Leaving Cert hype???

ilovebiology

We all did the Leaving Cert, and were nervous doing it. What gets on my nerves is that when students get into college then, alot of them get no grinds, no help from lecturers, (Are not "Spoonfed") and its all up to yourself whether you want to pass your exams or not. As a result, many first year college students either fail or drop out.

There is such hype every year about the Leaving Cert, and when students get into college they are lost, as like I said many either drop put or fail. The hardest exams I ever did were my exams in college particularly my finals......there is no hype about college exams, and how difficult they are, and they lack of help from lecturers in college etc. Does this annoy anyone else every June?

IvySlayer

Well, tbh, my college exams were easier than the Leaving Cert because I enjoyed what I did in college.

ilovebiology

IvySlayer wrote: »

Well, tbh, my college exams were easier than the Leaving Cert because I enjoyed what I did in college.

I enjoyed my course in college as well. Some people find the Leaving Cert the most difficult exams they will ever do, and its an individual opinion to everyone. I just can't stand teh hype that surrounds it every year, and then what happens to them in first year in college?!!

Bloody Nipples

College exams can realistically be studied for in 6-8 weeks.
And I'm in bed while my brother is leaving for English Paper I so i'm finding it hard to be jealous :pac:

ilovebiology

The course I did in college was very tough. Monday to Friday 9 to 5, with course work to be done as we went along continous assessment, lab reports, labs etc. It might just be me, but during the Leaving Cert year there is a ridiculous amount of help available to any student ie grinds, revision courses, expensive private schools for the Leaving Cert.

It makes me laugh in a way, alot of them think when they have the Leaving Cert done they are over the worst, when the hard part id ahead of them! Its my opinion anyways!

Doop

Hype ???? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

The leaving cert is the MOST important exam you will EVER do.

It will determine what you spend the rest of your life doing..

Rar rar rar
:P

IvySlayer

ilovebiology wrote: »

I enjoyed my course in college as well. Some people find the Leaving Cert the most difficult exams they will ever do, and its an individual opinion to everyone. I just can't stand teh hype that surrounds it every year, and then what happens to them in first year in college?!!

I remember in 2006 when I was walking to school in my uniform and the amount of people wishing me luck. Most of them strangers!

The LC is more than an exam, it's the first step towards their next stage of life. College/work.

Ilovebiology, I really don't know what you're saying here, you seem more than happy to point out ,'Ohh what I have to do is a lot harder than them damn LC students!'

They'll find out

College is much more independant.

DazMarz

The Leaving Cert is hyped up t'fúck. It's a memory test more than anything; remember this, that and the other, regurgitate it up on to a blank piece of paper and Robert's your father's brother.

I got a very good score in my Leaving, and I spent most of 5th/6th year drinking and gambling/playing poker... go figure. What frightens me is, what could I have gotten if I'd been bothered...

ilovebiology

I agree with both of you above completely. I cannot stand the hype of the entire thing every year though. I mean if you don't get the course of your choice, there is the next course you choose on your COA form. A student can also repeat, and get as "Spoonfed" as much as they want.

Its not the case in college. You can repeat exams over the Summer, which may leave a student only working part time over the Summer, and then they may not pass the exams. So, the student is left with less money going into repeating the year, and will have to pay money to repeat the year....its alot more difficult

Leaving Cert :rolleyes:

Anna Molly

I spent two years freaking out about that bloody exam, studying like a mo'fo. I remember **** all of it now, this was three years ago, tbh I couldn't tell you what I did for comparative studies.
It's all a massive memory test, at the time I could write down any given page or piece of information you wanted to know. The hype scares the **** out of students, makes them nervous and **** up. In my school, when it came to the LC one student was so nervous that he literally kept ****tin himself!

Then you go to college, there's no pressure, you booze your way through first year, realize you don't have to be up at 7am and thus you fcuk up! I hated my original course, was far too simple after the LC so I dropped out.

For my last exams I basically started studying the week before, and I did pretty damn great! [:

FCUK YOU, LEAVING CERT!

Tefral

Its not actually a test of knowledge, its a test of how much you can remember...

The leaving was the biggest anticlimax, it felt like doing normal summer exams.

I went from a "grinds" school to do Chemistry and Physics teaching in Ul, i dropped out after 6months, because i just went mad. I took a year out, reapplied to the CAO and went and did quantity Surveying. My college exams were harder than any leaving cert..

If you dont do well in your leaving its not the end of the world, afterall there is more than one way of skinning a cat

I dunno. The material I covered this year was fairly intense stuff but I would rather have 10 times more Human Physiology and Physical Pharmacy than look at Peig ever again.

ilovebiology

cronin_j wrote: »

Its not actually a test of knowledge, its a test of how much you can remember...

The leaving was the biggest anticlimax, it felt like doing normal summer exams.

I went from a "grinds" school to do Chemistry and Physics teaching in Ul, i dropped out after 6months, because i just went mad. I took a year out, reapplied to the CAO and went and did quantity Surveying. My college exams were harder than any leaving cert..

If you dont do well in your leaving its not the end of the world, afterall there is more than one way of skinning a cat

I agree completely, so much choice for Leaving Cert students. Like if they don't get their first choice they can get their second choice etc. College exams in my opinion ALOT harder

Einstein

Theres no point saying the LC isn't important, it is...cos if you don't do well yer folks will burst ye..:P

But in reality, there's soooo many PLC courses and things that can be done to give you access to your desired course, should you not do well in the LC these days.
The stress and pressure thats thrown on school leavers when it comes to LC is just insane...

4zn76tysfajdxp

Deleted User wrote: »

I dunno. The material I covered this year was fairly intense stuff but I would rather have 10 times more Human Physiology and Physical Pharmacy than look at Peig ever again.

Is Peig still on the curriculum? It wasn't in my day.

ilovebiology

Einstein wrote: »

The stress and pressure thats thrown on school leavers when it comes to LC is just insane...

It is, but on the flip side of the coin, the amount of help students can get in their Leaving Cert year is just as "Insane" in a way....in college there is no help whatsoever!

Einstein

ilovebiology wrote: »

It is, but on the flip side of the coin, the amount of help students can get in their Leaving Cert year is just as "Insane" in a way....in college there is no help whatsoever!

wow, you went to a shít college

ilovebiology

Einstein wrote: »

wow, you went to a shít college

I went to university in Dublin

ilovebiology

ilovebiology wrote: »

It is, but on the flip side of the coin, the amount of help students can get in their Leaving Cert year is just as "Insane" in a way....in college there is no help whatsoever!

Did you go to a bad college or something? We had lecturers with open door policies who were more than happy to help out with anything.
I hated when I did the LC and hearing "oh this is the most important exam you'll ever do". Like hell it was. Barely qualifies as a 2 year course anyway.

ilovebiology

I'm not saying there was no help in college, there was alot less than what was available to a Leaving Cert student!

Einstein

i'm with bluewolf on this one...I had more than plenty of help if needed.

Remember, your in college, your supposed to be an adult and think for yourself...it's assumed you want to be there. Therefore they assume that your big and bold enough to seek help if you need it.

ilovebiology

ilovebiology wrote: »

I'm not saying there was no help in college, there was alot less than what was available to a Leaving Cert student!

How? There were grinds, tutorials, lecturers. I probably had more help in college than I did in the LC. I certainly don't think I could catch teachers in between classes and look for help!
In any case LC students are younger and maybe they need more guidance. By the time you get to uni you're an adult and you're supposed to take responsibility. There's lots of help there, you just need to be a bit more active in seeking it out.

ilovebiology

bluewolf wrote: »

How? There were grinds, tutorials, lecturers. I probably had more help in college than I did in the LC. I certainly don't think I could catch teachers in between classes and look for help!
In any case LC students are younger and maybe they need more guidance. By the time you get to uni you're an adult and you're supposed to take responsibility. There's lots of help there, you just need to be a bit more active in seeking it out.

In the first year of my course, there were additional grinds available in ONE subject, but no other subjects. 2nd, 3rd, and final year this additional help did not exist. I remember in my final year, asking my lecturer on a number of occasions about my thesis, I got no help, and was told to go to the library....no help....Final year, very little help....this was 20 times harder than any Leaving Cert

ilovebiology

ilovebiology wrote: »

In the first year of my course, there were additional grinds available in ONE subject, but no other subjects. 2nd, 3rd, and final year this additional help did not exist. I remember in my final year, asking my lecturer on a number of occasions about my thesis, I got no help, and was told to go to the library....no help....Final year, very little help....this was 20 times harder than any Leaving Cert

You went to TCD didnt you

ilovebiology

bluewolf wrote: »

You went to TCD didnt you

I won't disclose which university I attended.....I might scare the Leaving Cert students hoping to go to the college I went to!

I think you'd be better off disclosing what university it was so that the LC students won't worry that it's every university.

The Leaving Cert is not the be all and end all. I studied absolutely feck all for mine, hated most of my subjects but was forced to do them, and got a mediocre score. But I still went to college and completed my course, with the possibility of being in a better position than those who scored higher marks.

And if you don't get what you want? Screw it. A person should not have to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives at ages 16-18. There's some ludicrous about that.

KittyeeTrix

My son has gone off this morning to sit his JC and honestly he's not really arsed....I'm hoping that he will have matured a bit by time his LC rolls around as he says he would like to do science in NUIG as I'm currently doing.

I could if I wanted get him grinds and hold his hand along the way, but I haven chosen not to, as I have seen firsthand how many students flounder when they get into 1st year college and fail.

If he gets there on his own accord, I believe he will be able to withstand the pace and not be one of the science statistics which drop out or fail!! If not he will have the opportunity to go back as a mature student and get a decent degree at that stage which will actually be worth something.......:)

bonerm

The Leaving Cert is the new Junior Cert.

A degree is the new Leaving Cert.

A Ph.D is the new Inter Cert.

piby

The LC was just a massive anti-climax. You sweat and worry and work your ass for a couple of months and then you sit it and its no different to any other exam in school. Once you get English out of the way it's really quite relaxed. Most of the pressure comes from parents and the media. The latter is particularly bad. I opened some papers this morning and was met with the word 'D-Day' too many times to mention!

As for college I would say that the exams are considerably harder but you're doing something you enjoy and you're not having to spread yourself across so many diverse subjects. The problem is that college is assumed to be relatively easy so people come out of the LC expecting to be spoonfed and get firsts. College is meant to be hard but this has been forgotten by the sheer number of people going into it these days. At the end of the day if you have a problem you as an adult go look for the help. True sometimes the lecturers couldn't be bothered but in some ways that's part of the learning process. When you go on to work in a real job you can't be running to your supervisor every two minutes asking for help!

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote: »

How? There were grinds, tutorials, lecturers. I probably had more help in college than I did in the LC. I certainly don't think I could catch teachers in between classes and look for help!
In any case LC students are younger and maybe they need more guidance. By the time you get to uni you're an adult and you're supposed to take responsibility. There's lots of help there, you just need to be a bit more active in seeking it out.

I think perhaps he means there's no spoon feeding in college. It was even difficult to get help when you wanted it at the 3 universities I attended (TCD, Imperial and a Spanish uni), it was just assumed that you'd work it out for yourself, and that was fine with me. The only thing I had an issue with was the lack of essay feedback in Trinity - totally pointless to keep making the same mistakes because nobody pointed them out. The whole idea of college is to improve. I got essay marks in the 50's all through college, even though I got firsts in all the exams, because I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I came to Imperial in London, got some great feedback back in October and have been getting firsts in all my essays ever since. So yeah. I think TCD sucks in that way. My department did, anyway.

Mayoegian

cronin_j wrote: »

Its not actually a test of knowledge, its a test of how much you can remember...

The leaving was the biggest anticlimax, it felt like doing normal summer exams.

I went from a "grinds" school to do Chemistry and Physics teaching in Ul, i dropped out after 6months, because i just went mad. I took a year out, reapplied to the CAO and went and did quantity Surveying. My college exams were harder than any leaving cert..

If you dont do well in your leaving its not the end of the world, afterall there is more than one way of skinning a cat

While that is true to some extent in regards to History, Geography etc. You cannot say that about Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Irish, French and the like. TBH, people speak about learning things off and regurgitating them on a sheet of paper, but it is necessary to do that for some sections of the course.
Try going into a history exam without learning off an essay-it's impossible to do. Unfortunately, there seems to be no other way of testing a person's knowledge on that particular subject. So, while what you say is true, you have to look deeper than that and appreciate all the facts involved.

[quote=[Deleted User];66303735] So yeah. I think TCD sucks in that way. My department did, anyway.[/QUOTE]

Couldn't agree more - that's why I guessed the poster went to TCD. I went to NUIM and as I said, we got a lot of help and the lecturers were more than happy to have an open door policy for my depts. Didn't mind us dropping in any time. However I did sit a couple of modules in TCD and I found the maths/thyphs lecturers extraordinarily unhelpful. Two were incomprehensible, one of those yelled a lot, and the dept head kept letting us know he was too busy and important for lecturing and got a substitute in half the time (who was better and more help). Made it clear if we had any problems, it was up to us. Asked further - "ask your friends". Finally some brave soul said "what if our friends don't know either?" - cue much eye rolling, put-upon sighing, and a reluctant offer that she should come by his office later.
I have no time for that nonsense tbh, lecturers are there to teach and I don't care if they're there to research and have a minimum of teaching hours - they should still teach. I ended up asking a favourite NUIM lecturer for help instead, he was lovely!

markwho

bluewolf wrote: »

Couldn't agree more - that's why I guessed the poster went to TCD. I went to NUIM and as I said, we got a lot of help and the lecturers were more than happy to have an open door policy for my depts. Didn't mind us dropping in any time. However I did sit a couple of modules in TCD and I found the maths/thyphs lecturers extraordinarily unhelpful. Two were incomprehensible, one of those yelled a lot, and the dept head kept letting us know he was too busy and important for lecturing and got a substitute in half the time (who was better and more help). Made it clear if we had any problems, it was up to us. Asked further - "ask your friends". Finally some brave soul said "what if our friends don't know either?" - cue much eye rolling, put-upon sighing, and a reluctant offer that she should come by his office later.
I have no time for that nonsense tbh, lecturers are there to teach and I don't care if they're there to research and have a minimum of teaching hours - they should still teach. I ended up asking a favourite NUIM lecturer for help instead, he was lovely!

Yeah. Couldn't be more right about the maths/TP department in trinity. Found it nearly impossible. And it was mainly because of the lecturers. There'd be a really hard problem, and they'd just look at you as if how could you not know how to do that. Was crazy really. Dropped out after a year, after I was told I had to repeat every subject after failing one subject. A load of bull**** really, why would I repeat subjects I got firsts in.
Going to Maynooth this year, hopefully that'll be better

furtzy

**** just realised its 20 years since i did mine. It was definitely the hardest exam I ever did. College exams were so much more relaxed and being away from home helped...no pressure from my folks

markwho

markwho wrote: »

Going to Maynooth this year, hopefully that'll be better

I couldn't recommend maynooth more highly!
good luck

**** them. Look at all the J1's and trips to Thailand they are going to have. Plus college drinking. Come on. Envious of them having first year.

Kiwi_knock

Certainly not the hardest exams you will ever do but they are the most important.

I actually do not believe that they are the most important, but they are branded that by parents and the media. While my parents were quite relaxed with regard to the Leaving, I had friends whose parents were the exact opposite. Putting pressure on them and making them seriously stress.
The media put way too much emphasis on it and scrutinise the exams way too much. Joe Duffy will be flooded with calls about the exam as parents and students disect the exam. Say some 6th year did bad in English paper 1 and are feeling depressed, the last thing they want is the media giving the exams so much media coverage. Certainly not fair on students that the exams are dominated by the media.
The statement I made at the start of this post is how the Leaving Cert will be continued to be viewed as by the majority. That it decides your future and if you do not do well you have no future. It is a ludicrous thought but one that is believed by a majority of students.

Nidot

I have to completely disagree.

The leaving cert is the hardest thing I ever did.

I went to college, completed my degree, got a post grad masters and I'm currently studying for professional exams, and none of these compare to the pressure and the underlying stress of the LC.

I think people all look through rose tinted spectacles when they look back at the leaving cert.

I'd never go back and do it again, never.

Funkstard

There's also a big difference in doing exams at age 16-18 compared to your finals when you've matured and have experience in pressure exams to find confidence in. I think the Leaving was the hardest thing I've ever done. A complete marathon and I'll never forget it. College work on the other hand is (hopefully) work you enjoy and are interested in learning about.

Where I am (UL) help is at hand if you need it...but do you really think that level of babysitting for exams should be given to adults who are doing their finals?

Royale with Cheese

I've basically done 2 different degrees, and both were a piece of piss compared to the leaving cert. I studied (well attempted to study but usually ended up staring at the wall) for the leaving cert for most of 6th year, and ended up with an ok but not amazing amount of points. In college I could miss half my lectures, do 3 days study for a module and still get an A.

Too many subjects, it's very difficult to go from Maths to English to German etc. Far too much to remember, most of it is a giant memory test and the amount of stuff you have to remember is ridiculous. I would say that it's a load of shíte but a lot of the college exams I did were the same (memory test) on a smaller scale.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

I found college to be a piece of piss, was hardly in and still passed.

It's a challenge, it's meant to be a challenge so people will learn something about life, can't be spoonfed all through life.

Also, teachers must pass the students, it's their job to teach. A lecture simply has to recite what he knows, he doesn't care as much if they pass or not. This is my idea of it. I could be wrong too

rossie1977

well i never did a LC, dropped out of school the year before, went and did an ncva level 2 course which allowed me to go to college, got a 1st class hons degree (only 4 others out of 125 students got that overall mark), got a hons masters and 1st in my grad dip

looking back i think dropping out of school was a good thing, i wouldn't have lasted 6 months in college had i gone there straight from school, half my class had nearly dropped out by the end of first year

SarahBM

I think I can honestly say LC was the worst year of my life. but I put a lot of pressure on myself because I was so desperate to get enough point. I think its the CAO system that makes the LC so bad. It was by no means the hardest set of exams I ever sat. but definitely the most stressful. and what sucks the most is that, when you go to college your basically told forget what you learned in school, doesn't apply here. College is a totally different way of learning, and what your learning is RELEVANT!!!!

that's what I hated most about LC, most of the subjects were boring and irrelevant.

College, though way harder is more enjoyable and rewarding because you are doing subjects (mostly) that you like or love.

LC students RELAX and don't believe the hype. there is a life after the LC.

the only reason you do the LC is to get into college. other than that it is of no use to you. when you go for a job you will never be asked what did you get in you Irish paper 2.

Im finished college on friday. 5 years and I made it!!! \o/
I you survive the LC you can survive anything!

CrazyRabbit

Despite getting very good leaving cert results, I don't even mention it on my CV.

The only reason to do well in the leaving cert is to get accepted into 3rd level. Very little of what you learn in secondary has any practical use later on.

All those hours learning Irish, geography, history, complex mathmatical theories/functions, religion etc and I use none of it in my day-to-day life.

IM0

DazMarz wrote: »

The Leaving Cert is hyped up t'fúck. It's a memory test more than anything; remember this, that and the other,

what they dont tell you is college is more or less the same thing...just at a higher level, your still learning stuff because someone said so and thats the right way to answer the question or else. its all a scam sham :pac:

El Siglo

Well I did alright out of my leaving, could have done better if I was pushed in some sort of direction and not just the "get as many points and pass Irish & Maths".
All in all, if you want to go somewhere you will, the leaving cert is just that piece of shit state exam from the 1970s that likes to cloud your judgement. Absolutely meaningless, if you're hardworking and have some intellect you'll be grand.
I used to tutor people in second year and third year of university, some got well over 500 points but it didn't make a difference when they couldn't understand something.

BUGS_DRUNNY

TBH it is not a great system(but what is?) its bot the end of the world if you don't do well.
It does however hamper some people entering they're field of choice, for example someone who wants to becoma a doctor, has to basically get an A in all subjects to get straight in thats just wrong imo!
As some of the subjects will be of little relevance to the profession!

That is the main bit i don't like!

minidazzler

I'm a college drop out, partly because I hated the course, but alot of the reasons I hated it were based on the fact that it took me forever to get my bearings.

I had no idea what to expect going to college, all I was told is that it was important I got into college, not how to survive a course.

Yes, alot of people make it on their own easily enough, but I was from a school that had like 250 pupils, the highest number of people in any of my classes was 12, and that was a large amount compared to most that had between 2 and 6.

To be cast into a class with 40 people, and not even knowing what the curve looked like, never mind saying following it, was really not in my best interest IMO.

I would be far more prepared if I went to college today, but I can't afford it now, after already dropping out.

banshee_bones

Sky Shy Babble wrote: »

Is Peig still on the curriculum? It wasn't in my day.

She was in 2003 when I did the LC anyway! :pac:

El Siglo

banshee_bones wrote: »

She was in 2003 when I did the LC anyway! :pac:

That was also the year that I broke my leg in two places and had to have a plate and screws put in.:pac:

Serves me right for looking at a football match...;)

orourkeda

IvySlayer wrote: »

Well, tbh, my college exams were easier than the Leaving Cert because I enjoyed what I did in college.

This is the key. Rather than being spoonfed as the OP suggests I felt force fed at times in secondary and was bored stupid