Should I pull out of repeating the LC with 2 months to go?

Seaic

Okay lads I repeated the Leaving Cert this year after 530 points because I didnt get the points for my course. However, then I did some research and found that that course was very difficult. Now I'm really set on another course which is 485 points and I would defo get it. I also have the entry requirements for it. Also, I got my mock results back and got only 500 points.
Therefore, I feel that it is a futile exercise going ahead with the Leaving Cert this year. I will probably get the same points or even less, or if I am lucky maybe even slightly more. Still, it would make no difference as regards the courses I want. I really want to pull out of the LC now and spare myself the stress and strains that go with the Leaving Cert. I have thought about this a good bit and I just don't have the motivation.
Do you guys agree?

Canard

Unless you only need to go up to 535/540, which would probably be doable, I think I'd drop it if I were you. It's just not worth the stress and waiting, and if you did worse but still got that course you now want, people might think you didn't get what you wanted. Nothing wrong with that, but you might as well avoid it if you can. No point studying for hours and hours until June when you have the points anyway like. You could even use the time to get looking at the college material.

Seaic

Thanks for the advice. Does anyone else have opinions to share?

Miaireland

I would stick with it to be honest. I know that it seems unending but really the time will fly. Don't waste the time and work that you have put in. Best of luck with it.

Seaic

Miaireland wrote: »

I would stick with it to be honest. I know that it seems unending but really the time will fly. Don't waste the time and work that you have put in. Best of luck with it.

But whats the point in killing myself when I will only be able to get the same courses as I would have been able to get with last year's points? I mean repeating has been the most stressful year of my life and it is bound to get worse.

Just Like Heaven

That's true, but it'll all be over in 3 months. There's a good chance you could do better than you did last year and based on the amount of advice you've been looking for it seems that you could change your mind about your course again in six months, so having more points might not be entirely futile.

paudgenator

Can you get in to the course you now want by using last year's points?

Seaic

paudgenator wrote: »

Can you get in to the course you now want by using last year's points?

Yeah easily

Seaic

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

That's true, but it'll all be over in 3 months. There's a good chance you could do better than you did last year and based on the amount of advice you've been looking for it seems that you could change your mind about your course again in six months, so having more points might not be entirely futile.

Yes those three months would be the most stressful of my life if the year so far is anything to go by. And to add insult to injury, I only got 500 points in the mocks so I doubt I will go up. If I do go up it will be by very little 9by 5-10 points) and will not do much to increase my chances of getting courses.

Prodigious

bit of a no brainer , drop it and chill

ChemHickey

For a matter of interest, what course are you thinking of? Sometimes, depending on the person, a certain course may seem difficult.

TheMilkyPirate

TBH it sounds to me like you've already made your mind up.

Slow Show

I'd really recommend getting on with it and just doing it tbh. I know the next few months will be fairly crap but surely knowing that the rest of your life doesn't hinge on it, it'll cut down on the stress a bit. And look, totally negate your mocks results, seriously, they're scarcely an indicator of what you'll get in June, like seriously leave that out of the equation.

And you sound like you've been changing your mind a good bit, are you absolutely positive you won't change it again? Anyway here's the biggest part I feel, as you've said it's been a very stressful year, and you've probably worked really hard. Do you really want to make all that count for nothing now, when you're so close to the finish line? That bit would kill me, like you're so close, why not just go ahead and give it a go? That's my opinion anyway, best of luck regardless.

Just Like Heaven

Seaic wrote: »

Yes those three months would be the most stressful of my life if the year so far is anything to go by.

Then drop it I guess. It seems you're more looking for justification to leave school than actual advice on whether or not to stay in for the next three months. Which is fine, nobody here actually knows your situation, we'd all probably give different advice if we really understood how stressful the next three months might be, but nobody here really does. Either way it's advice from strangers on the internet who can't fully appreciate your situation, so take it with a pinch of salt.

aimzLc2

Why not just wait it out keep studying and try to get the 530 i mean your not going to lose anything? if you don't get it then do the other course you are talking about.The points could go down or you could be corrected differently and with 2 months you could improve , i would just try it.Yes it is 2 months of stress now but this is years we are talking about in college and getting a job-2 months would be worth it just to take that extra chance.

RingTheAlarm!

I actually can't believe some of the replies on this. You have worked so hard for the last few years I think you'd be mad to give up now.

Would you stop in a marathon just because you're not going to bear your personal best?

I think you should stick with it. Points can easily jump dramatically especially given the the shake-up nowadays. Also, it's good to stay in the study mode especially when entering university which is a whole different kettle of fish.

OP, I know someone who got 460 in their mocks and got 550 at the end and someone else who got "only 475" and got 600.

Mocks are done like that to test you and play mind games!

Pawwed Rig

Seaic wrote: »

Okay lads I repeated the Leaving Cert this year after 530 points because I didnt get the points for my course. However, then I did some research and found that that course was very difficult.

If you can get 530 points in your leaving you are capable of doing a difficult college course. Assess what you really want. If the course for 485 is what you really want then you have already met the grade however if you actually want the more 'difficult' one then you should try your best to get that. 'Difficult' is such a subjective term btw. All college courses are difficult to some extent. It is how you apply yourself that makes the difference.

Seaic

Well I'm just looking for year opinions on this. My only problem is that would I be allowed to pull out at this stage?

Pawwed Rig

Seaic wrote: »

My only problem is that would I be allowed to pull out at this stage?

Allowed? Allowed by who?

aimzLc2

Seaic wrote: »

Well I'm just looking for year opinions on this. My only problem is that would I be allowed to pull out at this stage?

If you have already paid for exams i don't think you can get a refund, if you filled in the form /registering i don't know how that works but i'm fairly sure you would just ring them and cancel it.

user.name

Personally I would drop it. Unless its a course like science or computer science were the points could go up dramatically. If you are happy enough to settle on that course, then I wouldn't bother, trust me if I could find a way out of doing the leaving in june I would! It just adds too much stress I think

Togepi

Stick with it, there's no point dropping out now after all the work you've done. It's only two months! You can't be guaranteed the points for your first points won't go up, so it's better to be safe than sorry. And I repeated and got 405 in the mocks, then got 530 in the real thing. The mocks aren't really a good estimation of how you'll do at all.

I really think you should give it your best for the next couple of months and see how you get on, you'll hardly regret it, but you might if you drop out.

Prodigious

Lads be realistic here. He's sitting on 530. Unless he needs more its completely and utterly redundant to repeat. If you get less you'll be f*cking kicking yourself. Drop it.

Jade.

I don't see the point in doing the exams all over again if you have the points already. 530 is a high amount of points to achieve in the first place so there is a chance of you getting lower points.

Also considering the course you now want (taking last years points of 485) you have a gap of 45 points even if the corse does go up.

Personally if it was me I wouldn't do it again but it's your decision at the end of the day.

Just Like Heaven

Prodigious wrote: »

Lads be realistic here. He's sitting on 530. Unless he needs more its completely and utterly redundant to repeat. If you get less you'll be f*cking kicking yourself. Drop it.

If I was a 530 repeat I'd put my head down and nab that €2,000 scholarship :pac: + I'd only be sat at home with Mr. Jeremy Kyle numbing my brain anyway.

But like OP says, the 3 months are gonna be living hell and he doesn't think he'll do better.

It's understandable why you would take both options, but not dropping out of school on the last stretch just because you scored 530 the year before isn't an unrealistic idea.

belcampprisoner

study harder and you will get more points,you only have 2 months to go

hfallada

Im repeating too and I was in your situation I would kill myself for the next 2/3 months. Do you really want to look back at this year and say I have achieved nothing at all? You said you read the course you repeated to get. That other people did enjoy. Why won't work hard for the next 2/3 months get the place and if you don't like it switch course. It wont cost you anything and you anything and your certain you don't like the course and won't send the next 40 years asking yourself why didnt I do that course

pathway33

Your course could easily go up by 50 points. Last year Maths & Physics in UL went up by 145 points.

lahalane

Well since the pressure is off, you may as well keep going and do it. It'll look better on your CV to have spent the year repeating the LC than having done nothing. I didnt do my college repeats one year and just gave up. Didnt think itd bother be at the time but it annoys me a bit even today.

Seaic

hfallada wrote: »

Im repeating too and I was in your situation I would kill myself for the next 2/3 months. Do you really want to look back at this year and say I have achieved nothing at all? You said you read the course you repeated to get. That other people did enjoy. Why won't work hard for the next 2/3 months get the place and if you don't like it switch course. It wont cost you anything and you anything and your certain you don't like the course and won't send the next 40 years asking yourself why didnt I do that course

You don't really seem to understand. I never want to do that course anymore, not in a million years. When read into it, I found that everyone hates it, it is very difficult and has an enormous drop out rate.

pathway33 wrote: »

Your course could easily go up by 50 points. Last year Maths & Physics in UL went up by 145 points.

Yes but that's for three reasons:
-The extra 25 points for Maths
-The enormous surge in demand for science courses
-It is a relatively new course and people were a bit wary of it for the first two years

Courses I am going for are set to drop this year, according to reports from the CAO.

smcgiff

Seaic wrote: »

You don't really seem to understand. I never want to do that course anymore, not in a million years. When read into it, I found that everyone hates it, it is very difficult and has an enormous drop out rate.



Yes but that's for two reasons:
-The extra 25 points for Maths
-The enormous surge in demand for science courses

Courses I am going for are set to drop this year, according to reports from the CAO.

Why the secrecy, what is the course?

Prodigious

If I could drop now and be handed 530 points I'd happily do it.

Raminahobbin

I was in exactly the same boat as you. Different points, but exactly the same situation. I stuck with it and did the leaving again, but all my motivation had dissipated and I only got slightly more than in round one. If I had the time again, I would have dropped out and either worked or studied for my new college course to give me a leg up.

If, however, you're planning on dropping out and 'chilling' for the next few months, then stay on the course. Your parents will be frustrated that you're wasting time, and the hassle of doing the leaving again will look much preferable to the hassle of having arguments with your parents constantly!

Prodigious

You could get a job from now till september and earn a fair bit for college.

Seaic

Raminahobbin wrote: »

I was in exactly the same boat as you. Different points, but exactly the same situation. I stuck with it and did the leaving again, but all my motivation had dissipated and I only got slightly more than in round one. If I had the time again, I would have dropped out and either worked or studied for my new college course to give me a leg up.

If, however, you're planning on dropping out and 'chilling' for the next few months, then stay on the course. Your parents will be frustrated that you're wasting time, and the hassle of doing the leaving again will look much preferable to the hassle of having arguments with your parents constantly!

Yeah that's exactly how I feel. And I wouldn't do nothing, I would get a job in the meantime

Poll up there as well so get voting

Dave0301

Seaic wrote: »

Yeah that's exactly how I feel. And I wouldn't do nothing, I would get a job in the meantime

Poll up there as well so get voting

To be honest, it seems like you are on here looking for people to vindicate your decision not to resit.

If you are certain you won't need more points, then don't resit and try to get a job.

If I were in your shoes, and this close to the exams, I would resit just to try and keep my options open. You can never have too many options!

aimzLc2

Dave0301 wrote: »

To be honest, it seems like you are on here looking for people to vindicate your decision not to resit.

If you are certain you won't need more points, then don't resit and try to get a job.

If I were in your shoes, and this close to the exams, I would resit just to try and keep my options open. You can never have too many options!

I fully agree, from the start of this thread you seem like it wasn't even a question , so i don't really know why you asked us? it must be to vindicate your decision. The poll even shows more people on here believe you should not drop out but you still want to - i think your decision is made up you want to drop out!

joetoad

Quit, save yourself the stress. Its only the leaving cert. 530 points is a fantastic score and if you only need 480 or so then just don't bother with it. Once you leave school and your first day in college you will realise that the leaving cert does not matter and is really a waste of time!

seavill

As someone mentioned think about your CV in a couple of years time, that missing year could get questions and you may have a hard time explaining your way out of it in an interview. It may not seem important now but believe me it could be 3 years down the line.

In terms of getting a job instead, great idea, provided you can get one. Not sure have you family that can help you out here but in reality if not there are hundreds of thousands out of work with a lot more experience etc than you and that won't be running out the door in 5 months time when it suits them, like will be in your case.

I would make sure I have a job first before presuming that you will get one. If you can get one then you have a decision to make up to that point I would stick with it for the sake of a few months

joetoad

seavill wrote: »

As someone mentioned think about your CV in a couple of years time, that missing year could get questions and you may have a hard time explaining your way out of it in an interview. It may not seem important now but believe me it could be 3 years down the line.

In terms of getting a job instead, great idea, provided you can get one. Not sure have you family that can help you out here but in reality if not there are hundreds of thousands out of work with a lot more experience etc than you and that won't be running out the door in 5 months time when it suits them, like will be in your case.

I would make sure I have a job first before presuming that you will get one. If you can get one then you have a decision to make up to that point I would stick with it for the sake of a few months

Not a hope in hell an employer would care if you took a year out before college, its only the leaving cert, once your over 400 points in it your good, all an employer for graduates will care about is if you get a first class or second class honors degree from college and the only subject they care about for the leaving is honors maths.

Just Like Heaven

You don't have to put on your CV you dropped out of repeating or did half a course or anything.

seavill

joetoad wrote: »

Not a hope in hell an employer would care if you took a year out before college, its only the leaving cert, once your over 400 points in it your good, all an employer for graduates will care about is if you get a first class or second class honors degree from college and the only subject they care about for the leaving is honors maths.

Completely disagree with this sorry. In my first summer out of college I had 6 interviews. In 5 of the 6 I was quizzed about my school life along with college life. I took a year out before college and was quizzed on this in particular. Coming out of college you have no experience to talk about so they are interested in your life so far. Particularly a missing year, so to speak.

You don't have to put that on your CV but you do put the years you were in school and the years you were in college. Again straight out of college there isnt much to look at so these things do stand out. Along with being quizzed myself about my gap year I have sat on 2 interview panels and have experience on this type of thinking

aimzLc2

joetoad wrote: »

Not a hope in hell an employer would care if you took a year out before college, its only the leaving cert, once your over 400 points in it your good, all an employer for graduates will care about is if you get a first class or second class honors degree from college and the only subject they care about for the leaving is honors maths.

You clearly haven't done an interview before , they will most definitely ask why you did nothing for a year.

joetoad

aimzLc2 wrote: »

You clearly haven't done an interview before , they will most definitely ask why you did nothing for a year.

Done plenty and am working, Its only a major issue after you graduate if you havn't got a job within a year or two and they'd expect you to have tried to up your skill set e.g extra certs on top of degree. All you you had to say is you travelled, or family reasons etc but I doubt they will even ask you!

spurious

Quitting a course of any sort (for reasons other than health) looks really bad on a CV.

Mind you, not doing a course because 'it would be too hard' while talking about wanting a course that needs at least 500 points to get into looks pretty bad too. Is it hard work is the issue?

joetoad

spurious wrote: »

Quitting a course of any sort (for reasons other than health) looks really bad on a CV.

Mind you, not doing a course because 'it would be too hard' while talking about wanting a course that needs at least 500 points to get into looks pretty bad too. Is it hard work is the issue?

The leaving cert isn't a course? I did electronic engineering for a year and everyone told me not too including my parents because the failure rate was very high and dropped out after first year. I then went back to do computer science and flew through it. I don't have electronic
engineering down on my C.V and never mentioned it.

People are acting like the leaving cert is important is funny

Seaic

Okay lads, contrary to what people think, I am going ahead with the Leaving Cert.

mixery

Good choice, methinks. By all the topics you've created you seem to be fairly fickle, so a few months of hard mental work should get your thoughts straight.

aimzLc2

Seaic wrote: »

Okay lads, contrary to what people think, I am going ahead with the Leaving Cert.

Just try your best its all you can do