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Can I drop a subject at this stage?

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  • 20-01-2014 6:04pm
    #1
    Sparkyhav
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭


    I currently do seven subjects (six higher and one ordinary). I dropped to ordinary level French this year because I had discovered last year that I did not need it as an entry requirement into any of my course. I decided to drop in order to focus on my other six subjects. It was only today that someone mentioned I could drop French completely and focus mainly on my other subjects. I have really started to consider this as I believe it is a waste of my time. I am not going to be using it as a 'back up' and I feel like I am putting in effort for no reason. I would much rather spend my time studying the other subjects than wasting my time in that class.

    My questions are:
    -Can I drop a subject and only do six subjects?
    -And if so, can my school stop me from doing so?

    I know some of you may advise me not to consider dropping it as I may need it as a back up, but I will not.

    Thank you for any help in advance!


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    #2
    peekachoo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,971 ✭✭✭✭peekachoo


    Yep you can drop French and school shouldn't have much of a problem with it :)


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    #3
    d1234
    Registered Users Posts: 594 ✭✭✭d1234


    Yes - you can drop levels even on the morning of the LC, provided that there is enough exam papers.
    The process in our school is that you approach the guidance counsellor about it and they sort it out.
    They will of course ask you if you're sure about it and why,as well as talk to the teacher and principal before you move.
    Really depends on school though.


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    #4
    sawdoubters
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭sawdoubters


    why drop it at this late stage,you will regret it in years to come,and you might need a few extra points for university,you might need it if you do badly in another subject,


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    #5
    Sparkyhav
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭Sparkyhav


    Thanks for your reply everyone! :)
    sawdoubters wrote: »
    why drop it at this late stage,you will regret it in years to come,and you might need a few extra points for university,you might need it if you do badly in another subject,

    I'm sorry but if I can drop it I will certainly not regret it. I'm not using it as a 'back-up' subject because even if I end up doing it, I'm going to fluke my way through it. If I can possibly drop it, then I will no longer have to spend five periods in a week in that class.. I could use them periods to work on other subjects.
    Thank you for the concern and I appreciate the reply but I have thought through the consequences :)


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    #6
    Ompala
    Registered Users Posts: 896 ✭✭✭Ompala


    sawdoubters wrote: »
    why drop it at this late stage,you will regret it in years to come,and you might need a few extra points for university,you might need it if you do badly in another subject,
    Not necessarily, they are already in OL so the max they could get from it is 60 points. A D3 in honours is 45 points. Time would be much better spent on other subjects to maximise their points. They probably have covered most of the course at this point so its not they will gain much from sticking with it, other than it being on their results sheet.


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    #7
    rainbowtrout
    Registered Users Posts: 15,381 ✭✭✭✭rainbowtrout


    Sparkyhav wrote: »
    I currently do seven subjects (six higher and one ordinary). I dropped to ordinary level French this year because I had discovered last year that I did not need it as an entry requirement into any of my course. I decided to drop in order to focus on my other six subjects. It was only today that someone mentioned I could drop French completely and focus mainly on my other subjects. I have really started to consider this as I believe it is a waste of my time. I am not going to be using it as a 'back up' and I feel like I am putting in effort for no reason. I would much rather spend my time studying the other subjects than wasting my time in that class.

    My questions are:
    -Can I drop a subject and only do six subjects?
    -And if so, can my school stop me from doing so?

    I know some of you may advise me not to consider dropping it as I may need it as a back up, but I will not.

    Thank you for any help in advance!


    Dropping a subject is not a problem, you simply don't turn up for any component of the exam. So if you want to drop French don't do the oral exam. If you do the oral and don't sit the written exam you will be graded and receive a fail. If you don't do any part of it, it won't appear on your results certificate at all.

    Having said that, the school might still make you attend classes etc. That end of things is between you and the school.

    If you think you can get a D3 at ordinary level it might be worth sitting the exam. You're not using it for entry to college this year, but if you ever decide to change your mind and reapply for a different course and that course requires a foreign language for entry requirements you'll be kicking yourself for not sitting the exam.


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    #8
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,139 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Absenting yourself from class is what will cause the problems, if any. It has insurance implications for the school, but you can drop any or all of your subjects on the day of the exam.

    As rainbowtrout said, make sure if you are dropping the language that you DO NOT DO the oral, as if you do, it will appear on your results. Similarly with any other subjects that have a portfolio or practical element.


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    #9
    Mr Pseudonym
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭Mr Pseudonym


    In the year that I first sat my LC, I had rebelled against schooling and was aware that I would be flunking it. It was, therefore, very difficult to motivate myself to sit all my exams. My worst subject was German, and I decided not to attend the exam. About forty minutes before it was to begin, my mother whipped the bed clothes off me, threatened to disown me if I didn't go, and then drove me at a reckless speed to the exam. I got a B3 at Ord level.

    Having achieved disastrous LC results, I took a year out, before repeating. I cannot convey just how glad I am that I got that university matriculation in a foreign language!!! The difficulty of returning to a language once you've lost familiarity with it is hard to overstate, and I would not have performed as well as I did in my repeat year had I had to take it.

    I would certainly agree that dedicating considerable time to an Ord subject that you don't intend to use for points is nonsensical. But, I highly recommend that you put in enough effort to merely achieve a pass in it. I know it's such an annoying argument...but you never know when you might need it! I've heard of someone who was years out of school and decided to become a barrister - he required a pass in LC Irish, which he did not have, and was forced to go on night classes in order to pass the exam. You never know what institutions of the future will require what almost everyone who has sat the LC has - a pass in a foreign language.


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