The night before the Leaving Cert

Galwayguy35 · 02-06-2015 6:21pm #1

What are your memories of it, were you nervous or didn't give a sh1te about it?

Personally I wasn't too worried about it at the time.

silverfeather · 02-06-2015 6:26pm

My mother remembers more than I do, she was the one trying to talk me down calmly off the roof.

c_man · 02-06-2015 6:27pm

Can't remember a thing about it tbh.

doolox · 02-06-2015 6:28pm

I never sleep before maths exams. I hate maths exams.

HugsiePie · 02-06-2015 6:29pm

I remember my JC better than my LC tbh

kfallon · 02-06-2015 6:29pm

There was defo a few nerves! Was really looking forward to Euro '96 which started 4 days later tho

eviltwin · 02-06-2015 6:32pm

I remember being really nervous and stressed out. Feeling the same tonight, my eldest is doing the leaving this year.

silverfeather · 02-06-2015 6:34pm

eviltwin wrote: »

I remember being really nervous and stressed out. Feeling the same tonight, my eldest is doing the leaving this year.

It's stressful for everyone, best of luck to him xx

kfallon · 02-06-2015 6:35pm

eviltwin wrote: »

I remember being really nervous and stressed out. Feeling the same tonight, my eldest is doing the leaving this year.

Hope he/she gets on ok!

Lot of pressure with the LC, not sure it's right!

Tony Beetroot · 02-06-2015 6:36pm

Pressure is for gas cylinders.

Un Croissant · 02-06-2015 6:37pm

Can't wait for the sun tomorrow.

I hate the sun. But it's tradition, and imagine their sad faces

Armchair Andy · 02-06-2015 6:37pm

Down the local GAA pitch smoking dope night before the leaving and between exams. I went on to do Eleceng afterwards, would strongly recommend it.

RayM · 02-06-2015 6:37pm

I was probably dreading English Paper 2, panicking and attempting to speed-read Hamlet and Emma, while desperately hoping that a question about Milton's Paradise Lost would come up (it didn't).

kfallon · 02-06-2015 6:38pm

Tony Beetroot wrote: »

Pressure is for gas cylinders.

Going by your username you may have pressure problems......blood pressure problems!

The Backwards Man · 02-06-2015 6:38pm

Went to Dublin the night before the LC started with a lorryload of salmon. Home about 7.30 am. quick shower and into higher level English I and II. Got an A1.

bear1 · 02-06-2015 6:39pm

Got stupidly stoned...

kfallon · 02-06-2015 6:39pm

Armchair Andy wrote: »

Down the local GAA pitch smoking dope night before the leaving and between exams. I went on to do Eleceng afterwards, would strongly recommend it.

See kids, you start off just having the odd joint and next thing you're onto the harder stuff like Eleceng.....

:pac:

WhatNowForUs? · 02-06-2015 6:40pm

RayM wrote: »

I was probably dreading English Paper 2, panicking and attempting to speed-read Hamlet and Emma, while desperately hoping that a question about Milton's Paradise Lost would come up (it didn't).

'92

anncoates · 02-06-2015 6:41pm

Leaving starts tomorrow?

Excellent.

Sunny tomorrow, so.

Armchair Andy · 02-06-2015 6:42pm

kfallon wrote: »

See kids, you start off just having the odd joint and next thing you're onto the harder stuff like Eleceng.....

:pac:

That stuff didn't come cheap mind. The dope I just bummed.

EoghanIRL · 02-06-2015 6:43pm

Teachers always said it's never too late to start studying..
So I started the night before each exam.
:P

Not a NSA agent · 02-06-2015 6:46pm

This would be the time I would start studying. I might have had done well if I put in more effort. Oh well, iI got enough for the course I wanted to do so thats all that mattered.

HugsiePie · 02-06-2015 6:58pm

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Went to Dublin the night before the LC started with a lorryload of salmon. Home about 7.30 am. quick shower and into higher level English I and II. Got an A1.

Well aren't you great :pac:

LollipopJimmy · 02-06-2015 7:00pm

I did my Leaving Cert during the 2002 World Cup. I was more stressed out over the happenings in Saipan

blackbird 49 · 02-06-2015 7:04pm

I never did my leaving cert, but my son is tomorrow, I think I am more nervous than he is

silverfeather · 02-06-2015 7:15pm

blackbird 49 wrote: »

I never did my leaving cert, but my son is tomorrow, I think I am more nervous than he is

Good luck to both of you.

I got through this. I tell people if I did the LC anyone can do it !

xx

Aineoil · 02-06-2015 7:18pm

blackbird 49 wrote: »

I never did my leaving cert, but my son is tomorrow, I think I am more nervous than he is

Your post brought a tear to my eye. Best of luck to both of you tomorrow.

retro:electro · 02-06-2015 7:19pm

I just remember having this feeling of "fcuuuk why didn't I study!" and ringing all my friends asking them what they were learning. When my brother was doing his leaving Ireland were playing in the World Cup and he didn't turn up to half of his exams

The Backwards Man · 02-06-2015 7:20pm

HugsiePie wrote: »

Well aren't you great :pac:

Moral of the story is never study the night before an exam. Whatever you know twelve hours beforehand will do rightly, and if not don't worry about it, life's too short for that carryon.

silverfeather · 02-06-2015 7:22pm

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Moral of the story is never study the night before an exam. Whatever you know twelve hours beforehand will do rightly, and if not don't worry about it, life's too short for that carryon.

It really depends on the quality of your short term memory but in all honesty sleep is the best option.

Chucken · 02-06-2015 7:23pm

I did my leaving cert when I was 30. Sat in for 2 years with 16/17 year olds.
My 2 children were in 5th class at the time and who was I to tell them to keep going at school if I hadn't? (That's the way I looked at it)
It was a brilliant experience but the worry 6 years later when my own 2 were doing it was 100 times worse than any worry I had for myself when I did it.

We all survived it anyway

Paul.k.b.90 · 02-06-2015 7:23pm

Was a stupidly warm sunny day..spent all day in the skate park..went around my mates house and played call of duty till the small hours of the morning got home and got bollocking from my mam...ahhh the good old days

pewpew16 · 02-06-2015 7:24pm

Bricking it already and mine isn't even this year but next !

silverfeather · 02-06-2015 7:24pm

pewpew16 wrote: »

Bricking it already and mine isn't even this year but next !

You poor thing. Don't take it too much to heart!

silverfeather · 02-06-2015 7:25pm

Chucken wrote: »

I did my leaving cert when I was 30. Sat in for 2 years with 16/17 year olds.
My 2 children were in 5th class at the time and who was I to tell them to keep going at school if I hadn't? (That's the way I looked at it)
It was a brilliant experience but the worry 6 years later when my own 2 were doing it was 100 times worse than any worry I had for myself when I did it.

We all survived it anyway

Inspirational!

Chucken · 02-06-2015 7:29pm

silverfeather wrote: »

Inspirational!

Thank you.

Aineoil · 02-06-2015 7:34pm

I did my Leaving Cert in 1984. I did very well. Got the course I wanted. I found university easy enough.

One of my sisters got Ds in most subjects. She was so upset the day she got her results. I remember driving her home and all the crying. Poor thing

was devastated. She had worked so hard.

Fast forward 30 years my sister now earns at least twice my salary. My salary is an ok one.

The Leaving doesn't define you as a person or your future potential.

PTH2009 · 02-06-2015 8:01pm

I think the junior cert should count towards points for college. It's a waste of 3 years

I done 5 ordinary subjects and 2 foundation subjects in the leaving. Got an a1 in history. Got enough points for my course but didn't get it cause I done foundation maths. It was until I went to college Years after that I found our I was dislexyic. If they found out in secondary god knows where I could of ended up( probley not working in a part time job at 25)

The Dogs Bollix · 02-06-2015 8:04pm

For my English exam, I narrowed the studying to Shakespeare's poems because it was between himself and WB Yeats. Shakespeare never came up.

If it wasn't for my English teacher who gave us an essay on WB Yeats about two weeks before the English exam I would have been royally screwed. I just re-wrote my English essay, what I remembered from it.

Went into my Junior Cert exam happy. I was after hearing s club 7, bring it all back in 1999. It really motivated me ... Don't stop, bring it all back, never give up, hold your head high and reach the top, let the world see what you've got, bring it all back... After that, I fceked all the study. Of course I can reach the top... I didn't get straight A's but who used their junior cert results.

Good luck to all all tomorrow.

Mint Sauce · 02-06-2015 8:08pm

Good luck to all, and I see the sun has came out.

sunbeam · 02-06-2015 8:20pm

Don't remember the Leaving Cert as much as the Group Cert back in the dark ages of the late 80s

There were two science courses and for the Group Cert students could do both. We started a day earlier than everyone else with Science E in the afternoon of the Tuesday. Came in in the morning and half the class went down the town. A few of us hung around and somebody produced a set of past exam papers. None of us had seen them before as they were difficult to come by for that science syllabus. It was at that point that we came to the horrible realisation that our dozy science teacher had neglected to teach us half the bloody course. Much panic and cramming ensued. Thankfully all the crammed bits actually came up.

We also had to come back in at the end of the month for an oral exam on two projects for the same course. I did one on astronomy and had a very confused examiner ask me about my star sign....

Aineoil · 02-06-2015 8:22pm

PTH2009 wrote: »

I think the junior cert should count towards points for college. It's a waste of 3 years

I done 5 ordinary subjects and 2 foundation subjects in the leaving. Got an a1 in history. Got enough points for my course but didn't get it cause I done foundation maths. It was until I went to college Years after that I found our I was dislexyic. If they found out in secondary god knows where I could of ended up( probley not working in a part time job at 25)

You have a point. Why study for 3 years, take a state exam and what do you have

at the end?

lazza14 · 02-06-2015 8:25pm

kfallon wrote: »

There was defo a few nerves! Was really looking forward to Euro '96 which started 4 days later tho

Same year, I clearly remember watching This Boys Life on RTE the night before and not giving a f*ck ... I failed that one and repeated in '97 ... funny thing is I only remember my final exam from ´97...

xLisaBx · 02-06-2015 8:30pm

I planned one essay for english paper 1 the next day, the essay fit the title perfectly.

I learned my home ec predictions, most of which came up!
I had a few vodkas, slept 12 hours and got 2 A1s the next day. Who said cramming and predictions don't work?

YFlyer · 02-06-2015 8:46pm

kfallon wrote: »

There was defo a few nerves! Was really looking forward to Euro '96 which started 4 days later tho

Did the Leaving in 1990. There was talks or wishes that the dates be changed to accommodate Italian 90.

posturingpat · 02-06-2015 8:53pm

I wasn't too bothered if truth be told. I think i needed something like 300 or 320 and knew i had done plenty to get it so i spent the night before trying to get my end away with a young 1 i had been “shifting" and cited my stress over the exams as a reason why she should. Unfortunately but not unsurprisingly it didn't work :‘(

Katgurl · 02-06-2015 9:07pm

Chucken wrote: »

I did my leaving cert when I was 30. Sat in for 2 years with 16/17 year olds.
My 2 children were in 5th class at the time and who was I to tell them to keep going at school if I hadn't? (That's the way I looked at it)
It was a brilliant experience but the worry 6 years later when my own 2 were doing it was 100 times worse than any worry I had for myself when I did it.

We all survived it anyway

That is seriously impressive

mocha please! · 02-06-2015 9:14pm

I can't remember being nervous. Just spent the last couple of days cramming. Got up at 4am the morning of each exam for more cramming. It worked for me! Did well.

sunbeam · 02-06-2015 9:26pm

YFlyer wrote: »

Did the Leaving in 1990. There was talks or wishes that the dates be changed to accommodate Italian 90.

So did I. One of my English lecturers in college also corrected the NUI Matric exam and read us out several apologies students had written on their exam scripts for leaving early to watch what I think was the Ireland-Romania match.

02-06-2015 9:29pm

I realised i didn't own a pencil case, then the panic started or a calculator for that matter.

Cold War Kid · 02-06-2015 9:38pm

Aineoil wrote: »

I did my Leaving Cert in 1984. I did very well. Got the course I wanted. I found university easy enough.

One of my sisters got Ds in most subjects. She was so upset the day she got her results. I remember driving her home and all the crying. Poor thing

was devastated. She had worked so hard.

Fast forward 30 years my sister now earns at least twice my salary. My salary is an ok one.

The Leaving doesn't define you as a person or your future potential.

Aye, but you're still better off having it than not having it, even if it's just a pass leaving cert. It's such an expectation now that's pretty much taken as a given you'll have it.
And even though you don't need it to do a trade, you might want to change career in ten years' time. And it's great to be able to get in to college just for learning in and of itself (you can do a career-focused course later on).

You're right though, the pressure on kids as if the leaving cert you get will determine your entire life thereafter, and the way it's as if you'll end up homeless or something without studying for several hours every night (these are teenage kids ffs) is nonsense.

The night before the Leaving Cert

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