midsummer madness - LC worry edition

Disorganised Disaster

It's summer and I'm having an absolute ball and yet with the prospect of sixth year hanging over me it's hard to relax fully.
I had so many plans to study over the summer, to sort out my notes and to make up for the gaping holes in the stuff I actually learned last year. Unfortunately this couldn't be further from what I've been getting up to!

Lads I'm petrified?

How do people manage to stay sane during sixth year when I'm already feeling stressed even thinking about it? How do people keep on top of the work? How do people cope with the reality that their previous expectations (or that the expectations others have for them) are utterly unrealistic?

And then, adding to the burden of needing to study is the, what seems like extreme pressure to me, of the CAO? I don't know what I want to do with my future and no one I've spoken to so far has been able to give me any conclusive advice?

Any responses would be fab... Even totally unrelated ones? It's half twelve and I need comforting or at the very least distraction from the swirling abyss that is my short term future.

linguist

Well stay up an extra couple of minutes and I'll see what modest advice I can give you:)

linguist

Ok, so you're stressed out about the road ahead. You'll hear lots of people telling you that's no way to be and deep down you probably know it yourself. But here you are sitting in on a Saturday night and it's hit you. And sure, I understand. It is, as you've pointed out, your future but unfortunately these states of mind have a nasty habit of hitting just when there's least you can do about it!

BTW, I'm a teacher. If it's any consolation, I still feel like you do from time to time about getting the workload covered!

How do people stay sane during sixth year etc? Well, what real alternative is there? It's a rite of passage, everyone has to do it, but it's also nine months, 167 school days + weekends + holidays, and it's not a rush. And also because, in most cases, people bond well in sixth year. They look out for each other. Teachers do as well. You'll hopefully discover a side to people you haven't before and in most cases it'll be a decent one. I get people like you coming to my door last thing on a Friday sometimes. These stresses can hit just as others appear carefree. And you know, often I'll just talk it through with them and if it's about my subject we'll do a bit extra. Your teachers will be like that in sixth year, of that I'm sure. You're not on this road alone.

And of course there's the fun stuff: the eighteenth birthdays, the pre-debs, organising your own debs. It's a big year and the social side can be decent too.

Again, regarding the CAO, those applications are due in February. It's a marathon, not a sprint. I wouldn't expect you to have decided yet, although I realise that if you're looking at medicine you've to start thinking HPat or maybe a portfolio for Art. But you can't really do those things just now. Once you go back at the end of August, you'll realise that there is time and the fact that you don't want to waste it means that I'm sure you won't. But neither can you focus realistically wanting to be exam ready on the 8th September instead of the 8th June!:)

Now, what could you do just now? Have you done any work on your languages this summer? I got an email today from the Alliance Francaise (in Dublin). They have oral-focused summer courses in August. I'm pretty sure they cover the written paper too - if you do French. Maybe you could look at doing something like that. And sure you could organise your notes and stuff. But you don't actually have to do stuff at the moment. Nobody expects you to. I would consider the languages thing though if you're looking to do something. You'd probably really enjoy it too.

Come on, I do appreciate how you're feeling. But it isn't actually constructive. You have loads of time.

Troxck

Very few people do any actual study for Sixth Year in the summer before hand. I just organised notes i.e put all my loose sheets into folders and made a start on my History project.

Filling out the CAO can be daunting but I always had a fairly good idea of what I wanted to study. Saying that, the course I hope to be starting in a few weeks wasn't found by me until maybe 2 weeks before the change of mind! What subjects interest you and are you good at these? What hobbies do you have and are they anyway related to what subjects you like and are good at? That's how you choose a course. Not how many points it is etc. I'm not exactly sure what I actually want to work at after college, but I know what I want to study!

Sixth Year is tough, but it's only made tougher by worry and self doubt. From Day One have the mindset that you just need to keep your head down and study and do your best in June. Be organised and prepared. Do you have subjects which requires external projects and practicals? Get ready for them from day one. Know when they are and know how they should play out. Get into teacher's good books, they'll be more likely to help you towards the end of the year!

Enjoy yourself, I may sound mad but you'll miss some aspects of school. I'll miss certain teachers and the craic I had in certain classes. You start to bond with people you never really talked to. You form little study groups and you see yourself helping people and they help you. The teachers know you're under stress and they'll help you.

Pretty much every Irish person has had to face the LC, you aren't the first and probably not the last. It's important obviously, but not THAT important. You want good points to get into college, sure, but a piece of paper that I'll be opening won't define me, and it won't define you next year. Take it easy until late August.

I enjoyed the LC, to an extent. But I think that's mainly because I knew I wouldn't have to go back to school.

Magnate

If it's any consolation I too miss it already, some aspects at least. It can seem daunting when you have it all ahead of you but in retrospect it was an enjoyable year. You really do bond a lot more with everyone, even if it is just finding solace the shared prospect of doom. :P

In terms of managing stress, try to keep active as the endorphins help. A lot of people tend to neglect exercise as the year progresses but even going for a walk to clear your head can be beneficial, or if you're feeling particularly lazy maybe explore other options like mindfulness or meditation. It's also important to have a bit of perspective as well, see the bigger and realise that it's not the end of the world. I know that's easy for me to say now that I'm finished, but just keep it in mind when you're feeling particularly stressed.

Also, it's still really early days but when you are deciding on a course, pick something that you're passionate about. Don't feel pressured into studying the likes of medicine just because you're capable of getting enough points. If you want to study it then do, but if you'd rather make jam and weave baskets then don't be afraid to do that either... Okay maybe that example is a little extreme but you get the idea

If you make a study log when you do start studying I'd be happy to give you some subject specific advice. It can be hard at the of the year to figure out what you should be focusing on or how to study but looking back now I just know I'd be laser-focused and a lot more efficient. A small part of me would love to go back and repeat just to go for the perfect score, but I realise that it's absolutely not worth it at the end of the day.

Hope that helps somewhat,

Jijsaw

Magnate wrote: »

It can be hard at the of the year to figure out what you should be focusing on or how to study but looking back now I just know I'd be laser-focused and a lot more efficient. A small part of me would love to go back and repeat just to go for the perfect score, but I realise that it's absolutely not worth it at the end of the day.

This by a million, it was only in the last 2 months that I really "copped on" as to what to study and what to leave out and more importantly how to retain the small bits of information that get you your high grade rather than getting a C or low B for knowing the big chunks but not the intricate facts!

The Leaving Cert exam isn't fun at all- but you have to suck it up and get through it. But during this year, I found that I got on a lot more with other people in my year because we were all anxious and stressed. You're all in the same boat and if one day you just feel down in the dumps or fed up with it all (believe me, I'd say 95% of students have at least one "breakdown day" during the LC), talk to your friends, go on your Playstation just do something fun for a couple of hours or for the day if you want. While the Leaving Cert is a massive pain in the arse, it isn't worth getting depressed and over-stressed about. It is, at most, 2 and a half weeks in your life and you can always repeat it if you aren't happy with your result or do a degree that can get you into your course or do a Level 6/7 and progress into your degree from there. Just because you don't get the 500 points to study science or whatnot doesn't mean your future is closed off and you're doomed to a life of weaving baskets, there is always another route into getting into what you want!

If you knuckle down (reasonably) for the LC, you'll have a lot more freedom in university or whatever you want to do in the future. The LC is just a very annoying stepping-stone that we all have to cross but we get over it eventually (even if it feels like 5 years )

DublinArnie

We're both going through this together buddy .

Jwizzle

I just completed the leaving cert in june, I'm proud to say I had only one breakdown on the second day it was English paper two I convinced myself none of the poets we studied in class would come up (our teacher was shocking) but guess what when I went in say down opened my paper straight away I flicked to the poets and BAM!!! Every single poet I studied was there! I was smiling from ear to ear for the duration of the exam
Ovbiosuly if I have one amazing exam I'd have to have one shocking one and I did I actually had two it was the same day!! I think my first exam business wrecked my second exam art
The problem wih business was my teacher was so anal and precise about every detail I became overwhelmed in the exam and answers too many questions from one section and not enough from another it was just brutal
I wanted an A and I flunked the exam so bad so I learnt my lesson I stopped putting so much pressure on myslef on the day
My problem was I didn't work until the last two weeks of sixth year DON'T DO WHAT I DID. But don't sit around after and say ahh If I worked if get better cause you didn't work and your on foolin yourself so work from te start be consistint don't over load yourself either though!
Best of luck it all works out
After all my stressing I got accepted to college in Denmark & I haven't even gotten my results yet but do the work and you'll be fine

Disorganised Disaster

I meant to reply to these amazing answers ages ago but it's summer and somehow the time to do so just kept slipping away. Anyway - thank you all so much, I really appreciate the time and effort that went into these responses.
Linguist - you're so right about the middle of the night being a pointless time to get stressed. The reminder that next year everyone will be in this together and able to support each other was also great to hear. Your students are lucky to have you! I'll definitely bear what you said about languages in mind... I'm actually interested in studying them in college so hopefully I'll be able tomotivate myself to learn some vocab at least!
Troxck - I'm sure the advice you gave me here will prove invaluable over the year... And I definitely need a reminder to make an effort to get into the teachers good books this year! In terms of the CAO that sounds like a much better way of approaching it than panicking about final careers!
Magnate - I really appreciate your advice on actually managing stress! I started running over the summer so if I can manage to keep that up hopefully it will be some help. I don't think I'm going to do basket weaving but the point you made is a good one hahaha :') Some advice once I get back to school and make a study timetable would be absolutely great so thank you so much for that offer.
Jijsaw - I'm glad you survived it! I'll do my best to be 'laser focused' as magnate said and your so right about their being other options if it doesn't go according to plan! Still good to be reminded of them though.
Jwizzle - well done on denmark and good luck when the points come out and thanks for your advice.