I need help deciding to do fourth year or not.

BetterThanThou

Well, I missed a lot of first and second year, probably in excess of 100 days combined.
However, I've matured now and I'm thinking that transition year may be a good option to catch up on some subjects.
Plus I could probably do with the extra year to mature a little bit more.
What do you generally do in transition year?
All I know of so far is work experience, a trip abroad depending on funds, some team building excerises, things such as outdoor education and driving lessons.
But I can't see all of that taking any more than about 6 weeks combined.
Is it true that you really just sit there bored for half the year and you don't really do enough of English, Maths and Irish to catch up on them?
Also, I should probably add on, I don't like school all that much, but if it gives me even a bit of a grade boost in my leaving cert the extra year is worth it considering I'll be working for 40-50 years bar some career ending injury.

RedXIV

You're far better off asking someone who was in the previous transition year and now entering 5th year to get an idea of whether its worth it or not. I had a huge secondary school and as such, our TY was full of different options you could complete and I had a great time with it.

On a similar note, a friend of mine went to a much smaller school and he was bored stupid for half the year. It really depends on what the school offers.

whiteandlight

As a student who matured and developed during TY and now as a teacher you will get out of TY exactly what you put in.

TY is invaluable as a year to develop independent learning and not just in school. A simple example would be get organised early with your work experience, I applied in August and got placement in a high profile radio station and theatre in Dublin. It was brilliant. Apply and get involved in everything on offer both in the school and in the country.

With relation to missed time this year could make a huge difference to your LC particularly with that level of absence however it is up to you to make that commitment. There will inevitably be students whose attitude is 'I don't need to work, it's TY'. You will need to apply yourself. My advice, particularly as a maths teacher where missed time at JC does untold damage would be to get your JC book and start it over again. Set yourself targets e.g. 20 minutes of Maths per night for the year and stick too it! Advice your teachers and your parents of your goals and go for it. Personally I'd love to have someone applying themselves in TY and it definitely will improve your grades.

Ultimately you have to decide what your personality is and would this sort of routine work for you.

fusuf

I'd recommend it to anyone really. In my school it was great

Cydp3

I'm in fourth year now and I hate it.

The teachers made it sound like it was great, but we've done absolutely nothing. I can feel myself getting worse at all of my subjects because the teachers don't actually teach us anything. In most classes we watch a film or documentary which is very loosely associated with the subject we're meant to be learning. I'm really bored now, even though I got involved in everything I could have.

The one good thing about fourth year is work experience. You learn a lot from it.

But if you want to do fourth year to "catch up" on subjects, DO NOT do it. You'll only get worse. Just go into fifth year and study hard.

I would not recommend fourth year to anyone.

IloveConverse

It depends on the school largely, and the student's attitude in my opinion. You'll get out of it what you put into it.

For me, the year so far has been Amazing. :cool: But I recognise that our TY programme is pprobably one of the best in the country, so we're very lucky.

Ask previous TY's about their opinions of your programme, ask a few people to get a well rounded view; as some will say it's 'the best year of your life', whilst others will warn you to stay away.

Good luck!

frozenfrozen

I don't regret it one bit. Was great fun in my school.

Doublechinlolz

It all depends on what type of school you're in. For me it's been a blast so far I don't regret it, it's such a nice rest after the last three years but I can see myself getting bored after Easter.

FlyingIrishMan

Do you know what you want to do after school?
If you do, then skip TY. In our school we've spent loads of times getting talks from colleges, and what paths we should take as a career based on our interests.
This was great for me because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life but if you know then don't bother doing TY.

rorrissey

TY is what you make of it! If you don't get involved you'll have a crap year. Push yourself to get involved in everything, try new things and you'll make new friends. I'm in TY now and I'm so upset it's almost coming to an end. Best year of school ever. I used to hate getting up in the mornings but now I look forward to school everyday.

I'd talk to people in TY in your school though, because apparently in some schools TY is boring and you don't get many opportunities!

An0n

It really depends on the school.

Personally, I wouldn't have done it if I could go back in time. We did absolutely nothing, and our coordinator was on pregnancy leave for the year..

Class wise, we made no progress. Although some teachers tried; the class didn't allow it.

I'd skip if I were you. Although, the extra year can work wonders for your leaving certificate if you put the effort in!

cathalio11

If you're worried about losing your smarts in TY, that would be stupid.

I'm in TY and have pushed ahead in many subjects and thanks to TY, I've had the time to research Business subjects and now I am doing 2/3 for the Leaving!

robman60

rorrissey wrote: »

TY is what you make of it! If you don't get involved you'll have a crap year. Push yourself to get involved in everything, try new things and you'll make new friends. I'm in TY now and I'm so upset it's almost coming to an end. Best year of school ever. I used to hate getting up in the mornings but now I look forward to school everyday.

I'd talk to people in TY in your school though, because apparently in some schools TY is boring and you don't get many opportunities!

Excellently put.

Whether or not to do TY depends on a number of things, there is no right answer as it's different for everyone.

You really should ask some current TYs what it's like in your school, as I know some schools have really poor programmes for TY, making the year boring.

I'm so glad I did it. I started the year thinking it wasn't for me, but after a few weeks I found myself doing things I wouldn't have at the start of the year. You really need to just give everything a go. A positive attitude to activities is crucial, and participate in anything you have even a passing interest in.

Some people have complained since October that it's "so boring" yet these are the same people who never put their names forward for anything.

So, if you're going to approach things positively, and don't dismiss things too quickly, it's definitely worth doing.

QuantumP

BetterThanThou You remind me of myself !

I had diabolical attendance for 2nd, 3rd & 5th year, so much so got kicked out of 5th and into TY just before Christmas :eek:

Yes, it does get boring at times (As does normal school), and no you don't do a massive amount of 'catch up work' (Light workload, mainly project-y stuff). Although it does give you a lot of time to grow as a person. As you have a lot of free time you can use it to catch up on lost time, or even better use it to get a foot up on what will be your 5th year work, but that’s entirely up to you to do. The teachers will help you as much as they can but you must be the instigator!

For me, I sorted my attendance out, had a few months to seriously think about and plan my future, what direction I wanted to go in, what subjects I needed, what courses I'd be willing to do etc. I began 5th year with a set target and goal for my leaving cert and most importantly a new approach/attitude towards my education.

Needless to say I achieved that goal, cleared my course by 70 points and I'm off to study in the Alps for my final year which starts in October, all of which would have been impossible had I not done TY.

On top of that my fondest memories from school are of TY, had some really great times. Everyone’s experience is different, for me it’s a no-brainer; I'd recommend it to everyone!

Best of luck with your decision - Paul

Brian_Zeluz

TY is 100% what you make of it. If you need time to sort out what you want to do, try a few new things and have some fun then go for it. If the lack of an academic challenge and a fair amount of doing shag all is off putting then don't do it. I didn't have a choice in my school and had to do TY but I don't resent this and while I agree that you could probably fit the whole program into a few weeks I still think its worth it.