What keeps you sane in sixth year?

katiewobbles · 01-02-2008 6:37pm #1

I'm normally ok at doing study and work and stuff cause i have a big goal for the end of the leaving cert (high points 550+)
But two weeks before the mocks, i don't know what happened, i kinda "lost my spark" so to speak. I'm not enjoying anything anymore...
i'm finding it hard to sit down and do my work, now my mocks have been fine so far, easy peasy, but i want my motivation back.

What i'm asking is, what do you do to stay sane, motivated and, most importanly, Happy in sixth year?

GerryRyan · 01-02-2008 6:41pm

Veteran LC'er here

Just take it easy and make time to relax at the weekends. Yeah, it's important enough - but honestly I didn't kill myslef til the last 2-3 months and still managed to over-shoot the points I needed for my course.

1st mistake most people make: overly-ambitious strict study time-tables. Spread your work out with nice achievable goals and it'll be over before you know it.
And don't get caught up in this whole 'turn off your phone, cut yourself off etc' bull they give you. You dictate your own study, different methods for different students.

I stayed motivated by seeing the craic others were having in college (I did TY) and looking at the potential colleges etc And now I'm in where I wanted to be.

Cokehead Mother · 01-02-2008 6:46pm

Same thing that usually keeps me sane. Xanax and Zoloft.

katiewobbles · 01-02-2008 6:50pm

Cokehead Mother wrote: »

Same thing that usually keeps me sane. Xanax and Zoloft.

What are they?

alan4cult · 01-02-2008 7:05pm

I feel the same as the OP. I'm also looking for high points but I've lost my spark this year. I mean, I still get very high marks in class tests and that, but the stuffs not sticking like it used to.

peachesxcream · 01-02-2008 7:06pm

Making sure to have a laugh with friends at school and stuff, and just relax!! :DOh yeah and think of the fun you'll have next year!

Xhristy · 01-02-2008 8:38pm

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Yuugib · 01-02-2008 8:43pm

Lets form a club of "a lost spark" ..
same problem here

eh.. no clue of what to do.. i kind of dont care as much as i used to.. makes me afraid

aliDB · 01-02-2008 10:35pm

i did my lc last year and i know what you're talkin about. i find that everyone gets periods like that, where you just think, 'uh, really not that bothered', a loss of motivation as you say.. but i think the best thing to do is just let it pass. i mean ur bound to feel like this for a bit once in a while, especially if u'v been over-working the past while.. but by the sounds of you, ur obviously not the type of person who's going to completely lose their motivation forever - even the fact that ur worried about it shows that! so dont worry.
after a while of feeling a bit of a lay back with ur efforts/enthusiasm in school, what i find is that you start to miss your previous vigour and all of a sudden ur spark returns and you're thinkin 'god, i cant WAIT to go get back into things now'..it gives you a whole new lease of life so to speak! so, what im saying really is, don't worry, accept that you're not really fellin the 'spark' right now (!), soon enough you'll return to a zealous studious state! give yourself a break and don't wreck yourself with worry, as soon as you finish the leaving you'll realise that it wasnt such a big deal after all!
good luck!

kaki · 01-02-2008 10:52pm

My interest in school has waned during my six years in secondary school.

From 1st year ~ Getting upset over getting a B in my Christmas French exam

...

To 6th year ~ Sketching cabaret outfits for Oscar Wilde whlie my pretentious bat of an English teacher gives out "consciously erudite" obfuscated notes.

I still have my interests in school though. Sciences are my forte, because stuff like cyclotrons, positrons, the Calvin cycle, intramolecular forces, they all fascinate me, y'know? And I love Spanish (I'm so much of a geek that I have a subscription to El Pais). But, however much I'd /like/ the glory of getting 600 points, I'm not wasting time and energy faking love of or skill in certain other subjects.

I'd rather play guitar.

irish_boy90 · 02-02-2008 1:16am

am kind like KaKi

got into the A class in first year (had a 87% average, was unhappy with it lol)

generally my results go up and down, can't work hard in everything so I work in what i enjoy.
Go well in physics,applied maths and Tech drawing.
Ok in english, maths and accounting
poor in irish (been to the gealtach, can speak it and understand it well. What is messing me up in all the writing (its as much learning and writing as English)

i do get distraced while studying and play guitar.
My ipod is also my god

Yuugib · 02-02-2008 1:46am

awww.. all those predicitons that ipods will rule humans are comming true!!
Save ur selves!!

Ballerina · 03-02-2008 1:07am

plan something really fun, justa little thing even like the cinema with a group of friends or something for every four nights.

plan what you want to get done before the event and that'll be your goal.

and when your out, don't talk about the exams....study when your studying but when you not,try to completely distract yourself from thinking about them

worked great for me!!

cson · 03-02-2008 1:12am

2 Major things I did was to keep a copy of the UL Prospectus on my study desk to remind me what I was sitting there for and the second thing was to print out a large "JUNE 20TH" page and stick it up in front of me (The day I was to finish the LC).

Basically, I'd do those two things and maybe stick a few pic's up of your friends, family, whatever. Try and organise a holiday or something to look forward to in the summer, for me it was a certain music festival

Fad · 03-02-2008 1:45pm

Cokehead Mother wrote: »

Xanax and Zoloft.

DELISH
but my home made prozac needs more ice cream

TheAmateur · 03-02-2008 9:45pm

It's all so damn crazy man. Look around. It's feckin madness! Everyone has gone insane, and since insanity is defined by the majority, technically, you're insane!
Uh... hey Cokehead, can I get some of that Xanax?

Jay P · 04-02-2008 5:33pm

Boards!!!!

Fad · 04-02-2008 5:52pm

Jay P wrote: »

Boards!!!!

i concur

melboix · 22-02-2008 11:24pm

I'm not so much part of the 'lost motivation' club but more in the 'never had it to begin with' club...

I pay attention in class, do 'study' after school and whatnot, really just get the homework done for the most part! Otherwise I've not really done all that much...save for extra work in English 'cos it's something I enjoy :P I figure it'll hit me at some stage (preferably before the orals), until then haphazard note making and going to gigs at weekends is something that will continue...

Overheal · 23-02-2008 5:24am

I never had to 'stay sane' I suppose. Every Sunday was me-time and thats about it. Spent the whole day at my mates house or otherwise. Saturday was a chores day and the week was for near-fulltime schooling.

It also helps that I chose to go into 6th year I guess. The only year I ever had a perfect attendance :eek:

Timans · 23-02-2008 3:04pm

melboix wrote: »

I'm not so much part of the 'lost motivation' club but more in the 'never had it to begin with' club...

I pay attention in class, do 'study' after school and whatnot, really just get the homework done for the most part! Otherwise I've not really done all that much...save for extra work in English 'cos it's something I enjoy :P I figure it'll hit me at some stage (preferably before the orals), until then haphazard note making and going to gigs at weekends is something that will continue...

It may never 'hit' you, and if you think that you don't have to do any work until then, that's a very bad idea.

You have to do the work regardless whether it 'hits' you or not, study isn't fun, very few people enjoy it. It just has to be done.

melboix · 23-02-2008 3:51pm

Oh, no, I'm doing work just not as much as I feel I should be. I expect the load to increase regardless of whether it hits me really, I think I'd just be more enthusiastic about it if it did XD

Design_Dude · 23-02-2008 3:52pm

prison break lost and jesus

eoghan h · 24-02-2008 1:02am

^^ yup tuesday nites on tv!!
gabrielle keeps me going

and of course prison break, lost, panel, movies etc....

also getting seriously drunk twice a month

Going to Crete in June.......something to look forward to

planning leaving cert prank

nerdysal · 24-02-2008 10:32am

Fortunetly for me I don't need anything to keep me sane because I am a massive NERD (hence the name) and I love learning. But if I feel I need a break.. I love cooking or reading or listening to music!

teckoda · 24-02-2008 3:46pm

What do i do to sane sane.. hmm..

Watch House & Prison Break
Laughing about how screwed i am for exams
Taking the odd day off
Going for a few pints
Watching a good inspirational movie

Thats what keeps me going. That and caffeine. Lots of it.

mary-g · 25-02-2008 7:22pm

hey can anyone comfort me and tell me that its not that bad doing really crap in the mocks and that it'll make me study more! ive got the lc blues!:(

Xhristy · 25-02-2008 7:41pm

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mary-g · 25-02-2008 7:43pm

thank you!!! i def failer more then 2 maybe 3!! im seriouslt crappin the lc now!!! yuck!! oh well time to get down and do the dirty work!!:D

Overheal · 25-02-2008 7:59pm

mary-g wrote: »

thank you!!! i def failer more then 2 maybe 3!! im seriouslt crappin the lc now!!! yuck!! oh well time to get down and do the dirty work!!:D

and time to practice your spelling & grammar

Needs to be said - practice at every opportunity!

mary-g · 25-02-2008 8:23pm

lol thats just because i type fast and dont bother looking at the screen!! hows this?:D

Cokehead Mother · 25-02-2008 8:45pm

mary-g wrote: »

lol thats just because i type fast and dont bother looking at the screen!! hows this?:D

It was better before. More passionate.

Overheal · 25-02-2008 8:54pm

:rolleyes:

mary-g · 25-02-2008 10:40pm

hahaha! ill work on it!!

Cokehead Mother · 25-02-2008 10:48pm

Ignore the haters, mary-g. Be true to yourself!

Overheal · 25-02-2008 11:42pm

I wouldnt ignore the examiner though to be honest.

mary-g · 25-02-2008 11:57pm

lol always will be!! ill just be studying my ass off for the next few months!!

eoin2nc · 26-02-2008 12:46am

Xbox and beer, and at the moment going to Croker for the rugby matches, but last match now in two weeks, may need more beer then

Overheal · 26-02-2008 1:01am

Dare you's to give up fun for lent.

teckoda · 27-02-2008 8:06pm

Yeah true, the work does have to be done. I'm here looking for motivation and something to hit me. Although that doesn't seem to be the case, as i've just gotten worse since 5th year.

I guess all we can do is just get the work done and stop moaning about it.

Peleus · 27-02-2008 8:24pm

teckoda wrote: »

Yeah true, the work does have to be done. I'm here looking for motivation and something to hit me. Although that doesn't seem to be the case, as i've just gotten worse since 5th year.

I guess all we can do is just get the work done and stop moaning about it.

I am really not motivated to work nowadays. i did great in my junior cert. in third year i used to spend ages looking at my christmas results and determaining what subjects needed improvement and tracking my improvement in those subjects. in sixth year, i didn't even study for my christmas exams. Probably because i've grown to hate the system.

And fourth year aswell. My God! are they trying to make us fail our Leaving Cert by letting us get drunk every day and not bother doing any work for a whole year? I thought i was handling my transition in Leaving Cert well until now and im basically ****ting it.

I think the solution is to just try to do some actual study and calm down. I'm constantly sitting in front of my computer or smoking outside my window watching the time fly by me. I think maybe i need to step back and look at myself and try to become that person i was back in third year; the nerd who lived for exams. Wow, writing this out really
help to sort my mind out. Thanks!

27-02-2008 10:58pm

My friends.. who are all in college encouraging me to do well.. so I can get where they are. (Im repeating.

)

Niamhd164 · 29-02-2008 12:15am

Im in 6th year now and oh my god what a year!!!

:D

The best advice is enjoy it! It is your last year in school remember like there are more important things than study.. i work hard and study during the week but the weekends are off limits for studyin!! i go out EVERY weekend and have a great time with my friends it keeps me sane... and before people say you CANT go out during your leaving cert year i disagree.....

Just finished my mocks, we will just have to wait for the results!!!!!!:D:D:D

What keeps you sane in sixth year?

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