Where to Repeat

LovelyHurling

Well I've decided - I'm leaving my course in UCD and Im going to repeat the Leaving. I need every point possible if I want to get medicine this time. Ive been considering the institute but dont want my folks investing 6k for a venture that might only bring me up to 570 and still leave me without med,.

What do people think of the VEC repeat L.C. centres - Ive come across a few success stories in those.... or do you know of any schools around the country good for repeat students - pref. without the high $$$$

I'm going to do AgSci, French, HomeEc, English, Chemistry and Biology. Ive never done Home Ec before heard its one of the easiest A1s you can get...

So, anyone else repeating or have repeated? - what are you dropping/ keeping on/ where are you going?

the_syco

I know a few who repeated in the secondry school in Lucan, all of whom got improved grades.

Cutie18Ireland

i definetly would say home ec is easy!! its extremly long and a very broad subject!!
the new course also requires that u complete a task book which is a record and report of cooking tasks done throughout 5th and 6th year so maybe not the best course to pick up! also remember that they're nearly all new courses at the min home ec, geog, history and biology!

Shyster

Firstly, I've no advice on where to repeat as im not from dublin, but i would say to you that home ec is not that easy an a1.....
I'd recommend accounting or maybe business for high points. I know they've no real link to medicine but they're useful anyway!

RacoonQueen

I'm going back to repeat this year in a VEC and am taking up Business. Was trying to decide between Business and Home Ec, Business appears to be the easier option.
I was advised against going to a grind school to repeat by a couple of people while others said it was a good idea. I'd rather go with a VEC and spend the money on individual grinds in subjects I need them in rather than on a grind school.

RacoonQueen

This link downloads a list of all the schools who offer repeat Leaving Certificate note it doesn't include grind schools. I've heard St. Laurences are very good for it.
www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/pp_repeat_leaving_certificate.xls?language=EN

Funkstard

Yeh...I just heard last night that St.Laurences make you drop all sports, even outside school, if you repeat there. ****ing madness!

Scarinae

I've been told that in terms of picking up new subjects, accounting and economics are very good ones to take for the A1s. Economics is apparently the shortest course on the curriculum, and most people get high marks in accounting

LovelyHurling

Thanks for the tips... must find out more on economics and accounting. Im strongly considering Rathmines VEC after a brief period of delusion where I was considering repeating by myself at home (in a perfect world there's be no Nick Toons) Anyway thanks for the tips good luck anyone repeating 2005/06... but not too much luck in case Im beat!!!

RacoonQueen

LovelyHurling wrote:

Thanks for the tips... must find out more on economics and accounting. Im strongly considering Rathmines VEC after a brief period of delusion where I was considering repeating by myself at home (in a perfect world there's be no Nick Toons) Anyway thanks for the tips good luck anyone repeating 2005/06... but not too much luck in case Im beat!!!

Thats were I'm thinking of going. Enrolment on monday so I'd want to make my mind up quick and snappy like. Did economics last year and if you do the work in it, it can be a very easy subjuect so I'd strongly reccomend that...also have it on very good authority that the economics teacher in Rathmines is really good.

doctor evil

What would be the general difference between places like the Institute and places like Rathmines VEC?.

rainbow kirby

If you're *really* looking for A1s... sciences. As many as you can. If you're good at maths at all, do maths, applied maths and physics.

jamiecake

Classical civilisation is easy to pick up in a year!!

lomb

an A1 in maths is very difficult as is applied maths, and accounting is impossible nearly to get A1
u need biology, business studies, physics , chem, they are sure fire A1s if u know it, an A2 in accounting is handy enough as is a A2 in maths. if u do better than that then u are a better man than i was.
and i wouldnt go leaving any courses to do medicine to be honest. i personally dont think most people even know what awaits them after they have done it. alot of consultants are some of the crookedest people around and would make the mob look like priests. i know a very honest one and he tells me what they get up to. the vhi fees are peacemeal and small and they have to knock alot of treatment codes out to make anything out of it... medical protection pretty much came out and said every single gyne surgeon was GROSSLY negligent and withdrew cover and in my opinion that is massively unprecedented.i know what goes on in medicine here and the uk and im telling u its not limited to gyne. permanent jobs are very hard to find and u will be competing with immigrants willing to work insane hours as its better than what they had.fair enough u want to help people and thats very honerable but when/if u qualify u will experiance it for urself. good luck with it.

doc strangelove

If you're serious, I suggest you apply to the UK medical schools as well. As long as the situation of 'Foreigners First' in Irish medical schools is allowed to persist, it will get harder and harder for Irish people to get in. It is at the stage where I believe it is easier for Irish people now to get into British medical schools.

In the UK you're judged on more than what you got in an exam; you have to satisfy a broader range of criteria, such as having a good personal statement, an excellent reference and in some medical schools, do well if you're asked for an interview. I'm attending Glasgow myself, and as well as a selection of Irish graduates, they're also people who have got in, straight off the LC. Two of them had less than 540 points (Glasgow accepts on 4A's and 2B's). The grades differ for each medical school, but if you obtained 550 points in the LC that would probably be enough to put you in good stead with the admissions board for a lot of them.

In short, if you're like me and don't excel at the rote regurgitation of the LC, but are competent at handling interviews and have a good CV, you should have a decent chance at getting into a UK school. In my experience getting to the interview stage is the hardest part! There's no harm in applying anyway, and remember, it's still free in Scotland!

AndyWarhol

LovelyHurling wrote:

Well I've decided - I'm leaving my course in UCD and Im going to repeat the Leaving. I need every point possible if I want to get medicine this time. Ive been considering the institute but dont want my folks investing 6k for a venture that might only bring me up to 570 and still leave me without med,.

What do people think of the VEC repeat L.C. centres - Ive come across a few success stories in those.... or do you know of any schools around the country good for repeat students - pref. without the high $$$$

I'm going to do AgSci, French, HomeEc, English, Chemistry and Biology. Ive never done Home Ec before heard its one of the easiest A1s you can get...

So, anyone else repeating or have repeated? - what are you dropping/ keeping on/ where are you going?

Good subject choice, nice amount of overlap, although I'm not sure about getting an A1 in French unless you're fluent.

It is possible to negotiate the Institute's fees. I know one or two people who cried poor boy and a sizeable percentage was knocked off.

Another option instead of LC is A-levels. It's certainly easier to get 600 points with 4 80%+ grades than 6 90%+ grades. And with recent A-level grade inflation (read any of the English newspapers giving out about this), it's certainly an alternative route to be considered.

Aporia

Im repeating too. Ive decided to drop maths
and do eng, geog, irish, ag economics?, bus, german and biology...

I wasnt sure if I should drop maths or irish (both ordinary) so Ill be doing 6 honours subjects and use irish as a back up in case I hate ag economics...ive no idea what ag economics is like because I never did it before.

Ravage1616

Whats the deal when reapting how many subjects can you drop?

Holsten

the_syco wrote:

I know a few who repeated in the secondry school in Lucan, all of whom got improved grades.

That is where I'm doing it, two of my cousins repeated there and both of them raised their points by quite a bit.

RacoonQueen

Ravage1616 wrote:

Whats the deal when reapting how many subjects can you drop?

Once you've passed Irish, English, French(or other language) and Maths once you can drop them the second time round and pick up subject you're strong at.
Still need to do 6 subjects.