Failed my Leaving Cert...how should I proceed?

LegacyUser

I got my results today and it was H8 in 7 subjects and a Pass in LCVP. Yes, you'll say "Did you literally do nothing!" and, yes you're exactly right. I was having difficulty 5th and 6th year. went for some tutor class grinds but that didn't help at all. My mind wondered away and started ever since 5th year/TY. I lost my motivation and decided to fail by just sitting and doing nothing around a few days before the start of the first exam in June in hope that N.G would be better than Cs and Ds. I was hoping to repeat in another school coming up to September of this year.

Despite not feeling anything about the failure, I'm ashamed that my parents wasted €4,000 on me. Feel really bad for them. Despite our rocky relationship that mostly contributed to my 'clouded mind' starting in Senior Cycle, I actually feel really bad for them since they could have spent that money in a much better way.

I haven't told anyone because I know that now is not the time for pity-parties or any emotions of shock whether 'hahas', devestation, anger or something in-between. I just want to know how do I move forward. Do I enter a trade or go back to redo the LC? My school doesn't allow repeats so, I'll have to look for another one. I would like to go into Engineering, Maths or Physics. Perhaps this second round, I should be realistic and change my course or should I still work at it?

Fakediamond

Hi OP. This is your life, you can't change the past but you can decide to make better decisions for your future.

There's not many trades you can go into without an L. C. so you'll probably have to repeat. There are schools that just cater to repeat L.C.

I suppose you need to decide if your head is in the right place now, or are you likely to just drift again, which would be a waste of time and money. If that is likely, you're better off getting a job, any job, and taking a year or so out to consider your options.

Many years ago, I got a rubbish L.C. But eventually went back to education, got a degree and now have a professional job. It's not the end of the world, but I did spend years in crap, low paid jobs before I got my act together.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

OP, the truth is that once you reach a certain age, your Leaving Certificate results mean diddlysquat. I believe over the age of 23 most colleges have mature student applications for numerous courses. This is one option.

Next - appeal your result. Get a copy of your scripts if you feel it necessary. Keep in mind that you need to pay to get this done.

Following on from this, you can resit the subjects you failed. This will also cost money to do.

Another option is a PLC. Look into what courses are available in what you want to do and research into ways to get a college placement from a PLC course. This is something that is often done.

Something I would be curious about is why you let yourself go in your Leaving Certificate, especially when the courses you mentioned often require high points. This is neither here nor there as there's not much you can do about it now.

What I will say is this - I did awful in secondary school. I hated it -- the Leaving Certificate isn't suited to my style of learning, which is what I only realised in college. But now I've managed to get a few degrees, certificates in other stuff, and more. So it's not the end of the world.

Chin up and all that.

silverharp

Normally repeating is for getting extra points for something you really want to do. In your case how realistic is it to turn a fail in maths ( I assume honours) into a decent honours grade? based on what you have written the chances of you getting into engineering are slim via the university route. Your best bet would be to try get an apprenticeship in something like electrical engineering and study at night.
For the sake of a year it is probably worth repeating anyway if you can get your head into it. It will open doors and shorten the time of where you want to get to in the long run.

Xterminator

HI Op

if you got the opportunity to repeat would the same thing happen? (be honest).

If it would then repeating right now might not be the best course of action for you. Perhaps an apprenticeship in a trade would suit better?

Its your life, and the best advice i can give you is find a path that interests you, so that you can give it 100% and not sit in a classroom while it all passes you by.

dudara

OP - I know nothing about you or your ability, but going from a H8 in one year to studying Physics / Maths in university will take a lot of work. If you have an aptitude for those subjects I would have expected you to pick up a better grade, even with no effort invested.

Can you find a guidance counselor to talk to? I think you need some good advice on how to proceed and what is possible for you. I think you are looking at repeating as right now you have 0 CAO points if I understand the new system correctly. You need to figure out which courses you want to target and plan your next year accordingly.

Also, do you need to talk to a mental health professional. Getting H8 grades means that you essentially did nothing. Are you in a good place mentally right now?

Good luck, I wish you the best, but you need to start owning your future.

LegacyUser

Hi OP,

You mentioned that you hoped that N.G would be better than C's or D's. I'm wondering if you are going through something similar to what I was at the time. For me, I had these huge expectations, that in reality, I felt I couldn't achieve. I had my strengths but I was terrible at languages and so achieving highly in those subjects was not realistic. So I didn't work because in some weird way it felt like if I didn't do well it was then a reflection of my lack of effort, rather than my ability. I felt that there was huge external pressure for me to achieve and those expectations were really unhelpful.

I scraped the points for a course, not my first choice though. It was a course I actually really enjoyed. In college I began to try and shift my attitude. It was OK that I was never going to be the best, as long as I gave it my best effort. I'm not going to tell you that it was a quick change, it wasn't. Over the years though it has become my default and I've actually done quite well. I feel like I was stuck before and taking that pressure off myself has given me the opportunity to actually try. I'm obviously still disappointed when I don't do well, it's just that my standards for doing "well" are now realistic.

I think I agree with the previous poster. Take a year out, work and clear your head. Get a job, save some money and think about what you actually want to do. Having a bit of extra money when you start college will be helpful :-) Are Engineering, Maths or Physics courses really what you are interested in, or are they courses you feel "look good" to others? I'd also consider looking at the ITs. There's definitely still some snobbery around the whole university vs IT thing but the value of a degree from an IT is completely underestimated. My partner did a course in an IT. He got a job in his field straight out of college, right when the recession was kicking off. He's now on a good money and has enormous job satisfaction.

I'd really suggest not rushing into anything straight. I imagine you are feeling very disappointed at the moment. I promise it's not the end of the world so just be give yourself an opportunity to come to terms with it.Please don't be too hard on yourself.

LegacyUser

I did terrible in my leaving. Hated school and was no good at studying. I was very quiet so everyone just assumed I was good at it.

But I did a plc course after my leaving. Worked for a few years in call center jobs. Went back to college at 23 as a mature student and did brilliantly. Now in a great career that I actually like. Lots of people in your class who will get places in college will soon find out they picked a course they don't like. I really think people should work a few years before deciding what career to aim for.

Best of luck with it. It is definitely not the end of the world.

Big Bag of Chips

Your parents will have to pay a fee for you to repeat your leaving. Schools that cater for just repeats usually charge fees too. You say your parents wasted €4000 on your education, so far. Are they likely to waste another chunk to have you repeat and not take it seriously?

Do you think if you repeated you'd get your head down and make a leap in your grades? Are the factors that lead you to doing nothing for the past 2-3 years gone, now allowing you to be in a better place to actually apply yourself to study?

If you don't think you could really apply yourself for the full school year to achieve significant results, then you need to seriously think about whether or not it's worth it. A lot of emphasis is put on the LC and obviously it's the most traditional and direct route to college and careers etc, but it's not suited to everyone. And there are other avenues that can be explored.

But now, OP, it's on you. It's up to you to make your path. To research where you could go, what you can do. You have no doubt disappointed your parents, and they are most likely disappointed for you. But all is not lost. Look into PLCs. Looking into apprenticeships. Maybe work for a few years, mature a bit and then go to college as a mature student in 4 or 5 years time. (It's not that long!)

fizzypish

user170817 wrote: »

I did terrible in my leaving. Hated school and was no good at studying. I was very quiet so everyone just assumed I was good at it.

But I did a plc course after my leaving. Worked for a few years in call center jobs. Went back to college at 23 as a mature student and did brilliantly. Now in a great career that I actually like. Lots of people in your class who will get places in college will soon find out they picked a course they don't like. I really think people should work a few years before deciding what career to aim for.

Best of luck with it. It is definitely not the end of the world.

Got to bump this. You don't want to be involved in education. Go do something that makes money. Work in a hotel or some ****. Do that for a while and see how you get on. The 5th and 6th year difficulties probably need your attention most urgently. You didn't stop trying for no reason and it sounds like you did stop trying.

Vlove

After doing the leaving cert, I was in the National Learning Network for 3 1/2 years because I wasn't able to get into a PLC course and I wasn't good with the mainstream subjects. However I did a plc in business last year and hoping to do a 3 year course this year. I'm 22 now and honestly you have lots of time in college even if you don't think you'll get in.

LaLa2004

Your future is in your hands. The decisions you make determine your future.

Neither you, or anybody on this thread, has mentioned sitting LC at ordinary level. This is a perfectly acceptable way of getting on a plc of your choice & into the workforce.

Ursus Horribilis

There are always choices out there for people if they're prepared to do courses, re-sit exams, upskill or work. Our OP with his/her "clouded mind" doesn't sound like they're in any fit state to do anything. I don't know what is wrong with you OP but you need to sort out your bad attitude soon. Have you been taking drugs? Have you been to the doctor to check things out? Are you depressed? Before you take another step, you need to find out what the hell happened to you that led to this wilful act of self-destruction. Quite frankly, I feel sorry for your parents. Do you have any concept of how much money €4,000 is? You clearly don't, seeing as you happily went along to all those expensive grinds and threw it all back in your parent's faces. No wonder your relationship with them is rocky if that's the way you've been behaving. Perhaps being sent out to work in crappy minimum wage jobs and trying to pay rent somewhere will give you the dose of reality you badly need.

LegacyUser

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

There are always choices out there for people if they're prepared to do courses, re-sit exams, upskill or work. Our OP with his/her "clouded mind" doesn't sound like they're in any fit state to do anything. I don't know what is wrong with you OP but you need to sort out your bad attitude soon. Have you been taking drugs? Have you been to the doctor to check things out? Are you depressed? Before you take another step, you need to find out what the hell happened to you that led to this wilful act of self-destruction. Quite frankly, I feel sorry for your parents. Do you have any concept of how much money €4,000 is? You clearly don't, seeing as you happily went along to all those expensive grinds and threw it all back in your parent's faces. No wonder your relationship with them is rocky if that's the way you've been behaving. Perhaps being sent out to work in crappy minimum wage jobs and trying to pay rent somewhere will give you the dose of reality you badly need.

No I don't do drugs but have had some problems in the past with mental issues. I've had a bad relationship with my parents before any of this.

You're post sounds an awfully agressive. Yes I know how expensive €4,000 is but at this point, does it really matter? I'm not suicidal at all if that's what you're pointing to but honestly with the crap that's happened to me, I'm not sure whether to completely give up, repeat the LC, or go into a course as some people suggested.

Ursus Horribilis

I didn't suggest you were suicidal but if your mind went a-wandering 2 years ago and you couldn't get your **** together to revise for your leaving cert, what makes you think you'll succeed this time round? There's demotivation and then there's wilful self-destruction. Probably your best approach is to go see your doctor about your mental health issues, take some time out and decide on what to do next year.

jeanjolie

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

I didn't suggest you were suicidal but if your mind went a-wandering 2 years ago and you couldn't get your **** together to revise for your leaving cert, what makes you think you'll succeed this time round? There's demotivation and then there's wilful self-destruction. Probably your best approach is to go see your doctor about your mental health issues, take some time out and decide on what to do next year.

Did I literally get zero points?

I wonder if the principal and teachers have access to the records. I'm not ashamed if they see it but I've heard that in my school, no one has failed Higher Level in certain subjects ever so that'll be quite interesting.

The J Stands for Jay

If you do decide to go back to education, see if you can make it suit you. If you repeat the LC, only do the subjects you need to achieve your aims. No point stressing about Irish if it's not needed, maybe do less subjects if they're all you'll need, etc. If you want a degree, you can get there via a diploma which could have easier entry conditions than going directly in to a degree. Just make sure it's what you want to do.


(Off topic: the €4k figure, is there a charge to sit the LC?)

Donal55

McGaggs wrote: »

If you do decide to go back to education, see if you can make it suit you. If you repeat the LC, only do the subjects you need to achieve your aims. No point stressing about Irish if it's not needed, maybe do less subjects if they're all you'll need, etc. If you want a degree, you can get there via a diploma which could have easier entry conditions than going directly in to a degree. Just make sure it's what you want to


(Off topic: the €4k figure, is there a charge to sit the LC?)

€85 last year I think. Free if ye have a medical card.

spurious

jeanjolie wrote:

I wonder if the principal and teachers have access to the records. I'm not ashamed if they see it but I've heard that in my school, no one has failed Higher Level in certain subjects ever so that'll be quite interesting.

So many lies put out there by some schools about their results...

OP what is the careers person in your old school like? As others have mentioned, there is no requirement for any candidate to do all or almost all HL, in fact it is failing the candidate to put them in for levels known to be beyond them. If the careers person is any use, ask their advice about possible paths for you. If they are no use and unaware of other options, contact your local ETB school and get the contact details for the Adult Ed. Officer. They will know all your options.

Good luck.

Teyla Emmagan

jeanjolie wrote:

I'm not ashamed if they see it but I've heard that in my school, no one has failed Higher Level in certain subjects ever so that'll be quite interesting.

Not really. And why aren't you ashamed? All these people put a load more effort into your LC than you did by the sound of it. Your parents must be furious with you. It's not like you're struggling with a lack of ability like so many other poor unfortunates who put their heart and soul into their exams.

I don't think there's any point you repeating to be honest. I wouldn't normally recommend this but you might be better off going off and working some terrible job for a few years. That might give you the focus you need to do something with your life.

dellas1979

The 4k seems to be a bone of contention on this thread.

I went to a private school for 2 years. I went in in 6th year, and was so far behind and lack of committment, I scraped a leaving cert. 3-4k down the drain? No. Because it bucked me up to try harder. Lesson, although expensive for my parents, learned. I had just barely turned 17 (1 month before sitting the exams) and I wasnt ready for such a big challenge (to me).

I went back to that school again, and repeated 6th year. They came up with a plan for me. In subjects I had interest in and had capabilities in, and I did honours in those. Ones I didnt, I did pass level.

And a year later, I nearly passed out when I saw A in my results.

The simple question is OP, is do you want to do the leaving again (this year?). If so, have you learned a lesson? Will you apply yourself, no matter what?

Youll need to 'fess up to your parents, present your case, and see if theyll fund this additional year.

If not, you could always take a year out (and still take grinds), work, save up, and go back the following year.

LegacyUser

Perhaps I should go and see a psychologist/psychiatrist (not a therapist). I have seen a psychiatrist in the past. Maybe that's the first step of action.

Problem is, it'll be a bit expensive for me seeing as I'm only 18.

Teyla Emmagan

failedextinction wrote:

Perhaps I should go and see a psychologist/psychiatrist (not a therapist). I have seen a psychiatrist in the past. Maybe that's the first step of action.

Perhaps you should give yourself a kick up the backside and take some responsibility for your own actions (or lack thereof). If your parents or teachers thought at any stage that you had a psychiatric condition that needed treatment this would have been flagged a long time ago.

Big Bag of Chips

What do you want to do?

And that's a serious question. It's often said that its crazy at 17 or 18 expecting kids to 've nature enough and wise enough to make decisions that will have an affect on the rest of their lives. But that's the system we have, and it seems to suit the majority.

Obviously at 18 you are in no way financially independent. You depend on your parents for everything, food, clothes, shelter, money, education etc. So in order to restore some of your parents faith in you, you need to get proactive. For the first time in your life you need to start taking responsibility and finding what options are available to you, and how you can sort things out. Your parents will most likely support and help you if they see that you are not just arsing around. Have you spoken to them much about your results, and what now? And I mean spoken, maturely, not something that turned into a shouting match or a sulk.

You are 18 now, legally an adult, and your parents have no more legal responsibility towards you. They have a moral one, but realistically from this point on, you need to be forging your own path.

So, what do you want? And how, realistically, can you get it? Are you willing/able to apply yourself to a course? Be it, repeating your leaving or another course? Would you study? Would working a trade be an option for you? You could start in one area with a view to maybe moving into another area down the line.

You need advice and you need to speak to people who either know you, and know what you are likely capable of, or you need to speak to a professional advisor, who from talking to you over a period of time can steer you in the direction they feel most suited to you.

lawred2

failedextinction wrote: »

I got my results today and it was H8 in 7 subjects and a Pass in LCVP. Yes, you'll say "Did you literally do nothing!" and, yes you're exactly right. I was having difficulty 5th and 6th year. went for some tutor class grinds but that didn't help at all. My mind wondered away and started ever since 5th year/TY. I lost my motivation and decided to fail by just sitting and doing nothing around a few days before the start of the first exam in June in hope that N.G would be better than Cs and Ds. I was hoping to repeat in another school coming up to September of this year.

Despite not feeling anything about the failure, I'm ashamed that my parents wasted €4,000 on me. Feel really bad for them. Despite our rocky relationship that mostly contributed to my 'clouded mind' starting in Senior Cycle, I actually feel really bad for them since they could have spent that money in a much better way.

I haven't told anyone because I know that now is not the time for pity-parties or any emotions of shock whether 'hahas', devestation, anger or something in-between. I just want to know how do I move forward. Do I enter a trade or go back to redo the LC? My school doesn't allow repeats so, I'll have to look for another one. I would like to go into Engineering, Maths or Physics. Perhaps this second round, I should be realistic and change my course or should I still work at it?

Do it again.

eleventh

OP, it sounds like your parents believe that exam results is the be all and end all and that throwing money at that was the answer, ignoring whether or not you were ok in yourself.

I would say to put thoughts of exams etc aside for now. Forget society's and parent expectations and think about what it is you want. It may mean getting a job for a while, get a bit of money together so you can then explore options.

The first job I had was in retail. I didn't enjoy the job itself much but it was good experience and helped with confidence dealing with people and situations. When you are 18, it's all experience and you can't really go wrong. Depending on what kind of work you eventually want to do, many employers would see a year's work experience as a positive, exams or no exams.

Dee01

You are very articulate and you write very well, so you should not have gotten zero marks in every subject. You don't seem to care that you did so badly so I don't know why you would repeat. i find this thread hard to believe to be honest.

dbs103

[quo="Fakediamond;104402984"]Hi OP. This is your life, you can't change the past but you can decide to make better decisions for your future.


There's not many trades you can go into without an L. C. so you'll probably have to repeat. There are schools that just cater to repeat L.C.

I sup

ose you need to decide if your head is in the right place now, or are you likely to justl

drift again, which would be a waste of time and money. If that is likely, you're better off getting a job, any job, and taking a year or so out to consider your options.

Many years ago, I got a rubbish L.C. But eventually went back to education, got a degree and now have a professional job. It's not the end of the world, but I did spend years in crap, low paid jobs before I got my act together.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.[/quote]

Permabear

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