end of semester ones) then you won't be eligible for Legal Studies, doesn't matter if you pass the repeats, for Legal Studies you must pass the first sitting. I'm not entirely sure how it works if you fail a module because of continuous assessment, but I think it's the same as Psychology where you must pass all four subjects outright to be eligible.

filmbuffboy

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

Arts is a pretty ridiculous course. You can do great in the two subjects you want to continue with, but not be allowed to do so because you failed 2 diddy subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with your degree.

I have no idea why you can't just start off with 2 subjects.

agree with you completely.

i knew by as early as the first week in october last semester that i hated philosophy & history. theyre just subjects that im suffering through until nxt year.

if you know what you wanna keep on you should be able to drop the other two and focus on the ones youre keeping. esp if your grades for the ones your keeping are good.

its such a crappy set up!

LAVADUDE

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

Arts is a pretty ridiculous course. You can do great in the two subjects you want to continue with, but not be allowed to do so because you failed 2 diddy subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with your degree.

I have no idea why you can't just start off with 2 subjects.

You're not allowed to proceded to the next year in regular commerce if you at any point fail any of the 31 modules you do over the course of your degree

Ficheall

Why do people think they should just be allowed to just pick whatever subject they like and study it? In the real world you're not going to be allowed pick and choose what parts of your job you do, and what parts you ignore...

1992

WesternNight wrote: »

Arts courses exist. Accept it and move on with your life.

OP, if you fail any of your official exams (end of semester ones) then you won't be eligible for Legal Studies, doesn't matter if you pass the repeats, for Legal Studies you must pass the first sitting. I'm not entirely sure how it works if you fail a module because of continuous assessment, but I think it's the same as Psychology where you must pass all four subjects outright to be eligible.

Oh well that's me screwed then.... I guess I'll have to start considering repeating first arts....

Croppy Bhoy

WesternNight wrote: »

OP, if you fail any of your official exams (end of semester ones) then you won't be eligible for Legal Studies, doesn't matter if you pass the repeats.

Is this true of all Arts subjects? Does that not mean that if you failed 3-4 SII exams, you cannot go into second year, regardless of if you pass the repeats?

WesternNight

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

Is this true of all Arts subjects? Does that not mean that if you failed 3-4 SII exams, you cannot go into second year, regardless of if you pass the repeats?

No. It's not true of all subjects. Legal Studies and Psychology have limited places and so have restrictions for eligibility.

Croppy Bhoy

WesternNight wrote: »

No. It's not true of all subjects. Legal Studies and Psychology have limited places and so have restrictions for eligibility.

Oh I see, that's fair enough. Does anyone know if it applies to other subjects on the Arts course or is it only those 2?

WesternNight

Have a look for yourself - there's different notes for different subjects. http://www.nuigalway.ie/courses/undergraduate-courses/arts.html

hokeypokey

1992 wrote: »

Oh well that's me screwed then.... I guess I'll have to start considering repeating first arts....

Give your best now and it the very least it will make things a lot easier for you for next year.

HotDogger

Ficheall wrote: »

Why do people think they should just be allowed to just pick whatever subject they like and study it? In the real world you're not going to be allowed pick and choose what parts of your job you do, and what parts you ignore...

Totally disagree with this. When you're forced to take a bunch of scheiße you hate, it just makes you cynical. The "highly diversified" first year and unnecessarily retarded year to year requirements, regulations, standards, etc. don't exist elsewhere and people do just as well or better.

Some solutions:

• get rid of free fees and slash tuition fees
• link grants with academic performance
• abolish repeats and introduce the highly motivational risk of failure

In short, raise standards. The kiddos in our country can't count or spell because their teachers are graduating from fun places like NUIG.

Solutions for OP:

I tried my best but because I despised it so much I literally could not motivate myself to go in.

• none.

mr_november

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

Arts is a pretty ridiculous course. You can do great in the two subjects you want to continue with, but not be allowed to do so because you failed 2 diddy subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with your degree.

I have no idea why you can't just start off with 2 subjects.

And what about the people that don't know what two subjects they want to keep on for their degree? Surely out of the list of subjects they offer you can find two that you might have a bit of an interest in? 1st arts gives you an opportunity to take some subjects that you haven't had the opportunity of studying in secondary school. Students know that if they don't enjoy these subjects as much as they thought they would, they can drop them after 1st year! How many people would try out new languages and subjects if they knew that they would be stuck with them for 3 years whether they like them or not?!:rolleyes:

:cool::cool:

UrbanSea

Ficheall wrote: »

Why do people think they should just be allowed to just pick whatever subject they like and study it? In the real world you're not going to be allowed pick and choose what parts of your job you do, and what parts you ignore...

Eh,because that's the way the degree is set out.

That isn't just true for Arts,plenty of degrees around like that,just the way it is.

brianthebard

Ficheall wrote: »

Why do people think they should just be allowed to just pick whatever subject they like and study it? In the real world you're not going to be allowed pick and choose what parts of your job you do, and what parts you ignore...

dunno what jobs you've had but depending on what company and what the business is you could definitely pick and choose what you do, and if not immediately then in the near future. Work is not a fixed commodity any more than your arts education is.

HotDogger

Do you not think that, in the time you spend studying for an undergraduate degree, it would be more beneficial to concentrate more in one area?

Under the current system, it's constant "intro to this" and "intro to that." You just end up knowing little tidbits about too many things. If degrees had more focus, you could have at least a masters level understanding of a subject in four years.

Croppy Bhoy

mr_november wrote: »

And what about the people that don't know what two subjects they want to keep on for their degree?

Well then maybe you should stave off attending third-level education until you are more sure of what you want to spend a great deal of money on.

I have absolutely no interest in half of my course right now, they are 2 subjects which I will never use again and serve no purpose other than to distract me from the 2 subjects I am interested in.

It reminds me of all the hours I wasted in school being taught compulsory French, being told I was talking bollocks when I claimed it was a waste of time. Years on and I can't speak a sentence of it (despite passing:pac:).

elefant

I don't really have much use for philosophy anymore in a career sense, and I never planned on keeping it on after first year (same with French, except it is useful) but I'm very glad I spent one year studying it.

Maybe it depends what you want out of college, but part of the reason I'm in university is to be educated. I don't think I'm in college just to get a job. While it might not have added a whole lot to my employability I think a year learning philosophy and French has certainly added to my education as a whole and I certainly don't see those 30 credits as a waste of time or things that serve no purpose.

Maybe I'm living in dreamland but I don't think education is ever wasted or useless.

mr_november

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

Well then maybe you should stave off attending third-level education until you are more sure of what you want to spend a great deal of money on.

I have absolutely no interest in half of my course right now, they are 2 subjects which I will never use again and serve no purpose other than to distract me from the 2 subjects I am interested in.

Maybe if you had staved off attending third-level education until you were more sure of what you want to spend a great deal of money on yourself, you would have known not to choose them other two subjects if they serve no purpose?:rolleyes:

Don't get me wrong, I knew exactly the four subjects I was going to study and which two I would keep on after first year before I even did the Leaving Cert but I know that not everyone did!

Croppy Bhoy

mr_november wrote: »

Maybe if you had staved off attending third-level education until you were more sure of what you want to spend a great deal of money on yourself, you would have known not to choose them other two subjects if they serve no purpose?:rolleyes:

I knew I had no interest in them when I chose them, but I had to pick 4. Which is exactly what we're discussing.

Maybe your retort sounded wittier in your head?

theintern

If you didn't have 4 courses that you wanted to do in first year, then pick some other course. 4 subjects in first year is a requisite for arts, you picked arts. If you didn't want to do them, you shouldn't have entered the course and done something else, or no college course at all.

You picked the subjects, now you have to take responsibility for your decision, it's nobody else's fault.

Croppy Bhoy

Nearly every course you pick is going to slap you with some mad module that you have no interest in, to be fair. My friend is doing some sort of science course and has to do French =/

MissMoppet

I know people in Commerce who were made to do a Dance seminar.. :rolleyes:

mr_november

Croppy Bhoy wrote: »

I knew I had no interest in them when I chose them, but I had to pick 4. Which is exactly what we're discussing.

Maybe your retort sounded wittier in your head?

No because they was clearly no wit intended...