Rosanna Davison and The Leaving Cert!

JC06

Found this on skoool.ie:

In the last two weeks before the exam I was doing about 15 hours of study a day, says Rosanna Davison.


I WENT to Rathdown School in Glenageary and loved it. I was a focused student and I really wanted to do well in the Leaving Cert. I studied French, biology, home economics, art, English, Irish and maths. I hated Irish. It wasn't spoken much around my house. My dad went to school in England. I loved biology, though, and I really wanted to study physiotherapy.

Towards the end of sixth year I was convinced by my career guidance counsellor to do a general arts degree instead. That changed the pressure towards the end of my exam year, but I still blocked out everything else and became very single-minded about the Leaving. My brother says it's always obvious that I'm doing exams because I look such a mess.

I was particularly worried about maths because it's not my strength. I had a fabulous maths teacher and I got grinds so I couldn't have done much more. Still I worked very hard.

Was I stressed? More like obsessed. I used to go to the library at lunchtime between classes when everybody else was eating. I did night study at school and then I would go home and study some more. In the last two weeks before the exam I was doing about 15 hours of study a day. I ate my meals at the desk and roared at anyone who distracted me.

My poor little brother was learning the guitar at the time and I scared the life out of him whenever he tried to practise. Poor fellow, strumming away and minding his own business when his red-faced, dishevelled sister came thundering through the door. He was very cool about it.

My parents were very supportive, they certainly didn't put pressure on me. If anything, they tried to get me to do less study. They told me to watch TV and go out. I didn't. They found other ways to help, like passing plates of fruit through the door into my hermitage to minimise the kind of distraction that might drive me into a manic rage.

I would get up each day at 8am, eat breakfast, go for a walk and be back at the table for 9am. A quick check of the timetable (not one of those time-wasting creations that some people use to distract themselves, but a practical measure to get the best out of my already exhaustive day) and it was head down until bedtime. On the Saturday before the exams started, my parents insisted I go down to the pub. Reluctantly, I combed my hair and cleaned myself up and headed for the Club in Dalkey. It did me the world of good. I had one drink and a bit of a chat and went back to the desk.

The following Wednesday, I packed my bottle of water and my pristine pencil case (I was much more diligent about my stationery than my appearance), and headed back to school. The exams went well, apart from biology. They asked us to describe the dissection of a rabbit, which was most definitely not on the course. The entire country was up in arms about it. My dissected rabbit looked like a horse. I thought I was doomed. I was so upset that I just gave up on the Leaving Cert at that point, despite the fact that I still had art history to go.

The day the exams finished, my friends and I had great plans for all-night celebrations. We eased ourselves in with a trip to the cinema (Spiderman, I believe), followed by an ice cream. After that we were all so shattered that we went home. I spent the rest of the summer trying to recover.

In the end, I was delighted with my results. I got four As and three Bs. One of the As was for biology. The fuss was for nothing.

I did art history and sociology at UCD and loved every minute of it, although the going got pretty tough in second year when I won Miss World and had to travel all over the place when I was supposed to be at lectures. I finished it, however, and I still think I'll go and study physiotherapy or nutrition one of these days. I like to learn something new every year.

The best advice I can give to Leaving Cert students this week is to get some exercise - it's much better than watching TV because it clears your head and fills it with oxygen instead of more information, which is the last thing you need right now.

Rosanna Davison is a former Miss World and a model

15 hours a day :eek:

Cokehead Mother

Crazy woman.

helimachoptor

I'd have been lucky to have done 15 hours a week! But thankfully it came very easy to me and I did pretty damn well.

Caoimhe89

It was in the Irish Times yesterday too, I think. She was CRAZY. I mean, studying in the library at lunch times and 15 hours a day of study? And an hour walk in the morning. So she was basically getting up at 8, studying from 9 to midnight, apparently without breaks, and then sleeping again till 8. What kind of life is that? I've done like max 8 hour days these past two weeks... with an average of about 5 hours.

I actually cannot imagine 15 hours straight study...

JC06

Caoimhe89 wrote: »

It was in the Irish Times yesterday too, I think. She was CRAZY. I mean, studying in the library at lunch times and 15 hours a day of study? And an hour walk in the morning. So she was basically getting up at 8, studying from 9 to midnight, apparently without breaks, and then sleeping again till 8. What kind of life is that? I've done like max 8 hour days these past two weeks... with an average of about 5 hours.

I actually cannot imagine 15 hours straight study...

I know! I'd imagine it could be a bit counter productive, I mean for how many hours of these 15 was she actually concentrating? Madness.....

Caoimhe89

JC06 wrote: »

I know! I'd imagine it could be a bit counter productive, I mean for how many hours of these 15 was she actually concentrating? Madness.....

If she has anything like my concentration levels, it's max about three or four hours concentration and then nothing. And she got a pretty good LC (3As, 4Bs) But for that amount of work you'd want like 8A1s!

Steve_o

I didn't even do 15hrs all year, and look where it got me.... 3rd year in college, Me 1 - 0 the System!

D.Q

thats ridiculous....

no one can study that much, I wont believe it haha

she must be like the perfect person, imagine how proud her parents are?

Peleus

what a legend

dalyboy

Rosanna is a very worthy Miss World and there was really really no brown envelopes or manipulations of a one Bruce Forsyth. She is really nice looking person who leaves her face on her pillow every morning after the make up is soaked. She seems a really genuine person not in any way someone who looks down on people who have not been blessed with a leg up by Daddy. I really like her and love the way Irish society keeps on reading and talking about her !!!!

implausible

dalyboy wrote: »

Rosanna is a very worthy Miss World and there was really really no brown envelopes or manipulations of a one Bruce Forsyth. She is really nice looking person who leaves her face on her pillow every morning after the make up is soaked. She seems a really genuine person not in any way someone who looks down on people who have not been blessed with a leg up by Daddy. I really like her and love the way Irish society keeps on reading and talking about her !!!!

Rosanna, have you been googling yourself again? Check the dates next time, love!

Chuchoter

15 hours of study, call school 7 hours, that leaves a 2 hours to sleep and eat.
I'd be pissed if I did all that and I only got 4 As. **** I want 15 As for that level of study.

MikeHough

crayolastereo wrote: »

15 hours of study, call school 7 hours, that leaves a 2 hours to sleep and eat.
I'd be pissed if I did all that and I only got 4 As. **** I want 15 As for that level of study.

ah comon now.no need to exaggerate.she obviously didnt have school those days or included it as 7hrs of the 15. she wud actually be dead if she had 2 hrs of sleep a day lik...

randylonghorn

"Was I stressed? More like obsessed. I used to go to the library at lunchtime between classes when everybody else was eating. I did night study at school and then I would go home and study some more. In the last two weeks before the exam I was doing about 15 hours of study a day. I ate my meals at the desk and roared at anyone who distracted me."



I'd say she was lucky not to have a breakdown before the exams ... some of the behaviour she reports suggests it wasn't too far off tbh.

Study is essential, of course it is, but so is exercise, good diet, relaxation, proper sleep ... balance, in fact.

pajero12

Your not in school the last 2 weeks before exams!

spurious

I suppose it depends what you call study.

surfergirl92

randylonghorn wrote: »

"Was I stressed? More like obsessed. I used to go to the library at lunchtime between classes when everybody else was eating. I did night study at school and then I would go home and study some more. In the last two weeks before the exam I was doing about 15 hours of study a day. I ate my meals at the desk and roared at anyone who distracted me."



I'd say she was lucky not to have a breakdown before the exams ... some of the behaviour she reports suggests it wasn't too far off tbh.

Study is essential, of course it is, but so is exercise, good diet, relaxation, proper sleep ... balance, in fact.

I couldn't agree more!The stress you put your body,mind & soul under by studying that amount is just un-natural.Balance is key,I learned the hard way!!I'm going to unwind in the sun now,and think about,absolutely nothing at all :D

2Scoops

Did she do all honours?

Gercakeage

15 hours study?! ah i smell BS! :pac: :cool:

phasers

I think she forgot the decimal point, she meant 1.5 hours of study a day.

Gercakeage

phasers wrote: »

I think she forgot the decimal point, she meant 1.5 hours of study a day.