First year down.

So for the past 6 months, I’ve been completely neglecting my poor little blog. When I was leaving for college last year I thought I would be blogging 24/7, because I didn’t have a whole lot of hours in comparison to some courses…(understatement of the century :P), but I never actually got down to it. The reason why I neglected it was, simply, I was just having too much fun living the college dream! So listen up folks, I’m gonna give you a little run down of my past year, and those of you who are about to enter this new chapter in your lives and start college this September, prepare yourselves for one of the greatest years of your life. (That’s all the cheesiness finished, I promise.)

What they don’t tell you about college: 

• You actually have to do work..?!

I know, I know! You’re just after finishing the Leaving Cert, ready to chill for the Summer and breeze into college come September. Life is easy sailing for here on out. Ehhhhhh….not so much. Surprisingly enough, we actually have to do work in college. It’s not all about drinking cans in the park on a sunny afternoon, skipping lectures to creep on the Freshers Footballers training and pulling in Coppers while absolutely hammered. (Now don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of time for that too!) But I’ll never forget in Week 2, when we were told we had to have an assignment about Irish left-wing politics completed by the following week, a little bit of me died inside. Don’t forget that we’re here to get an education, not just to go on this piss three times a week! Everything in moderation….two nights a week works just as well 😉

• Your lecturers didn’t come down the last rain shower

As smart as we may think we are, managing to get to college and even get the points to do as course, we can never out-smart our lecturers. They are strange creatures, all-knowing beings that lurk around corridors and actually notice when we don’t turn up for class. An email or note saying that we were ‘unable to attend class due to family problems’ is translated as ‘I just did the walk-of-shame and I was ridiculously hungover at 9am, there was no way I was getting up for that class.’ Don’t try fool them, it never works and you’re a cert to be in the bad books for the rest of semester!

• Your roommates are not always gonna be what you expected

Take it from someone who has had two different roommates this year, you definitely don’t know what you’re in for until your sharing half your home with them. Prepare yourself for them using your stuff, eating your food, leaving the bathroom untidy, staying up ridiculously late and getting up at the crack of dawn. Sometimes you can be lucky and get put in with the soundest lad/lass in Ireland, but chances are that’s pretty unlikely. Go in with an open mind and try not to kill them in their sleep!

• Just learn to cook

Don’t go to college only knowing how to cook pasta and noodles. You will die of carb-overload and no one wants to see you spitting chunks of pesto pasta at 3am after a hard night out! Just learn. Simple as.

What to be ridiculously, incredibly, supercalifragilisticexpialidociously excited for:

• Meeting a completely different crowd

One of the great things about college is meeting tons of new people. In first year, everyone is in the same boat, we all want to make friends, meet as many new people as possible and create a good group of people to be around. You’ll meet people from every walk of life, whether it is the absolutely minted ,Foxrock-native or the biggest bogger from the ‘Whest.’ (who includes a ‘h’ in every word they say!?) It really is a great opportunity to talk to people you would never even have considered speaking to before, and who knows, they could end up your best friend.

• General college banter

Between organised events, like balls, sports days, shows, gigs, trips and having the banter on campus, it’s one of the greatest times in college. Fresher’s and Rag week in particular were the highlights for me. Events on during the day, skipping lectures, heading into the clubs at night, there is such a good buzz around campus and it really rubs off on everyone around.

• On the beer!

Sure, I could hardly skip one of the most important aspects of college now could I?! Of course heading into nightclubs is a key aspect of every college student’s life. Possibly the greatest way to bond with your class or new friends! Not only will you find out all about their lives in a game of ‘Never have I ever,’ but nothing brings people closer together than belting out the chorus to C’est la vie in the back of a taxi!

Definitely one of the greatest years of my life, so for all you heading to college for the first time this year, get ready for a serious experience! 

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8 days…and counting.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is beginning to toss and turn in their sleep, or maybe feeling that gut wrenching tug in the pit of my stomach. In just a little over a week, thousands of teenagers’ lives are going to change. Completely. The results of all-nighters, cramming sessions and hours upon hours of endless study is going to surface upon a white sheet of paper. This page is going to determine our future prospects, dreams and wishes. If you haven’t already guessed by now, and have been living under a rock the past 3 months, the Leaving Cert Results come out next week. Oh. Dear. God.

I’ve always been a worrier. I over-think, analyse and fret over just about everything; from where am I going to live next year, right down to trying to remember did I leave my hair straightener on this morning. I can’t help it, it’s just who I am. But after finishing the leaving, I thought to myself, “Wow, this is gonna be great. I don’t have to worry about having my homework in on time, quotes tests or quadratic equations, I can finally relax.” Famous. Last. Words. Sure at the start I completely let school leave my mind and concentrate on the “amazing summer” that was all ahead of me. Newsflash: Summer gets pretty damn boring after the first few weeks. So, as things dragged on in an endless routine of eat, work and sleep, unwelcome thoughts of the leaving began to spring back into my mind. Getting flashbacks of writing manically in my History exam, second guessing myself over my English essay and praying for the love of God, that I somehow managed to pass Maths! Since then, it’s always been there at the back of my mind, niggling away at my thoughts, not giving me a moments peace. What a spastic. (I could think of a better word to call it, but I’ll try to keep this PG.)

Okay, I know I’m beginning to sound like an absolute whinge-bag, and in fairness I’ve had a great summer with my friends. Between holidaying in Santa Ponsa and unforgettable nights throughout the past few months, I’ve had the time of my life. But I still can’t help think about what the outcome of my results will be in a matter of a week. I’ve dreamt about doing this course for so long, and to think in a weeks time I will know if I’ll be there or not is absolutely terrifying. Many of us try to put on a brave face and keep calm around our friends, but on the inside, this anticipation is nerve wrecking. Each one of us are more frightened than the next, but there seems to be nothing we can do or say to help one another.

 The thing that really annoys me, that really grinds my gears is hearing people say “Oh stop worrying, of course you’re going to get your course.” Now, I know they’re trying to be optimistic and trying to keep me calm, but for God’s sake, please stop!! It really doesn’t make this situation any better, if anything it makes us think about it more! At the moment, it just feels like I’m hanging in limbo. A steel fist is gripped tightly around my nerves and until next Wednesday morning at 9am, I’m going to have to live with this sickening feeling. I think we’re all trying to be positive as much as we can and believe and hope for the best. We’re trying to be there for one another and not get too bogged down in self doubt. Just try to keep positive guys, just 8 days left….. 

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Irish Times Leaving Cert Review

Once again I am incredibly late putting my articles up here! I wrote a review for the Irish Times during my Leaving. I reviewed the infamous English Paper 2 aka THE GREATEST CURVEBALL IN HISTORY. Nonetheless, read, enjoy and bask in the happiness that the treacherous creature know as the Leaving Cert has left once and for all. (Well hopefully anyway!) -Orlaith http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0608/1224317501472.html

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3…2….1….GO.

Can I get a get a drum roll please? Yes, it’s here ladies and gents. The big LC has reared its evil head for us 2012 students! Kicking off today with the nerve-eating paper 1, the exam itself received an overall positive reaction. No scary surprises, or sneaky tricks pulled by the SEC (not yet anyway), however, once I saw that there was a proposal for question B, I sat there with a dumb-founded expression on my face!

I opted for Text 2 on Question A. All about the great woman herself, Mary Robinson. The text was fairly standard, as we sifted through the points, techniques and images. Nothing that rocked or shocked us too much! I then went for Text 3 for my question B. A persuasive article for the school website. Being an avid article writer, I stuck to what I know. Though I took a quirky slant with it, keeping in mind it was for the school website , I kept it light hearted while being informative and persuasive!

For my composing section, I did the light hearted/entertaining composition centring around the phrase ‘all the time in the world”. I had fun with this one, taking a different approach and trying to inflict an element of humour. Lets all hope the examiner keeps an open mind, once they witness my Pinky and the Brain and Harry Potter references (oops!).

Overall, I gelled well with the paper, as many of my peers did. It was a great start to the leaving cert exams, although, I don’t think my positive attitude will remain much longer, with the dreaded paper 2 looming tomorrow! Here’s hoping the SEC go somewhat easy on us! If Plath doesn’t show up tomorrow, there will an explosive amount of Facebook likes, linking to head in the oven situations!

-Orlaith

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GOOD LUCK :)

Just want a to wish everyone the best of luck next week! Its been a long time coming, but we’re finally here!

Few last minute tips for stress heads:

1. CALM DOWN

Over the past few days, I have been ransacked with my friends calling me, stressing out, panicking and the whole lot. Now is NOT the time to panic. Focus on what you know, not what you don’t. Appeal to your strengths and make the most of the exam. Remember to keep level headed in your final few days of revision, trust in your abilities, believe in yourselves and you’ll surprise yourself.

2. SLEEP

This is a big one. Tons of people are beginning to worry about the impending deadline and try to cram enormous amounts of information, right into the wee hours of the morning. It’s not going to work. You’ll only stress your self and your body out. Not to mention, your poor body will be shattered, and you’ll end up crashing out. Do your body a favour and get some shut eye, you need to be in full spirits for the LC, cos by the end of it, the first place we’ll all be hitting is the leaba.

3. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE

Chaining yourself to your desk and only leaving for food and water is not a good idea. Take regular breaks to give your mind a chance to process the revised information. The weather is gorgeous (much to our dismay, typical), so try get out and sit in the sun for a half hour. Go for a walk or jog, sing, dance, run around the garden like a maniac! Do something that will release a bitta that pressure!

4. FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE

I can’t stress this one enough. If you go into an exam, let’s take English Paper 2 for example, and you say to yourself, I’m crap at Hamlet, I don’t know how to write a comparative and don’t get me started on poetry, well don’t be surprised to see a big fat D on your results in August! Go in with a positive attitude. Forget about points and colleges and whatnot. Focus on the exam itself. Devout yourself fully and engage with it completely. If we all wake up on June 6th, focusing on our strengths, then there is no need to panic. You can only do your best. Be it an A1 or a D1, do the best that you can, give it your all and that should be an achievement in itself.

Guys, August is a long way off, don’t get bogged down with the idea of points now. Focus on your revision and give those exams your best shot!

Good luck to everyone, and hopefully I’ll be keeping you posted (If I have some spare time! 😀 ) Also, I’m writing one of the Leaving Cert Diaries for The Irish Times, on English Paper 2, so be sure to check it out!

Best of luck guys, talk soon,

-Orlaith

🙂

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Final hurdle

Heeeey LC-ers (soon to be non-LC-ers! :D), apologies for my laxy-daziness with the LC blog. As you all might have guessed, it’s slowly taking over my life! I’m beginning to forget what a night out in The Stores is any more! Well we’re coming into the final stretch, the final hurdle. Who actually thought that we would eventually get here eh? Not me anyway! Strange to believe in a few short weeks we will close the lockers, pack our bags and leave the big entrance we stumbled across in 1st year.

I don’t know what to feel. Here I am, making my final study plan in the run up to the Leaving and it hit me, this is the last time I’ll be making one of these out. In just 3 weeks time, I will no longer be a secondary school student. Crazy. Since 1st year, my school has been my second home. Where the people I love are (excuse the cheese :D), where we shared the laughter, the tears, the joy and the anger. We entered as kids, unsure and frightened. Some of us putting on acts, trying to be cool (mine didn’t last too long!) and trying to fit in. As the years progressed, we changed. The barriers came down and people’s true colours shone through. There was no longer a need to fit in or a false appearance to be put on, people allowed themselves to be their true self. I love school, I really do and as much as it makes me a nerd, I don’t really care. Sure we complain about the early mornings and the hours of never ending homework, but it’s a place where we each care about. The silent laughter in supervised study and thrill of persuading your teacher to bring you for tea in the canteen. For me anyway, I think of the school as the safety net that I relied on, so much, when I was growing up.

Then again, I think I’m ready to leave. Like most of my friends and my classmates. We’ve finished our 6 years, some of us 5, some of us 7! (those lucky repeats ;)) Now it’s time for a change of scenery. A new chapter. And in like all great books, the new chapter brings about anticipation, excitement, yet there is that lingering feeling of the unknown. “Will it be as good as the last chapter?” “What if it changes TOO much and it’s not what I expected?” None of us know how things in August will turn out. Some of us may be completely ecstatic and others may not. Whatever the result may be, don’t let it get in the way of making the next chapter amazing. Of course there will be some disappointment, it’s inevitable! But don’t let that shape the next section of your life. “Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her. But once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.” – Voltaire

With just a few short weeks to go until “The big one”, remember not to let yourself lose your focus now. C’mon, we’ve pulled through this long, we can’t let it all slip through the cracks. In just a few weeks, we’ll be finished. Finished with the pressures of parents, the pressures of CAO and the pressures of those dreaded points. For 3 months, let yourself forget everything. Keep locked up at the back of your mind and don’t crack it open until August comes about. It’s just a few weeks guys, we have the ability, we know our stuff, now it’s just a matter of keeping your cool and showing the SEC we’re not a bunch slackers, as some of them may think!

Best of luck to everybody in the coming weeks. Between LCVP (good luck to my girls tomorrow, Ush, Ciara and Michelle 🙂 ) construction practicals, art practicals and whatever else is coming up! And if unfortunately I don’t get to post before June because those evil books won’t release me from their grip, Good luck to everyone doing the Leaving Cert. Thank you all for reading my blog posts and hopefully I’ve been helpful or entertaining or something in the past few months! Here’s hoping everything turns up that we want and the exams go well for us. I’ll keep you guys posted if I can!

Much love,

Orlaith 🙂 x

LC blogger

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LC Post – Tips for the exam

So guys, since I had a day off today and really couldn’t face the books, I thought I may as well do something productive and write a few hints and tips for the Leaving..or any other exam really! I’ve just thrown together some of my techniques and general organisation methods that I thought might be useful to you guys who are feeling a little freaked out at the mo!

Well first things first, ORGANISE YOURSELF! It seems like the hardest thing to do at first, but believe me, once you get down to it 50% of your stress is gone. If you’re the type of person who has sheets of paper crumpled at the bottom of your bag, or “misplaced” those notes you got in Geography last week, listen up! Buy yourself a good folder, and don’t worry it’s never too late to start organising. Personally, I have one mega folder where I keep everything and a couple small ones for subjects like English and Business. I store everything in my big one, be it tests or notes. Each section is divided so when I go to study I can kill 2 birds with one stone. Sure it’s a burden to carry and if it goes missing there will be trouble (which happens frequently thanks to the practical jokers I call my friends!) but in the long run it gives you a great piece of mind.

(Here’s mine, sorry for the shocking picture quality, all pics were taken on my phone!)

Next, make yourself out a timetable. Now lets be realistic about it, you’re not gonna study all of Hamlet in 2 nights! Set it out over a period of time and give yourself enough time to get it done. I think it helps if you work towards a specific date or event. For my Summer & Christmas tests and my mocks, I made different timetables for each and gave myself around 4/5 weeks of study time. Trust me, you feel great at night crossing off everything you’ve studied! If you’re a worrier or a stresser (comme moi!) timetables ease the stress and pressure because you actually see the work being cut down each week. Makes things a lot less daunting in the run up to the exam! Also, another thing I find great is making visual boards. Visual boards you ask? Well back in 5th year, (when I was in the period of serious cabin fever due to the snow) I made a visual board for my Leaving cert. Some people call them dream boards either. Anyway mine is filled with little motivational tips and phrases, the course I want cut out from a prospectus, my dream number of points and other little snip-its. Okay, I know it’s pretty sad but when I sit down to study and become the teeeniest bit distracted, it pushes me straight back to the books. I don’t know if it’s just me, but one of my friends also gave it a try and it works!

I put loads of snip its from articles on my board, but I also keep all the supplements in the papers. Coming up to the leaving cert, the papers go wild with these! Between CAO applications, past student experiences, the low down on all the colleges and so forth. If you’re still iffy on what you want to do or where you want to go (pretty much everyone in the country), take a look at them. They are filled with some great advice and you get an idea of what the course and college is like. I guess this only applies to the LCs but none the less it’s no harm to hang onto some of the wise words of the students. The amount of times I’ve read the columns on people who received 600 points is beyond me!

Now for my personal fav, the stationary! I’m a stationary junkie (yes I am aware how sad that sounds) but I just love the stuff. In my opinion, it’s a vital part of learning and it makes things so much easier. Some of you may not agree and think the page becomes more like a bag of skittles than actual facts! But hey, who said learning can’t be fun! I suppose my OCD comes into play with this one, but I’m sure there are more of you out there…well at least I hope so or I’m a bigger nerd than I thought! For me, it starts with the pens. Staedtler. Red, blue, green and black.(although I’m not a fan of a black since I heard examiners prefer to read blue pen than black pen, but that’s just a myth!) For me there’s a system. Heading – red. Key word – green. Explanation – blue. Example – black. Because I do this for every subject, It makes learning ten times easier. As weird as it sounds, when I’m in the exam I can picture what I have written and go through it in my head. It’d be a lot more difficult to identify key words and explanations from just black text, then again that’s just me. Then there’s the highlighters. I take 3 core ones. Yellow, green and orange. Personally I’m not a fan of the purples or blues, I just think it darkens the pages rather than…highlighting it?! (fail of a joke) And I hate pink…just because it reminds me of 3rd year when I highlighted EVERYTHING pink. Not recommended! Once again, it’s the same thing. Colour system and it works. Especially for things like Business where you need to give clear explanations and examples. After that then you have the usual things, rulers, rubbers, toppers, tip-ex, Sharpie ( not necessarily an essential but they’re fun!) post its and whatever else. Post its and those coloured tab things (I have no idea what you call them!) are a major essential also. For every subject I like to add post its, so I can summarise things in my own words. You know when you’re looking back over things and thinking holy God what does that mean! Post its make things that bit easier and also allow you to know where the key things are in the book.

And finally the big day. As long as you keep your cool and stay calm you will be fine. There were many exams I walked into the past 2 weeks, freaking out about and shaking and trembling, but when I walked out I was wearing a grin like the cat in Alice in Wonderland. There’s no reason to panic if you’ve put your work in and are determined on your goal. A few things I brought into the exams were, my watch, (of course!) set a few minutes too fast to keep you writing and keep the adrenalin pumping, Rescue Remedy capsules, they taste ROTTEN but they do work, maybe it’s just physiological but I’m not complaining, hand sanitiser, this one is probably just me but I always have hand sanitiser in my bag after the exam, I hate all the blue pen and sweaty hand thing!,  Berocca Boost, I drink this everyday in school to keep me on form and not slump into tiredness, believe me caffeine will be your best friend by the time June rolls around and finally, a mug of tea! Some girls bring in water, but I like to have the cuppa tea beside me to calm the nerves. A cup of tea always solves the worst problems!

So that’s pretty much all my little organisational hints and tricks! Nothing that different from what you’ve heard before probably. My best advice is just to keep your brain focus and relax! You have one chance at this so keep your cool as best as you can, and until the big day, try get yourself on track to those 600 points…or you know…passing the leaving would do either! Thanks for reading guys!

-Orlaith 🙂

LC blogger

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LC Post – Mocks 2012 – Irish and Geography

 Well amigos, finally into the last few hurdles of mocks (THANK BE TO GOD), So after finishing Geography and Irish paper 2 today, things are beginning to look up. Just two more left for me now, Irish paper 1 on Wednesday and History on Friday, (and no I still have not gotten over the fact its on Friday yet) and they’ve actually flown by. I think I worked them up a little too much at the start of it all!

 I’ll get right into it, Irish was first. I do ordinary level Irish, still wished I had tried honours when I had the chance but I opted for the easy way out, plus my Irish teacher is a gas one! As you probably know, the course has completely changed for Irish in 2012. The oral is now worth 40% of the grade, which personally, I think is an excellent idea. At least it gives those who aren’t necessarily good at writing the language a chance to gain marks speaking it. The papers have also changed, the comprehensions are now on Paper 2, which is a pretty stupid thing to do considering it’s a hefty paper to get through! The thing I struggled most was with my timing. Its funny, this paper, above any other, has had me rushed for time, struggling to get it all in. Only did I realise later that it was only 15 marks for the summary of the story which I had written 4 pages on…to say I was raging was an understatement!

 Another thing with paper 2, especially pass students, is that they don’t put the effort in. The ordinary level Irish paper 2 is the most failed paper out of all the leaving cert subjects, hard to believe eh? But it’s the truth..google it if you don’t believe me. Students just don’t care and think they can pass the paper relying on paper 1. Nuh uh bro, things aren’t that simple! I guess thats why the comps were put on, to increase the level of passing, but students are still going to fall under the trap of not being pushed about it, and I must admit, on Sunday night I was thinking more about Bressie on the Voice of Ireland than Oisin i dTír na nÓg! Don’t let yourself succumb to this idea and say “Ah sure it’s only Irish, I’ll pass it on the other paper”

 One thing I really recommend is recording yourself saying the stories out loud. You’d be surprised how much it helps! Instead of listening to your iPod on the morning bus, listen to your recording before you go in and it will play over in your mind! I do this with a good few of my subjects but I find it works really well for languages like Irish and French. You’ve got the sounds in your head and the sentences form from there!

 Next on to Geography. Well all I can say is “Me good hand”. My hand was dead. No joke. At one stage in the exam, I was convinced it had turned white and was about to seize up! He kept going though! (obviously considering I’m typing this right now, Smart one, Orlaith) Be prepared to write, and write quickly, time wasn’t that much of an issue but during the exam I felt the pressure was on. I decided to divide the timing into 25 minutes for the short questions and 33 minutes for the long questions. Roughly 8 minutes on each section so you can get a bit of reading time in at the end. I was pretty nervous for this one, I felt pretty unprepared but once I got into the exam I remembered everything on my essays (with a few little moments of writers block thrown in!) Geography was the first exam where I felt the adrenalin pumping, its such a vast course with so many different topics, at one point I think my brain went into overdrive and started to spiel everything out! I felt it went alright,  nothing spectacular but I think I managed to do okay. As I keep saying to myself, the results are necessarily the be all and end all of the mocks. Whatever the result is, I will accept I’m just glad I’m getting them over and done with and June is becoming a little less daunting, for now anyway!

2 exams left. By god will I be enjoying midterm, not only is it my birthday (had to slip that it sneakily!) but I’m taking a well deserved rest as should the rest of yee. We’ve covered our courses, sat all the exams, now I think its time for an obscene amount of vegging and watching Gossip girl on end. But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll be sitting Irish and History! I’ll keep you guys filled in!

-Orlaith

LC blogger 🙂

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LC Post – Mocks 2012 – Business and French

So I’ve finished day 3! HALF WAY THERE! Not so bad, not so bad. So I had two exams today, Business and French. Not the nicest subjects to be paired with one another, but we’ll get over that. Overall, the day went pretty good, and now that it’s finished a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I’ll start with business since that was first. I think the key to studying business is working out methods in which you can remember facts. Business is all about the facts as all you little, business-heads know! It’s a core learning subject, and if that’s your strong point work with it. The exam consisted of 10 short questions, an Applied business question and then long questions. Personally this mock was about timing for me, and as many of my classmates failed to get everything done on time, it was a real wake up call. I was pretty happy with it, I had studied the previous day intensely and it stuck. Cramming does have it’s advantages, but I don’t recommend it. Sure you’ll be able to learn things for a short time period but it won’t stay there. If you chip away at it every week, the course does break down and you’ll find yourself feeling much more confident.

For timing I broke the exam down to 30 minutes for short questions (most people fly them but its good to have a little extra time in case you want to attempt a few more), 30 minutes for the ABQ and 27 minutes for each long question. In that you hopefully will have a little time to look over your work and correct some mistakes!

Now for French, Mon bete noire! Being a fond user of Google translate ( let’s face it, who isn’t!) I shed a little tear handing up my phone with my translate app staring at me! Just gonna throw my tuppence worth now, don’t worry about timing. YOU HAVE PLENTY. Looking around my exam centre today, I was met with girls so fast asleep, pools of spit were accumulating underneath them, people drawing caricatures of the sleeping girls, and girls playing charades with one another across the classroom! That should be your last worry. The only advice I can give is don’t try form a seriously complicated sentence, that sounds great in your head but on the paper it looks a little something like..”Il faut qu’on il y aura beaucoup de boites, tout de la fruits!” (By the way that makes no sense whatsoever!) Keep it simple, using French you’re comfortable with. You will be awarded for accuracy, not trying to be the next French Shakespeare. For me, I didn’t find it incredibly difficult, I just tried to keep my cool and use clear sentences!

So only three more days to go! Geography, History and Irish are all to come! Lucky me I get to wait until the very last day for History! The only exam on that day! So while all my friends, and pretty much the entire year head out for celebrations, I’ll be studying the success and failures of the Home Rule party. LOVE MY LIFE!

That’s all for now guys, no exams tomorrow so back to hitting the books! Enjoy your weekend and best of luck!

-Orlaith 🙂

LC blogger

 

PS. Have a listen if you haven’t heard it already! Bitta LC BUZZ 😀

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Qdkj9UcxY

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LC post – Mocks 2012 – English and Maths

Well guys,

It’s finally began, THE MOCKS. Pretty daunting right? Especially when you think that you’ll only be sitting this exam one more time…In JUNE! So with my rescue remedies in hand, I walked into the exam centre on Monday…half hyper-ventilating! (So much for being calm and collected!) We had English paper 2 and Maths paper 1 first. Disgusting, I know!

I took my seat and laid out my things. Nerves were really kicking in. Girls happily chattered away, not a care in the world. They were the ones with the right attitude, but hey, I’m a worrier, can’t be changing that! The nine o’clock bell sounded and the teacher arrived. In her hand she carried a large paper bag, filled with shiny, pink paper. Fuck. This was it. I looked at my watch, 9.03 am. I made sure I set it just a couple minutes ahead to keep me focused on the time. (Worth doing in June I think) Next thing I knew, I had the pink paper lying on my desk. Staring at me. The final word I heard for three hours, “Begin”.

I flicked open the page, my hand shaking like a leaf in Winter. Hamlet. YES. The character I studied appeared. Comparative. Literary Genre. Sweet. Poetry. Perfect. The poet I knew was there. Feeling pretty chuffed with myself I sat there looking at it for a good 5 minutes before I thought, “Shit, Orlaith! Start writing! THIS IS THE EXAM”, but no. My blue, staedtler pen just hovered over the clean, crisp pages in my answer booklet. Of course, the one time I get writers block its in my mocks.Well eventually I began. I just wrote, I recited everything I had learned, spieled on for most and I probably re-wrote Hamlet with some dodgy quotes. Though when I came out of the exam centre, happiness washed over me. 1 down. I can do this. At the point, results and grades and points did not matter. After 2 years of work I managed to get everything I was taught into words. Not bad, not bad.

Yet, Maths Paper 1 went a little different. Let’s put it this way. It didn’t go at all. It was an ultimate disaster, and for all you nosey parkers, I do ordinary level. Yep. And I barely could do it. Embarrassing huh? Generally I like maths, I don’t find it incredibly hard, but by God, lady luck was not on my side in the exam! I’m trying not to get too worked up about it, I just hope I pass as I’m not counting it as one of my 6 subjects! And it prepared me for what is to come in a few months time.

Now Tuesday morning. Feeling on top of the world. English paper 1 and maths paper 2. I was excited to go into English, (I am aware I sound like a nerd, thank you) But English paper 1 suits me, I get to do my thing. I don’t need to worry about keeping to a rigid structure and reciting off a load of bull. I just let my pen do the talking, and not being boastful, but I think I served up a pretty good paper. Well at least I hope I did! Come on B3 for Journalism! It’s a nice paper and I think it will be a good way to start exams come June. There’s no stress involved, it simply based on whatever happens, happens. You can’t prepare or revise, you just have to…do! I walked out feeling pretty damn good, also the fact that I had finished English was a maaajor bonus! Stress = finito! Then maths paper 2 reared it’s ugly head. Project maths. Ew. Since we didn’t have the course covered and knew we were gonna fail, I took it nice and handy. NOT RECOMMENDED. It wasn’t incredibly bad, but I still hated the fact that we couldn’t attempt all the questions. Pretty stupid sitting a mock if we were all gonna be finished a half hour too early, but hey, thats just the name of the game.

So tomorrow I have Business and French. Pretty stressful stuff. There’s so much in business and in French, well the only thing I can say is, “Je suis focked”. 2 days down, 4 more to go. Not gonna lie, I am enjoying these little days off in between! Tea being delivered to your study desk because “I don’t wanna burn myself out” 😉 Gotta love the Irish mammys. Who said Leaving Cert was stressful! I’ll keep you guys posted! Wish me luck!

– Orlaith 🙂

LC blogger.

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