A chara, – Dr Derek O'Byrne, registrar of Waterford Institute of Technology, points out that up to 50 per cent of students dropping out in their first year of university in Ireland may do so because of dissatisfaction with their course ("High third-level dropout rates are due to dissatisfaction with courses not ability", Opinion & Analysis, January 13th).
While I do not admire many aspects of American education system (especially in terms of cost to the individual and access for the poor), I do admire the way their undergraduate courses are run. Students here are often not required to choose a “major” until their second or third year. It took me four years before I found out I should have been studying neuroscience instead of mathematics at Trinity. I suspect I am not the only one who could have benefited from trying out different courses from the start. – Is mise,
SEÁN FROUDIST-WALSH,
Mount Sinai School
of Medicine, New York.