SOME people will tell you that repeating the Leaving Certificate is the best thing they have done in their lives. Far from indicating failure, deciding to repeat a year is for many people simply a bid to increase their already considerable points and thereby achieve a particular college place.

Repeat students at Senior College, Rathmines, Dublin, testify to this. "There's no stigma in repeating any more," they say. "We're not people who have failed - we've just missed courses by 15 or 20 points."

Sarah Condron from Clondalkin, Co Dublin, hopes to get a place at medical school. "Most of us have turned down college places in order to gain a few more points to get into a specific course," she says.

Maxine Payne from Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, Dublin, agrees: "Repeating is far better than being stuck on a college course that you hate." Many youngsters take colleges places just for the sake of doing so, she says, and they dislike what they're doing.

However, repeating the Leaving Cert is not without its difficulties. Leaving school to repeat elsewhere can mean that students find themselves completely alone for the first time in their lives.

"I absolutely hated it here for the first month," confesses Niamh Maloney from Navan Rd, Dublin. "I was the only person from my school who came here. I knew nobody. Everybody else seemed to be going around in groups. I thought I'd never make friends, but I did."

Repeating can also be tedious. Imagine having to spend another year with all those subjects you were hoping to leave behind. Your social also suffers. "Your friends are all at college," the students say, "and they're inviting you to go out with them and you have to say `No I can't. I've got to study'."

On the positive side, students appreciate "the totally different, more college oriented atmosphere" at Senior College. "Teachers treat you as adults. They're more friendly and relaxed than at school."

John Coyne from Dundrum, Co Dublin, agrees that there is much more freedom. "The teachers place a lot of trust in you. We have a segregated timetable. We don't do 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. days, so it would be easy to skip classes if you wanted to."

Many of the students believe the extra year has helped them to focus more clearly on college courses and future careers. "Last year I wasn't sure what I wanted to do so I applied for arts at UCD," says Ronan Sheridan from Rathfarnham, Co Dublin. "This year I've felt less pressured and have been able to think more clearly. I've opted for computer studies at DCU. I feel I've made a more career focused choice."

John Coyne has applied to study English at TCD. "You get a better sense of yourself and what you want to do," he says. "Repeating the year gives you time to mature.

Sometimes students discover hidden talents. "Coming here has opened my eyes to chemistry," says Niamh Maloney. "I used to hate it but now I love it."

Less stress and less tension are hallmarks of a repeat year for many students. "You have a more relaxed attitude to exams because you've been through it all before and you know what to expect," says Ciaran Kane from Knocklyon, Co Dublin. "There's not as much pressure and tension.

It helps to know what's coming, especially in the orals."

Students appreciate the emphasis which the college places on understanding and answering exam questions. "Half of the exam is about approach," says Stephen Gaye from Harold's Cross, Dublin. "It's about understanding the questions and giving examiners the answers they're looking for."

Repeating is also about adopting a more focused approach to work and acquiring new study skills. "You realise that you have to learn everything off by heart and inside out," says Niamh. "You learn to spread your workload and not leave everything till the end. Last time I knew my stuff but I didn't plan my work."

Problems can arise where new courses have been introduced - English, Irish and accounting, for example. Students say they find it hard having to compress two years work into one.

Many repeat students opt to take up new subjects. This can be a plus or a minus. If you find the subject difficult, you may fall behind in your work. However, according to Maxine Payne, a new subject will pose few problems if you are strong in your other subjects. "I'm taking home economics for the first time," she explains. "I like it, so it means I'm happy to work hard at it . . . if you know you're not going to do any better in a particular subject, it's better to take a new subject."

Despite the many positive aspects of repeating, the students agree that not everyone will benefit. "Some people are forced to repeat by their parents," says Ronan Sheridan. "But repeating has to be your own choice. Some people don't work in fifth and sixth class and they won't work here."

Sarah Condron agrees: "You have to make a conscious decision to work from day one and limit your social life. In a repeat year you're absolutely on your own and you have to take total responsibility for your work."

The good news, however, is that most of the 200 or so students who take repeat Leaving Cert at Rathmines Senior College, manage to improve their points. "People who come here have high expectations," says principal Ms Mary Lonergan. "They're looking for results."