By Amy Joyce
Following the hustle and bustle of third year and the Junior cycle examinations, TY is an optional year where students can take a break from the classroom and have some fun. But is it worth doing TY, or are students better off going straight to fifth year or Leaving Cert Applied?
Starting off with the pros, TY offers students a chance to gain work experience, learn how the working world works, and possibly lead to summer or future work.
Work experience helps TY students sample different careers and build skills in the workplace, such as communication, time management, and intuition. TYs then reflect on their work experience during classes such as SPHE, where they must keep a journal of where they worked and what they did that day.
As a TY student myself, the most exciting part about TY is all the trips! The year is all about making memories and trying new things, and trips are the perfect opportunity to do this. TYs typically go on at least one day trip a month. From climbing Croagh Patrick to whizzing around in a car in Pallas Driving Centre, the trips are fantastic.
Students also get the opportunity to go on trips abroad. This varies from school to school, but is usually along the lines of skiing, boarding, or going to Germany or France to practice the language. These trips give the TY's independence and many stories to tell when they get home!
Students also get to sample Leaving Cert subjects while still studying the core subjects Maths, English and Irish, without the stress of pending exams or class tests. TY is a great year to decide which subjects to study for the Leaving Cert.
Students are also a year older, which makes them more mature as they sit their Leaving Cert Exams. Studies show that people who do TY achieve better Leaving Cert results.
However, TY can end up being a costly year with trips, transport to work experience and the deposit to do TY all adding up.
Many people worry that a "break" year may lead TYs to become uninterested in school and fall behind, and that a school without a good TY program risks its students developing bad study habits.
TY is often called a "doss year" because students do little academic work. There are barely any exams or homework in TY, while in fifth year, teachers tend to pile on the exams and homework. Students who did TY and are now in their fifth year can feel refreshed from a year off or overwhelmed.
Time spent on trips and activities is time away from the important core subjects, while moving from third to fifth year will allow students to continue their normal study pattern. TY is also an extra year of school, which isn't ideal for students who wish to leave academia.
