My son wants to drop out of his first year university course. He’s convinced he failed his exams and has little interest in it. I’m disappointed but want him to move on and set new goals for himself. I worry he’ll make the same mistake again. What options are still open for him?
Your story is a familiar one. Many first years can slowly disengage from lectures, tutorials and project work until the successful completion of year one becomes impossible.
An undergraduate student will only survive a third level degree if they are fully engaged and genuinely interested. It’s not like school. No one is monitoring your progress. The motivation to get up each day and fully engage with the course must come from within.
Qualifax.ie, the database of programmes on offer in higher and further education, outlines the course contents of every single programme. It is foolhardy to list a course without satisfying yourself that it is one you are happy to commit three to four years of your life to.
So, where does this leave your son today? As a registered student, he has until July 22nd to re-enter the CAO application process and make a new course list.
A word of warning: if he goes down this route, he – or his parents – will be liable for the full cost of the first year of the new programme. This is because the State only pays for one year at each stage of a degree.
The CAO points score he secured in 2023 still stands. If he is chastened by the experience of college, he may choose to step back and select a Post Leaving Cert course in an area of interest for a year. These programmes are all listed on Qualifax and are on offer through your local Education Training Board (ETB).
Applications are made directly to each college’s website and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Fees are low to non-existent. On successful completion of the course, a student can apply to the CAO for the following year, using both their further education award and their original CAO points score.
Alternatively, your son could consider the earn-and-learn route by exploring one of over 60 apprenticeship programmes on offer at Apprenticeship.ie. They cover almost every sector of the economy, leading in many cases to degree-level qualifications. The student is also paid throughout the programme.
The most important piece of advice I would give both you and your son is not to rush into any decision. He should reflect on the learnings from the year and ask himself where his genuine interests lie. Careersportal.ie has an interest profiler which might help his explorations.
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