Enough of the media rubbish, give us your REAL leaving cert stories

rubensni

It's that time of year again, you can't open a newspaper or turn on a TV or radio without hearing about the greatest Irish shibboleth. The coverage is non-stop, but the media yahoos are never just content with announcing that the results are out - escalating the pressure on the poor bastards getting their grades to stratospheric levels by alerting aunts across the land that wee Jane in Carlow is all grown up and off to the dole office. No, they have to give us play by play analysis breaking down how the kids are either getting thicker if they do badly, or lucky recipients of grade inflation if they do well. Talk about pressure!

So how was it for you? Did you end up in a cell, or in the Aras for getting 601 points?

Trashbat

I had a handy trick for my leaving (long time ago):

I looked at the question, and in the space provided for answers, wrote the correct answer corresponding to said question. Simples.

chin_grin

My REAL Leaving Cert story?

I closed my eyes, pointed and wrote down the first college course I found on the CAO form. (Same for second and third).

I did the exams and lived in the moment, studying then cramming a few nights before each one and not thinking how important these exams could be in changing my future.

I have since dropped out of a science course, but have done a few courses in IT cos my mind wasn't open to "here's all the things you could do if you wanted" opposed to "college is just a level on from secondary and hence you'll have to do the same subjects, only tougher."

I was quite naive.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

i always laugh every year when students complain about how hard the leaving cert is, you teens must be thick as pig****.. it gets easier every few years. you'd all probably **** yourselves if you saw the papers I had to do even as recent as 2001, I don't even want to talk about the papers my parents had to do when they finished school. I remember looking at them when i was younger, they were more complicated that **** you'd do in college these days.

whadabouchasir

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

i always laugh every year when students complain about how hard the leaving cert is, you teens must be thick as pig****.. it gets easier every few years. you'd all probably **** yourselves if you saw the papers I had to do even as recent as 2001, I don't even want to talk about the papers my parents had to do when they finished school. I remember looking at them when i was younger, they were more complicated that **** you'd do in college these days.

I hate young people too.

alwaysadub

Can hardly remember it was so long ago. Already had the qualifications for what i wanted to do at the time and had been given a place in college cos of it so wasn't too bothered bout my results. Which were piss poor in comparsion to a lot tbh.
Ended up not going to college anyway and stayed in the job i'd been working part time in!

Wolfe Tone

Well Im happy with my results today, all going well I should be doing law in DCU soon.

I went in, grabbed my results, and bailed off back to the car where I opened them. Myself and the mother added up the points then.

Big piss up tonight most probably.

Sugar Free

I came into the school with my mates, looked at my results and laughed at at all the scaremongering involved in the Leaving Cert.

I didn't have a special gift of foresight, I just saw it for what it was even then as an eighteenyear old, a very straightforward exam that requires little understanding in most of the subjects.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

whadabouchasir wrote: »

I hate young people too.

I'm so old

kev9100

I just got my points. 420:D:D:D

Town is going to be an absolute war-zone tonight.

Notorious97

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Well Im happy with my results today, all going well I should be doing law in DCU soon.

I went in, grabbed my results, and bailed off back to the car where I opened them. Myself and the mother added up the points then.

Big piss up tonight most probably.

didnt realise you were only doing the leaving now! younger and smarter than alot of people on this forum haha congrats on the results, have a good night out if you head out

Done mine in 2001, we wont even go there, thankfully i made up for it in college and got a good degree, job im in now hasnt much to do with college though, pays well so cant complain in recession!

SomethingElse

Leaving Cert results day would be so much more fun if it were a game of Assassins, except where you get to keep the points of the person you assassinate :cool:

derfderf

kev9100 wrote: »

I just got my points. 420:D:D:D

Town is going to be an absolute war-zone tonight.

fair play to you kev.
I never even added up my points, passed 6 and failed one that i never bothered doing the project for and left the test after 15 minutes.

Wolfe Tone

Notorious97 wrote: »

didnt realise you were only doing the leaving now! younger and smarter than alot of people on this forum haha congrats on the results, have a good night out if you head out

Done mine in 2001, we wont even go there, thankfully i made up for it in college and got a good degree, job im in now hasnt much to do with college though, pays well so cant complain in recession!

Cheers chara, will be a messy evening I say!

Philsopher

derfderf wrote: »

fair play to you kev.
I never even added up my points, passed 6 and failed one that i never bothered doing the project for and left the test after 15 minutes.

That's strange, seeing as you're not allowed to leave any LC exam until 30 minutes have elapsed... :rolleyes:

Stacks Mad

Philsopher wrote: »

That's strange, seeing as you're not allowed to leave any LC exam until 30 minutes have elapsed... :rolleyes:

He's too cool for school !!! C'mon!!

kev9100

derfderf wrote: »

fair play to you kev.
I never even added up my points, passed 6 and failed one that i never bothered doing the project for and left the test after 15 minutes.

Cheers

It really is one of the weirdest feelings ever when you open the envolope and start looking at the results.

ldxo15wus6fpgm

Philsopher wrote: »

That's strange, seeing as you're not allowed to leave any LC exam until 30 minutes have elapsed... :rolleyes:

Yes because they upheld that rule so strictly.

A guy out of my English class walked in to paper 2, opened the booklet, wrote his exam number, read through the questions, closed it and handed it up and walked out. Not sure how he did overall :pac:

starlit

I was delighted with mine going back to '04! Never thought I'd do so well, what grades and points I got was more or less what I expected but had a few nice surprising shocking grades! The points I got was realistic if I had reached too high that would have been unrealistic of my abilities to be honest. I could have achieved that but I was under enough stress as I was trying to do three honours, four passes and LCVP (8 subjects) could have done another honour instead of a pass subject but felt the pressure would be too much. I went with what subjects I would do well in honours and what I could do in pass, one subject could have done honours but did pass in it so as not too get too much more added stress as I was already doing LCVP as back up.

I was thrilled with my Geography as it was my best subject and my favourite! I never expected to do so well in my Maths though while I thought I could have done better in the English and Business but they were probably my hardest exams that time. Irish and French would be about the right result. I did LCVP too, quiet a reasonable result that would have matched my capabilities. Did grand in the Home Economics thought it was about right what I got. Got higher points in my actual leaving cert than in the mocks so that was good achievement!

I got enough points and got the grades I needed to get into the course I wanted. There were other courses I could have done, but didn't want to leave home at the time and the other course I'd have done I didn't get enough points for. I was accepted for both a National Certificate and a Degree so I went with the cert as I wanted to go the step by step system thinking it would be easier than going directly into a degree. I often wonder did I make the right decision, got a couple of qualifications alright but still think there was alot more study and work involved doing the step by step than doing an actual degree. Just not sure if doing so many different variety subjects compared to specialising in a couple of them is any better though??

Going back to the day I got mine, I cried with joy and happiness that I passed all my subjects, got what I wanted, proved to my family I could do it, reached beyond their expectations of me and that I didn't have to repeat a subject/year!! :cool:

KnifeWRENCH

LC Results day was the biggest anticlimax ever for me. I was only 17 (and didn't look 18) so wouldn't have got in anywhere if I tried going out. On top of that I was absolutely knackered.

So while everyone else was out getting pissed for the night, I was in bed asleep by about 9pm.

I was happy with my results at the time. Looking back though, I think I could have done a little better.

RachPie

I was dead proud of myself, missed 2 months + of school due to illness, and got 450 points. Got the second choice on my CAO form, but now I'm really glad I did. Student two years on, and never happier - was worth all the stress & worry

WindSock

I was quite pleased with my results, considering I did fk all for it. I did become awesome on the guitar instead. That afternoon of my results I took it upon myself that I no longer needed my brain so proceeded to destroy it with the abuse of numerous substances. 10 years later now I need some of my brain back. Only back studying now, in the meantime I had a ball while my mates were stuck in courses they hated. Don't worry if you didn't get the points you needed for the course you think you might like. Take some time out and enjoy your freedom and think about what you really want to do would be my advice, then go back to it when you are ready.

babyfratelli_x

I also seemed to realise that the leavin cert was blown out of all proportion.
Am a very relaxed person, so did a bit of study before my mocks, passed them all and got the points needed for my course.

So did a little more work in between, never got stressed, went out a lot, and went up about 30 or 40 points from my mocks, ended up with 415.

Results day, landed over at the school around 11 with 2 friends, got my results, and was delighted, coz did really really well in maths and another subject which i didnt expect

(Also got a lower grade in Geo, that I wasnt pleased with, but never bothered gettin it rechecked, coz i knew i more than likely got my course )

So yeah, really enjoyed the day, went on the piss with all my friends and had a class day overall

Morlar

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Well Im happy with my results today, all going well I should be doing law in DCU soon.

I went in, grabbed my results, and bailed off back to the car where I opened them. Myself and the mother added up the points then.

Big piss up tonight most probably.

Congrats on that !

Minstrel27

Philsopher wrote: »

That's strange, seeing as you're not allowed to leave any LC exam until 30 minutes have elapsed... :rolleyes:

Really? I left one exam after 20 minutes.

Diabhal Beag

300 points. Did no work this year and quickly learned that I don't care for school. I will get in somewhere but I don't care about what I got in the Leaving anymore.

MY ENGLISH WAS MARKED SO ****ING HARD. I DESERVED AT LEAST A ****ING C3!!!!!!

SeaFields

Looking back I could have done better. I tended to focus on the subjects I liked for study and neglected the others. Got my university course and did quite well once I got to third level.

However, I missed out, by 20 points, the course I really want. The following year the same course dropped by 60 points. Always made me wonder how life would have turned out had my timing (or grades) been better. Particularly in the ol' recession.

SeaFields

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Really? I left one exam after 20 minutes.

I left an exam after 30 minutes....but i was finished. :cool: B1 pass maths.

Scuid Mhór

my name is jack bauer. i'm a leaving cert student. my exams have just finished and i failed all my subjects. both the students i work with and the state examinations commission might be involved in a cover-up to stop me from getting six hundred points. this is going to be the longest day of my life.

coffee_cake

I couldn't go out as I was too young, so ended up getting a bottle with a couple friends and drinking at theirs
Not much scandal

dr.bollocko

kev9100 wrote: »

I just got my points. 420:D:D:D

Town is going to be an absolute war-zone tonight.

...
Which town?