Deferring?

Dwellingdweller

Hey guys! Hope yis are all getting on well with the LC! I was wondering if anybody would have any advice on deferring for a year, whether it's worth it, stuff like that.

There's a few reasons why I'd like to defer. I need dental work, and I'd feel self-conscious going to college with my teeth the way they are, I know it might seem like a small thing but that's one reason. Another is that if I could spend a year focussing on going to the gym, that'd be great. And the final one is music, I want to spend a year practicing piano, violin and drums and composing a lot of stuff. Also, I might be going to America for 6 months but right now that's just pie in the sky.

Reasons why I'd think about not deferring: The grant, next year it could become harder to get, and the student contribution which I think will probably go up again (went up by 2 grand last year). I also applied for a scholarship this year (Naughton scholarship) which I think I'm in with a good chance of getting, if I had to refuse it because I was deferring it would be a total balls. Other reason is that if I go to college this year, I'll be 17 starting and have my degree by the time I'm 21, which'd be quite nice!

So what would you folks say about deferring? Yay or nay?

frozenfrozen

You're very young to be going to college I'd say deferring would be a good idea because then you'll have ID, you'll have a year extra of living at home and you seem to be quite set on working on your music stuff. That said, if you get accepted forget what I said and go straight for it. It's a great opportunity.

Togepi

Consider when you'll turn 18, most people are just gone 18 starting college, there's a few who'll turn 18 during first year though. If the thought being stuck inside while everyone's out getting into nightclubs bothers you, then deferring might be a good option!

PictureFrame

17 :eek: that's very young! I'm 19 in December and i'm one of the youngest in my year!

fizzyorange

I think deferring is a great idea if you have things to do. I'd love to defer, I'd spend it getting my grade 5, working and going to the gym.

Being just 17 I'd suggest you defer, unless of course you got the scholarship and couldn't defer it. Then I'd jut head straight in if I were you.

David1994

I will just turn 17 when starting college :P It could be hard for me as I look very young and no way would get into nightclubs and that!

Cruel Sun

PictureFrame wrote: »

17 :eek: that's very young! I'm 19 in December and i'm one of the youngest in my year!

There's 16 year olds in my year. Though 'tis a bit young in my opinion, and If I was that age I would enjoy a relaxing year doing sweet feck all.

snoreborewhore

David1994 wrote: »

I will just turn 17 when starting college :P It could be hard for me as I look very young and no way would get into nightclubs and that!

Hahaha your username is quite misleading I must say!

Honestly, if you know yourself that you'll use your year off wisely then go for it. Get yourself a job if you can and you'll be rollin' in it by the time you start college!

ChemHickey

OP, You could redo the Leaving cert with a whole new 7 subjects... challenge yourself... I know I would :cool:

David1994

snoreborewhore wrote: »

Hahaha your username is quite misleading I must say!

Honestly, if you know yourself that you'll use your year off wisely then go for it. Get yourself a job if you can and you'll be rollin' in it by the time you start college!

I know yeah haha :P I never know what possessed me to put it as that!

Incompetent

On the topic, anyone heading to Amsterdam and around Europe with me for a year? Haha. My dream

SureYWouldntYa

Im sort of similar to the OP, but deferring for different reasons

How does one defer? When (if) i get an offer in August what do ya do? Ya hardly accept it and doing nothing would lose the place? How do ya defer the place

Dwellingdweller

SureYWouldntYa wrote: »

Im sort of similar to the OP, but deferring for different reasons

How does one defer? When (if) i get an offer in August what do ya do? Ya hardly accept it and doing nothing would lose the place? How do ya defer the place

The process varies from college to college. I know for NUIG, the process is like this: If you get an offer from the college, don't accept it. Email the applications office in NUIG with your reasons for deferring, then wait for a response. If they accept your application for deferral, you reapply on the CAO system the next year and put the course you deferred as your #1 choice. If you put anything else down you lose your deferred place.

The biggest aspect of this that I'd be worried about is the 'reasons' part of it, or as I call it, the alibi. :P I think they expect you to have fairly serious reasons for deferring, i.e medical or familial obligations or something like that. Not sure if putting down 'I won't be able to get into clubs' will cut it :pac: But, hopefully I'll get a reply from them before the expiry of the offer and if they say no I'll just go in this year anyways.

jumpguy

Dwellingdweller wrote: »

The biggest aspect of this that I'd be worried about is the 'reasons' part of it, or as I call it, the alibi. :P I think they expect you to have fairly serious reasons for deferring, i.e medical or familial obligations or something like that. Not sure if putting down 'I won't be able to get into clubs' will cut it :pac: But, hopefully I'll get a reply from them before the expiry of the offer and if they say no I'll just go in this year anyways.

If there are not too many deferrals (and usually there aren't) then I'd say it'll be grand if the person says they just want to take a year out of academics and do something else, earn some money, etc.

I would only ever consider deferring if I had a good, solid plan for the year. Spending the year doing nothing will look bad on a CV and most likely be bad for your psyche. Remember that your friends will also probably be moving on and might be busy during the year, leaving you alone.

If you're serious about taking it out, I'd start developing a plan now. You sound like you're rather self-conscious about your appearance, but just hiding away for the year is a bad plan. Maybe get a job and save? Or if you already have a job, save over the summer and do some travelling?

Enquire with the Naughton scholarship people as to what happens if you defer. The student contribution will almost certainly be up to 2500€ for the 2013/2014 academic year, and keep going up by 250€ for the next 2 years until it reaches 3000€. You might be eligible to get free student contribution under the grant though.

Dwellingdweller

jumpguy wrote: »

If there are not too many deferrals (and usually there aren't) then I'd say it'll be grand if the person says they just want to take a year out of academics and do something else, earn some money, etc.

I would only ever consider deferring if I had a good, solid plan for the year. Spending the year doing nothing will look bad on a CV and most likely be bad for your psyche. Remember that your friends will also probably be moving on and might be busy during the year, leaving you alone.

If you're serious about taking it out, I'd start developing a plan now. You sound like you're rather self-conscious about your appearance, but just hiding away for the year is a bad plan. Maybe get a job and save? Or if you already have a job, save over the summer and do some travelling?

Enquire with the Naughton scholarship people as to what happens if you defer. The student contribution will almost certainly be up to 2500€ for the 2013/2014 academic year, and keep going up by 250€ for the next 2 years until it reaches 3000€. You might be eligible to get free student contribution under the grant though.

Yeah I am quite self conscious about it, but I don't really mind it, I'm just excited to get the dental work done and I've been going to the gym regularly for the last year, only stopping for Christmas and the LC so things are pretty good on the physique front. I didn't consider the CV aspect of things though. I mean, I could definitely have a productive year out just practicing music, going to the gym, and writing. I would definitely be rigorous about it too, I wouldn't be spending all day doing nothing or anything like that. But yeah, the CV aspect of things is definitely something I need to consider.

I should make a plan, not right now because I'm just focusing on my final few exams but having a structure to a year out is definitely important. I don't really have a lot of money, and there's not really many jobs going around here, and making some money sounds like a great idea. I'll email the Naughton folks and ask them about deferrals tonight. Getting the student contribution paid for under the grant would be an absolute godsend tbh! But, if I needed to, I'm sure I could borrow the money from my family. A job sounds like what I should go for actually, I'm sure even working a job I'd still have time to do the things I want to do regarding personal development.

Your post has given me lots of things to think about, thank you

Chuchoter

I would normally say don't but for you deferring sounds like a good idea. The only thing would be have a plan, and not just an airy fairy plan like actual dates and things you are going to do. I know several people who deferred for one reason or another, to build confidence, recover from LC etc and just ended up wasting the year at home and feeling even more ****.

Dwellingdweller

Chuchoter wrote: »

I would normally say don't but for you deferring sounds like a good idea. The only thing would be have a plan, and not just an airy fairy plan like actual dates and things you are going to do. I know several people who deferred for one reason or another, to build confidence, recover from LC etc and just ended up wasting the year at home and feeling even more ****.

Haha, that would be horrible! :P But, one of the attractions of having a year out is that it gives me some time to achieve the things I want to achieve within a good chunk of time where I don't have to worry about other obligations. Like, going to the gym; I'd set myself goals for specific dates for that. As for improving my music skills I would set specific targets for each month like, write a certain number of songs this month, be able to play this piece by this time, etc. And for writing too, like set myself a word target to achieve every week. Do you think that sounds plausible?

I just hope I'm not saying these things to get you guys onside. :P When I say these things, I really want to do them. I'd be afraid myself that I'd spend the year out fecking around doing nothing. That's something I'm keenly aware of myself and I really want to make sure that doesn't happen. But the only way to ensure that is to set dates for specific things and line up stuff to do! Agh.

I'm definitely overthinking this. :pac: If I took a year out, I'd use it to get fitter and go to the gym, make music, and cultivate my writing skills. Does that sound like a good way to spend it? I know a lot of people who defer go abroad and things like that but money is a mitigating factor...

Thanks for putting up with these big walls of text btw... You guys have all been really helpful.