Do you ever have nightmares about the Leaving Cert?

DEFTLEFTHAND

I've being having a reoccuring dream the last few months about my Leaving Cert. It's late May and I've done no study and mitched classes all year, It's real vivid, my parents and teachers are getting on my case and I'm feeling really scared. After I wake up I'm in a fierce state sweating and disorientated. It takes me a good few seconds to realise it was a dream.

In reality I did ok in my exams back in 07 and got what I wanted. I never seem to dream about any college exam I took.

cantdecide

I thought I was the only one Did the leaving in '99

wretcheddomain

No, I have dreams about how well I did. Some of us actually put in hard work and achieved without the regrets haunting us in nightmares.

jetsonx

wretcheddomain wrote: »

No, I have dreams about how well I did. Some of us actually put in hard work and achieved without the regrets haunting us in nightmares.

Poor understanding of psychology there. (read, an ignorant comment to make)

People can have nightmares about life events that never actually transpired.

_Redzer_

Stop. I've gotten 4 or 5 of them over the last few years. Mine is really realistic and what happens is what I got for my leaving was actually what I got in my mocks, so I have to sit the real thing that morning, having forgotten nearly all of it. It's just the most horrible sinking feeling of "I'm going to do shít and I'm not going to get my course and I'll have to repeat!"

Fúck you LC ya dirty cúnt! :mad:

PizzamanIRL

That's not a nightmare. That sounds like great craic dossing your way through til May.

wretcheddomain

jetsonx wrote: »

Poor understanding of psychology there. (read, an ignorant comment to make)

People can have nightmares about life events that never actually transpired.

It was evidently a tongue-in-cheek remark.

_Redzer_

wretcheddomain wrote: »

No, I have dreams about how well I did. Some of us actually put in hard work and achieved without the regrets haunting us in nightmares.

I actually did well in my leaving and got a good course out of it, yet still get the odd nightmare.

Don't have to have a rod up your ass about it.

shruikan2553

Nope, never really cared that much about it.

Nailz

Put in feck all effort into it and never really looked back upon it, can't see myself having nightmares about the LC in particular as my whole attitude surrounding it at the time was virtually non-existent; one of those things I breezed over without much notice.

It's not something I would recommend as it could lead someone into the deep **** future-wise, or could take a few years of extra effort to amend that future. I did have a nightmare about college exams as recent as last week actually — I just finished my semester 1 exams a few days before it — and it was hateful, I wouldn't mind but I studied like hell for the exams and I still was stressed to the core, this was emulated in my nightmare.

keith16

I get these dreams frequently. Nothing done and exams only around the corner. Horrible.

I've heard dreams like these can be linked to stress in real life.

Pang

The odd time I have a dream about English paper two. It's the only exam I have ever had a dream about since the LC. The amount of learning for one bloody exam. I wouldn't mind but it was all useless information and highlighting notes etc... Urghh.

Mint Aero

Nah never, I've pretty much zero memories of school too. I've more important things to think about like everyday mundane stuff.

NegativeCreep

I enjoyed the leaving cert I must say. Never had a nightmare about it before, during or after!

liliq

I've had one nightmare about it, but nothing recurring.
My mam has nightmares every may, over 40 years later!

wretcheddomain

liliq wrote: »

My mam has nightmares every may, over 40 years later!

No, she doesn't, stop making that up.

Galwayguy35

It's funny when you look back and feel that as a 17 year old kid you think this is such a major event in your life.

I did the LC back in 1992, actually still have the certificate but never needed it.

Call Me Jimmy

Every so often I jolt upright in my bed, in an eyes-wide-open sweat, scared, inside screaming THERE ISN'T ENOUGH TIME LEFT TO LEARN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE.

And the relief after when it hits me that I'm **** nearly ten years clear.

Dermighty

Who gives a **** about the leaving cert?! Reality for most adults isn't some exam you sat 10 years ago!

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

I did the LC back in 1992, actually still have the certificate but never needed it.

On the dole since '92 eh?

Galwayguy35

Dermighty wrote: »

Who gives a **** about the leaving cert?! Reality for most adults isn't some exam you sat 10 years ago!



On the dole since '92 eh?

You know I was going to type what I feel like saying to you but I don't want to get banned so I'll just say I have only been 3 weeks out of work in the last 21 years.

Hope that clears it up for ya.

Teyla Emmagan

Not nightmares exactly, but I dream about it all the time. I am 20 years out of school and I must have a long, complicated dream about 6th year once a month. Last time I had decided to go back to repeat (like, now) and I kept skipping some class and was getting hysterical about it. How could I have been so stupid to go back to school and skip classes and now have only x days to learn the entire honours Irish poetry and prose syllabus?! Woke up really panicked and angry with myself.

Crazy stuff!!

sunflower27

Yep, I still dream I am going to my English exam and haven't read the books... And I did my HSC back in 1988.

I studied hard for mine and did get my first preference. But it was a very stressful time for me regardless.

Interesting so many others have similar dreams.

wexfordman2

I have two recurring dreams about my LC.

The first one is that It is starting the next day and I have zero work done for it. The first exam is notmally either Irish or history

The second is that I'm in the crowded exam Hall wearing only a pair of underpants.

I'm 42 and did my leaving cert over 25 years ago ffs you'd think I'd be over it by now

Richard Hillman

I had a nightmare IN the leaving cert if that counts

Hobbes

Just realise after 3-5 years when you leave school your leaving cert is totally meaningless (unless you have done nothing in those 3-5 years).

It's an exam which has a small impact on your life in the grand scheme of things.

marketty

Did mine ten years ago and still get these occasionally, funny kind of nightmare though as its pretty scary but the relief you get when you wake is savage!
I think the reason its a common nightmare is because for many the LC is the first big stressful event in their lives, and it happens at a very formative stage in your development, leaving a lasting mark on you.
In my own experience I actually didn't feel much stress or pressure at the time, but in the nightmares its feckin horrible

No, never

Not G.R

I thought I had a nightmare about the leaving cert once. Turns out it was just indigestion

looking_around

I dream I'm back in school and I can't find my classes \=.
Often I 'know' I'm not meant to be back there, but keep walking around aimlessly.

Princess Peach

Yes! I have a recurring dream that it's very close to exams and I haven't read the novel or play for the English paper!

I did really well in my exams 7 years ago, just reliving the stress I'd say.

a fat guy

In mine, the exam has already started, but I don't know enough to even pass. I've gone though the four years of college, like almost all of you here, but it's this particular set of exams that always get's to me.

This just goes to show how traumatising it can be for kids and how it really has to change. It's like everyone in power forgets that kids commit suicide over the Junior and Leaving certs every year.

antodeco

Did mine back in 1999. I'm always dreaming of it, and usually I'm in my primary school

Plumpynutt

Now and again yeah. It's usually always the same one where I'm massively under prepared for the maths exam and freaking out :pac:

4zn76tysfajdxp

wretcheddomain wrote: »

It was evidently a tongue-in-cheek remark.

Yes, evidently. So much evidence.

ArnoldJRimmer

Yep, usually when I,m stressed out at work. Its the usual 'exams coming up, haven't studied for anything' scenario. And walking aimlessly around the school not able to find the right room for the exam

Teyla Emmagan

Hobbes wrote: »

It's an exam which has a small impact on your life in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, clearly!!!

MurdyWurdy

I have nightmares that I'm pregnant again

/shudders

I've never dreamt about exams though. My Dad did his degree in the early seventies and he told me he still regularly has dreams that he is sitting his finals and hasn't studied.

AtomicHorror

Occasional Leaving Cert dreams, occasional college exam dreams too- but those weren't as scary. I did a postgrad and sometimes I get really stressy dreams about the viva defence where somehow I haven't done any actual research or writing up or anything.

JohnCleary

I've been having a similar dreams for almost 2 years now (maybe once a week or so)

I'm back in secondary school and i'm dossing, eventhough the leaving cert is just round the corner "must cop on and start studying or I won't get my leaving cert"

BUT, the funny thing is that in the dream, I already know I have my honours degree from uni

(I did sh1te in my leaving cert due to illness, but ended up getting my course and got a first class honours)

I'd love to get to the bottom of it or find out wtf it's supposed to mean

speedboatchase

All the time, it's always the Irish exam! The relief when I wake and realise that I'm 28

cantdecide

I have a recurring dream, maybe a few times a year that I'm at a party or other social gathering and I'm smoking fags away and cursing that I've slipped and I'm now back on them and I have to go through the whole process of giving up all over again. I'm off them ten years in January

boomerang

Always, always, always, the Irish exam!

JohnMearsheimer

I did my Leaving Cert back in 2002. I haven't had Leaving Cert dreams but I have had college exam dreams. I don't know why I was having them, I was usually quite well prepared for my college exams. I'm sitting Leaving Cert Irish again in June.