choosing linguistic electives

beeelo85

What would be the best two electives to choose in Irish and French to improve your fluency?
I got A2's in both for the leaving and want to do something related to them but I don't want to waste my time studying poetry and all that sort of stuff.
Thanks

lctake2

The level 4/5 french from the applied language centre would be your best bet for keeping up the language. I don't know for sure about the french but I did the german one and it was a little easier than lc level but good just to stop me forgetting everything I did in the lc.

Canard

You could do French Language 1a/1b, they're the degree language modules. For Irish it's Teanga na Gaeilge.

sunshine and showers

I'd recommend level 4 or 5 in the Applied Language Centre for French. If you don't want to use up an elective on Irish, Bord na Gaeilge in UCD run excellent free classes one evening a week a few times a year.

beeelo85

thanks for the feedback.

I was also wondering about GPA's and how important they are. are they important in 1st year? Should I be choosing easy A electives instead of french and Irish or is it necessary? which one's would be considered easy/ have a small workload?
thanks

sunshine and showers

beeelo85 wrote: »

thanks for the feedback.

I was also wondering about GPA's and how important they are. are they important in 1st year? Should I be choosing easy A electives instead of french and Irish or is it necessary? which one's would be considered easy/ have a small workload?
thanks

For the majority of courses, your first year results have no bearing on the degree you will receive at the end. Generally, for a three year degree, your second and third year results make up your degree GPA. For a four year degree, it's years three and four.

Bear in mind, though, that if you wish to do a year abroad, your eligibility will be based on your first year results.

To be honest, I don't really buy into the whole "easy elective" thing. I think you're better off doing something in your degree, or else something that truly interests you. You'll get better marks that way.

Canard

sunshine and showers wrote: »

For the majority of courses, your first year results have no bearing on the degree you will receive at the end. Generally, for a three year degree, your second and third year results make up your degree GPA. For a four year degree, it's years three and four.

Bear in mind, though, that if you wish to do a year abroad, your eligibility will be based on your first year results.

To be honest, I don't really buy into the whole "easy elective" thing. I think you're better off doing something in your degree, or else something that truly interests you. You'll get better marks that way.

I think it's largely based on your second year, semester one GPA is it not? And first year is just a tie-breaker? Maybe I'm wrong.

I agree with the easy elective bit though OP. French Language 1a/1b are intensive but very manageable if you got an A2. They're very well-taught and your French will improve so quickly. The applied languages centre is meant to be easy enough anyway though, so whichever suits you best I suppose.

I didn't do any Irish, but French 1a involves aural/reading comprehension and the grammar exam (30%) is on direct/indirect object pronouns (they're more complicated than you find out at LC level... :pac:). French 1b was great, it was 30% grammar (relative pronouns), 30% oral (also quite enjoyable, conversation classes are done with young natives) and 40% for writing a short story in French using the subjunctive/relative pronouns/negation/various past tenses. If you like French, you'd probably really enjoy doing the modules and therefore do well.

Hopefully you have a bit of insight into it now.

sunshine and showers

Canard wrote: »

I think it's largely based on your second year, semester one GPA is it not? And first year is just a tie-breaker? Maybe I'm wrong.

It could depend on your degree, but for Law it's definitely based on your first year results.

beeelo85

Thanks a million for all the feedback that basically answers all my questions, i'm doing actuarial and financial studies which is four years so hopefully 1st year won't matter. Thanks again!