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cao help

  • 06-03-2016 06:51PM
    #1
    sarahdevenny12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10 ✭


    okay so i am in sixth and i have wanted to do law and history in uCD for ages, history is my best subject and i get A1'S in most of my tests however english is one of my weak points (i struggle to get b's) and seeing as it is a subject i used to be passionate about it really frustrares me. So I was wondering is law a bad option seeing as i do not really care much for english. Would history and politics be a better and safer option for me????


Comments

  • #2
    randylonghorn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,509 ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    sarahdevenny12 wrote: »
    okay so i am in sixth and i have wanted to do law and history in uCD for ages, history is my best subject and i get A1'S in most of my tests however english is one of my weak points (i struggle to get b's) and seeing as it is a subject i used to be passionate about it really frustrares me. So I was wondering is law a bad option seeing as i do not really care much for english. Would history and politics be a better and safer option for me????
    Is it your basic writing skills which are bringing your mark down, or are you simply struggling with the literature and literary criticism?

    If the latter, or mostly so, then it's definitely irrelevant: you won't need an affinity for LitCrit for any of the subjects you mention.

    If the former, it's more relevant certainly, but I still wouldn't consider it a deal-breaker; rather I would make a definite mental note that this is something you need to continue to work on, even after Leaving Cert.

    There are many ways of doing that: for example, many colleges these days have writing support as well as maths support centres, or / and offer short courses in "writing for academic purposes". Consistently reading good clear English (fiction or non-fiction) with an eye to how the author writes, and picking up and using these hints, can help enormously over time. And of course, closely re-read any marked essays and particularly any comments from teachers / tutors / lecturers; where possible, if the comments aren't clear, see if you can get a few minutes with them privately, and ask them to suggest how you could have structured your argument better / improved the clarity of your writing.

    One of those vocabulary builders which sends you a new "word of the day" online or whatever can be good too, but a word of caution here: make sure you really understand the word(s) and when to use them properly, and don't fall into the trap of striving to always use long / exotic words when a perfectly simple common word would do just as well or better! Many people strive for convoluted "academic" English to the detriment of the clarity of the message they're trying to get across.

    "The cat sat on the mat" may be a little juvenile for LC / college, but it's infinitely preferable to "The feline mammal reposed on the woven pad covering the floor"! ;)


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