From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

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From Leaving Certificate to Leaving School
In Fig Lane, a middle-class school where many students had family
members with third-level qualifications, the experiences of older siblings
meant that students obtained specific information about the content of
courses for which they were applying:
My sister helped me because she does law so she’d tell me what that
is and then what subjects like in school would tell you. (Fig Lane,
coed school, middle-class intake)
Having an interest in certain subject areas and witnessing their siblings
enjoying their courses or careers appeared to give students reassurance
and confidence to apply for something similar:
My sister is doing a primary teaching course as well, she’s always
drawing things and stuff and I said I’d love to do it. (Belmore Street,
girls’ school, mixed intake)
In addition to influencing the subjects to opt for in university, the colleges
or institutes that parents, siblings and peers had attended also influenced
student decisions:
Interviewer: What’s helped you to decide [which college you would
like best]?
I’ve older sisters so.
Interviewer: So the same college as them?
Yeah. (Fig Lane, coed school, middle-class intake)
Interviewer: How did you decide what college to go to or what?
My sister is in [name of university].
… She loves it so. (Wattle Street, boys’ school, mixed intake)
5.3.2 Favourite Subjects
Many students spoke about how doing well in a subject at school influenced
their plans to go to college and what courses they applied for.
Some students felt the decision should be based on their aptitude for cer-