August 29th 2008
As Featured in the Irish Times

Christopher Loughrey
20-year-old Christopher Loughrey didn’t get the points he needed last year so decided to use the PLC system to get the university place he’d been after. After successfully completing an arts access course he’s now on his way to NUI Maynooth.

“I went to Kilbeggan County Secondary School in Westmeath to do my leaving. I was hoping to study philosophy and psychology as part of an arts degree. But I didn’t do well in the exams. I got 180 points. I didn’t have a lot of options with those points. One of my choices, humanities in Carlow I.T., was 190 points so I waited for the second round to see if they would drop but they didn’t.

“I didn’t want to go through the whole process of repeating and had already gotten a taste for college life having gone to the seminary in NUI Maynooth for a couple of months previously. So it was recommended to me that I do a VEC arts access course.

“The course includes a number of subjects including English, history, politics, economics and psychology and you need to get a number of distinctions on a competitive basis in order to get into arts in either NUI Maynooth or UCD.

“I got the required amount of distinctions to get into Maynooth and I’m going to study psychology and philosophy, with a view to doing a degree in psychology. The arts access course wasn’t as hard as the leaving cert. It’s not as demanding. Things move at a slower pace. Plus a lot of your overall marks are made up from assignments done throughout the year. That’s much easier than doing one big exam at the end. Some people, like me, aren’t so good at exams so continuous assessment helps to compensate for a lack of examination skills.

“While I was doing the course, I had time to study neuroscience, the field that I wish to move into after university. I’d like to use my degree in psychology to study neuroscience in the UK afterwards. Eventually I’d like to pursue a career in research in the USA. Not everyone thinks that far in advance about what they want to do but I think if you have long-term plans it helps you complete your short-term goals.

“I would recommend using the PLC system to anyone who is dreading the thought of repeating. There are not access courses for courses like medicine or engineering but if you are interested in the arts, it may be for you. Plus it’s a more relaxed environment. It’s more like college.

“The leaving cert is a difficult exam and it’s not the fairest system. I think people should be allowed to study what they’re interested in. Most people have intelligence in certain subjects rather than having a general intelligence for them all. People should be able to excel in their own particular subjects, like in England, where you can focus on what you’re good at and avoid the subjects you’re not.”

Jack Kavanagh
19-year-old Jack Kavanagh did his leaving cert last year hoping to get into a well-known anthropology course in London. He didn’t manage to get the points and, after no luck in the second round of CAO options, he decided to bite the bullet and repeat.

“I first did my leaving cert in High School in Rathgar, Dublin last year. I wanted to do anthropology in the University of East London. I needed 370 points but I only got 330. I was under prepared for the exams and could have worked harder. After waiting for a chance in the second round of CAO options, unfortunately, the points didn’t drop at all so I had to reassess the situation.

“I had been offered a few other courses that I just about had the points for. Some other humanities-based options in London and a degree in Anthropology from NUI Maynooth were open to me. But I really didn’t want to feel like I had just scraped into anything. I wanted to feel like I had earned my place in college.

“While the anthropology course in Maynooth is good, it’s only been on offer for a short period of time and I wanted to study the subject in a more well established institution. The degree course in London has a very good reputation and is highly respected. So I decided to repeat my leaving.

“This time round I got 415 points. I’m thrilled. I did six subjects but didn’t repeat the Irish exam again. I got a D1 in pass Irish last year and that was all I needed. This time round, Maths was my only pass subject. Plus I got a B1 in honours Physics.

“The first time I did my leaving cert, not only was I under prepared in terms of study, I was also unclear as to as to what I wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to do Anthropology but initially I didn’t do enough research into it. You really need to be prepared and study, not just your subjects, but also the idea of going to college.

“The University of east London has a general three-year degree course, which focuses on urban anthropology. This appealed to me as it fits nicely with the fact that the university is based in London, one of the most active and interesting urban cultures in the world. When I’m doing my dissertation, I’ll have a subject to study close at hand.

“I wouldn’t be the biggest fan of the leaving cert. While the CAO points system is fair, I feel the exams are not even in terms of their level of difficulty. Some subjects’ exams are far more difficult than others. I want to know if I take Geography and I get a C1 that I’m just as likely to get a C1 in Classical Studies if I put in the same effort. But it’s not the case. Two thirds of my year took Geography because it has a reputation for being easier than other subjects. People should take subjects on the basis of their interest, not what’s easiest.”

Rebecca McGarry
17-year-old Rebecca McGarry got the points she needed for her degree of choice but didn’t get the necessary higher-level grade requirements. She considered doing a PLC access course to get into college but, in the end, decided to repeat. This time round she has the grades and hopefully has the points too but is waiting for the second round to be sure. 

“I went to Presentation College Terenure in Dublin for my leaving. I did OK the first time I did the exams. I had enough points for the course I wanted to do, which was European Studies in Tallaght, but unfortunately I didn’t get the required grades. You need two higher level C3s to get in and I only got one. I was very young though, only 16 at the time.

“This year I got 335 points and my two higher-level grades. I’m pretty confident that I will get my place as the minimum points requirement for the course in Tallaght is 220 points. But you can never be sure.

“I want to study European Studies because I like languages. At first I had plans to become a secondary school teacher of languages but now I’m not so sure. I’d like to travel and maybe work as a translator.

“I repeated the leaving in Rathmines College in Dublin. They have an arts access course there, which I could have done instead of repeating the year. It is another way to get into university without having to repeat. In the end, though, I decided to go with the repeat option.  I was so young the first time round I figured I could give it a better shot the second time. 

The tow subjects I enjoyed most studying this year were maths and Irish. They have always been two subjects that I love. My English was weak and I was worried about how I’d perform in the exam but I actually did quite well. My teacher was excellent. He really helped me.

The new course in European Studies in Tallaght will start in the middle of September so I still have a few weeks left of summer. My advice to anyone waiting on the second round of CAO options is not to be disheartened if you don’t get what you want. Repeating is not as bad as some people make out. But you can’t second-guess it. You still have to work hard. There is no easy way when it comes to the leaving. You just have to put the work in. But if you don’t at least you know you can go back and do it again. I was a bit unsure of going through the whole process again, but it’s well worth it if you get what you want. Plus I had a really good time. The repeat year can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.