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Going Off Books

  • 27-06-2014 11:37AM
    #1
    Kirby2k07
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 109 ✭✭


    What does it actually mean to go off books in trinity, you just take a year out and join the year below you is it?
    Is it hard to attain?
    Will I still be able to use library services during the year out with student card?
    Theenks


Comments

  • #2
    bscm
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭bscm


    Off books as far as I remember is just repeating the year but without the need to attend lectures. You essentially just turn up for the exams at the end.


  • #3
    innad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 306 ✭✭innad


    You can go off-books for a number of reasons, such as personal health problems, illness in your immediate family etc. You would then re-join the year below you. It is not the same as repeating a year without having to attend lectures. If you are off-books, you are technically not a student for that year, so you will not have a student card and will not have library access.


  • #4
    Kirby2k07
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 109 ✭✭Kirby2k07


    innad wrote: »
    You can go off-books for a number of reasons, such as personal health problems, illness in your immediate family etc. You would then re-join the year below you. It is not the same as repeating a year without having to attend lectures. If you are off-books, you are technically not a student for that year, so you will not have a student card and will not have library access.

    Okay I kinda expected that with the student card thing. Have you done it yourself? Allegedly they are quite lax as to the reasons why you'd go off-books- in my case, a gap year. But I'm not sure, any experience?


  • #5
    innad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 306 ✭✭innad


    I haven't done it myself, but most people I know had a good reason - serious knee injury needing surgery, having to care for a very ill family member etc.

    However, when I did my Masters a few students did go off-books for a year and I'm not sure of their reasons. Best bet I think would be to talk to your tutor/course coordinator and discuss your options, the earlier the better if you're thinking of this coming year.


  • #6
    Samp943
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 ✭Samp943


    It's actually quite difficult to get the college to grant you the year off books. I was able to do it as I had missed more than 2 months of lectures while I was in the hospital so would only have been starting properly in January so I was granted off books status for the rest of that year and I repeated the year starting in October. I had a friend who had failed 2nd year science exams and was only granted off books status after she had given them a look at her finances and they saw that she would have to withdraw from college as she couldn't afford it. I remember she had to fight tooth and nail to get it though and she had to carry over her continuous assessment marks from the previous year, as well as not being able to get in to the library, etc. I doubt they'd grant it if you just wanted to take a year out to travel.


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  • #7
    Kirby2k07
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 109 ✭✭Kirby2k07


    Samp943 wrote: »
    It's actually quite difficult to get the college to grant you the year off books. I was able to do it as I had missed more than 2 months of lectures while I was in the hospital so would only have been starting properly in January so I was granted off books status for the rest of that year and I repeated the year starting in October. I had a friend who had failed 2nd year science exams and was only granted off books status after she had given them a look at her finances and they saw that she would have to withdraw from college as she couldn't afford it. I remember she had to fight tooth and nail to get it though and she had to carry over her continuous assessment marks from the previous year, as well as not being able to get in to the library, etc. I doubt they'd grant it if you just wanted to take a year out to travel.

    It's more of taking a year out to work to sort money more or less. She actually had to give them a look at her finances?! Jaysus


  • #8
    Samp943
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20 ✭Samp943


    Kirby2k07 wrote: »
    It's more of taking a year out to work to sort money more or less. She actually had to give them a look at her finances?! Jaysus

    Yeah, I believe her tutor needed to look at her finances to put together a case. I know mine did when I was worrying about money.


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