I’ve been a very bold blogger. I told myself to write about my last three exams before jetting off to France, but unfortunately holiday preparations pushed blogging into the Bac (see what I did there? Ooh La La!) seat.

My final three exams, Chemistry, German and Music were thankfully straightforward and uneventful. Chemistry was a delicious paper and luckily for me the areas I didn’t study either didn’t come up or only came up as a tiny part of an optional question. Trés bon! Unfortunately I did make a silly mistake when I drew a graph plotting atomic number against mass number instead of first ionization energy, but luckily I realised my mistake and had time to redraw the graph and do an extra question just in case.

German was sehr gut aber nicht fantastisch. Keeping with the trend of past Ger,an Leaving Cert papers very odd written pieces came up, like writing about wild animals in the city. I sincerely hope “because of the economic crisis, people cannot afford food and may kill and eat wild animals” counts as “a dangerous situation which could arise from wild animals in the city”.

Music was as good as music was always going to be, by which I mean I didn’t do a wonderful exam, but neither did I fail epically, although the last phrase of my melody was a cross between Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. I also modulated without using any sevenths, so I hope to god it sounds like an obvious modulation.

The night before the HPAT results I had a dream about the results in which I got 460 points and was delighted with myself. Of course upon waking I realised that that’s an impossible score but went to check my email still with my happy buzz from that nice dream. It only took a few minutes for that happy buzz to be replaced by bitter disappointment and then despair, followed gradually by acceptance. I did not get a good HPAT score. Oh sure, I did better than the majority of people, but that’s not enough. Even if I got six A1s, which I know I haven’t, I could get a maximum of 720 and I just don’t think that’s going to cut it. After moping around my house on my own for a bit, I decided that Human Health and Disease, if I get it, does sound like a pretty cool course. I’m thinking that I’ll do a year of that but also spend that year doing logic and spacial awareness problems, and hopefully I can improve on my HPAT score next February. Even though I’ve accepted my useless HPAT score, I still get a sinking feeling of inadequacy every time I think of it, which is part of the reason I avoided blogging about it for so long. Fortunately being in another country with a different language and culture where I can practice French, the love of my life, is a welcome distraction, and in between sunning myself and ogling tanned French boys at the beach, I’ve come to accept that come September, I will not be a med student.

(on an entirely different note, I saw this on my balcony the other night…)

Tags: chemistry, disappointment, France, german, HPAT results, Human Health and Disease, le, leaving cert, medicine, music, rondo alla turca, stag beetle

Today, June 22nd, is a day almost every Medicine hopeful had marked off in their calendars as The Most Important Day Ever.
I say almost every Med-Head, because I rang a friend of mine this morning, about 3 hours after I’d looked at my own results, to see how he’d fared, and he didn’t even realise they were being sent out…
I explained to him that I cried when I first saw my results. Nobody understands emotional wrecks these days.
I feel better since the immediate shock, but maybe only a little.

Anyway, it’s a day that I’d very much been dreading for the last few months. Thousands of us sat our HPATs last February, with little idea of how we actually got on. It was a vague, wishy-washy, stressful exam which makes me physically ill when I so much as think of it, and I had absolutely no idea how exactly I got on.
I remember very few details about it (Mental Blockage, you see) but the blog I wrote about the exam at the time reminded me how depressing the whole day was.

That day was nowhere near as depressing as today, however.
The night after the HPAT exams I went out to my favourite club and got rather drunk with a few good friends.
Today is a Monday. The option just isn’t there.
One of my very best friends is moving to France for a year. Tomorrow. And she more than likely won’t be able to come home for visits, even at Christmas.
Another of my best friends (Who I’m heavily dependent on) has been in Germany all Summer.
I recently got a bad haircut.
I was already fragile. Already an emotional wreck. Now this has been very much so heightened.

I couldn’t sleep at all last night, I was tossing and turning until about 4am. I was tempted to pull an all nighter, refreshing my inbox every 5 seconds approximately, waiting for ACER to send me out that all important email which would reveal my results.
I eventually decided it’d be a tad ridiculous, a tad excessive, and succumbed to sleep, but I was up at 8.30am, bounding towards my computer, adamant to see the dreaded Results email. They’d been sent out at 5.52am (A somewhat odd time, yes.)

I wish I’d stayed in bed.

Without further ado, my results are as follows:

Points (Out of a total of 300): 173
Percentile Ranking: 84

Now, I know these results aren’t as drastic as I’m making out, but for me, this has come as quite an awful blow.
I’d been hoping to get within the top, maybe, 10 percentile of candidates to try and secure myself a place in Medicine in Trinity.
I only landed into the top 16.
Hope is not lost, no no no, but it’s definitely diluted somewhat.

On one hand, I know that I’m more suited to Medicine, apparently, than 84% of medicine applicants- but it’s that pesky 16% who would, apparently, be better than me who are the problem.
I say “apparently” because I don’t think a, frankly tenuous, multiple choice exam can truly determine someone’s capability as a Doctor, Surgeon, Psychiatrist or what have you.
Heck, there’s no easy way of doing it- but because of SHEER determination alone I feel as though I’d proved myself somewhat able to study the damn course next year.
I cannot describe how much I want to study Medicine, and I feel as though I’ve given it my all. I know I’d be good at it. I know it’s the only career I’d truly enjoy, and work well at.
But my HPAT results haven’t reflected this all too well.

On the CAO website, it’s possible to get a breakdown of your results Section by Section- I excelled in Section 1- So it seems I’m pretty logical and can solve problems pretty nicely, then.
Section 2- Interpersonal Relationships- wasn’t great. I’d honestly assumed this was my forte- I’d always done best here in the sample tests- but it was only mediocre on the day.
Section 3, however, is where I really got dragged down. I didn’t even score 50 points here. I’ve come up with an excuse though, of course,- I’m a girl.
It’s not much of an excuse, but I’m blaming the sexist nature of the paper- Girls suck at that kind of thing, generally speaking, compared to boys. Seriously, FACT. We were raised playing with our Barbies- they had their lego and K’nex and what have you. We learned nothing, only how to be subservient and fashionable, they developed spacial awareness.
Yeah. So I’m blaming bad parenting, then.

I thought I’d be able to tell if I got into Medicine or not today, but it’s impossible to do so, really.
Combining my Leaving Cert points from last year as an indication with my HPAT results, I get as follows:
550 + 173 = 723.
723 out of 860, seems a bit awful, right? Does anyone understand why I cried, just a little?

However, I’ve since discovered that nobody seems to have got more than around and about 207-210. That, of course, means the very maximum could be, what, 560+ 210= 770?
I’m a good 60 or 50 points off the top candidates, but I’m still a hell of a lot higher than some of the average or weaker students.
Most people seem to have gotten 150 or thereabouts in the HPATs, and I wouldn’t go as far as saying hope is lost for any of them, or for me, merely diluted.
Because all the HPAT results seem to be over such a narrow range, the Leaving Cert results are still of fundamental importance.

Anyone who thinks they’ll get into Medicine with 480 points is horribly deluded- but there’s hope for people who break well into the 500s, especially if their HPAT results were even alright.

Sigh. I don’t know.
I can’t wait for August 12th. But, more importantly, I can’t wait for August 17th- the day of CAO offers.
I’ll take Medicine anywhere in Ireland. If Trinity’s out than I’ll gladly head to Galway. I’d even take the plunge and accept CORK if I had to- even though I hate the city (nothing personal, guys) and would really hate to end up there.

For now though, I’m going to just try and forget about it and enjoy my Summer.
I’ll return in August to let you all know how I get on! Keep your fingers crossed for me, please.

EDIT: This article from the Irish Times is wonderfully informative.

Tags: 2009, ACER, Aptitude, exam, HPAT, medicine, results, trinity

Hey guys.
This is going to be a bit short due to my inability to concentrate for longer than three minutes at the moment, I’m either suffering from the Tequila last night or my brain how long into some weird Traumatic Shock kinda thing.

Chemistry : A lovely paper. I’m a little worried about whether or not I did it justice but there’s absolutely no point in worrying about that now because it’s more than likely sitting up in Athlone in some metal box, all sealed and waiting to go.

Latin: Would have been absolutely smashing if it weren’t for the actual language bit. My vocab let me down and to anyone studying it I would remind them that the vocab list is actually a Latin Bible and just learn it.. And your Virgil. The history was brilliant and once agan, what’s done is done and what can we do now but chill out and enjoy our summers..

Okay, being finished.
It’s very very odd.
I’ve only been finished for just over 24 hours but already it feels like it’s been about a week. I’m really enjoying not having grinds to go to, not having guilt to attend to and being able to doss around like the way my inclinations point me towards.

I wish everyone out there the best of luck with their summer, final exams and results.

It’s been fun.

(I’m also blogging for the laugh over at marzabar.blogspot.com but thats just pimping my own warez).

As a not so wise songstress once said, all good things come to an end. Apparently all manner of crappy things finally draw to a close, too. Walking out of my economics exam yesterday I felt two things: euphoria and relief.

Finally, after years of preparing for one extremely intense and overly-dramatic set of exams, it’s all over. So congratulations, class of 2009, we conquered the leaving cert! August could potentially bring words to the contrary, but let’s just hope for the best, eh?

Academically speaking, next year will bring with it many new things including the best opportunity for a fresh start we’ll probably ever get. Good luck for the future, have the best summer ever, and I’ll see you back here in less than eight weeks on results day

Much love, Grace

PS: If anyway should need to contact me you can find me at gracemurphy@live.ie

Tags: Dashboard Confessional, leaving cert economics exam, Nelly Furtado, Results day August 12th, SUMMER 2009, The leaving cert...is over

Tuesday, at 5pm, I officially finished my Leaving Cert.
I walked out of those school gates, knowing I’d never ever have to return and I’ve got to say- it felt great.
I apologise for the gap before posting- I was getting very drunk. Very very drunk.

Chemistry
This year’s Chemistry Paper was delightful.  I was genuinely extremely pleased with the exam- even though my vast knowledge of Chemical Equilibrium was totally wasted on it. Where was Le Chatelier’s Principle, eh?
The experiments were all lovely, and I flew through them- Iron Tablets, Ethene/Ethyne, Flame Tests/ Anions. Jizzed my pants. I think most people did. Groans of relief and pleasure emanated from every corner of that exam hall when those pink pages were turned over.
I had 8 questions completely done and double or triple checked by 4pm, an hour before the Paper was to be over. I did an extra two, and all the small extra bits and pieces I could manage- Lovely.
I did think the Rates of Reactions question was a tad confusing though- I left that one out completely. Also, the bit about Electrolysis in Question 10, which was luckily avoidable, was a joke. I’m sure it would have been easy had I ever so much as glanced at the chapter, but who actually thought it’d appear on the paper? Who knew? Probably most people. Not me though!

Overall- Happy with it. Maybe it wasn’t totally A1 level, but I’ve a feeling I knew more for it than I did for Chemistry last year. So I ought to beat a B1, then.
How did everyone else find it?

General reflection and sentimentality
It’s been quite the year, and I’ve definitely changed a lot. We all have.
I started off as a diligent student- willing to sacrifice everything to get as many points as possible. For about a month, I knew what I had to do, and I was willing to do it.
Unfortunately, that was last September/ October and I’ve degenerated majorly since then. It’s been a downward spiral into “How well can I get on with as little work as possible?” Well, I’ll let you all know in August.
It would be pretty damn terrible if I got less points this year than last year but, realistically, it’s very possible. Very very possible.

Choosing to repeat was a very difficult thing to do, but if I could go back a few months I’d probably decide to do it all again anyway.
While I’m turning back time and stuff, I might have decided to, y’know, work a little harder too. Maybe. But whatever.
Don’t get me wrong- it was a painful year. A year of stress and AGONY at times, but I guess it wasn’t so bad. There were countless days where I just felt too fed up to venture into school, but wasn’t allowed to stay at home- I visited a lot of friends’ houses this year, and the library became something of a second home.
I’d still say, though, that I had one of the best attendance records of all the repeats!
I met a lot of horrible people who I’m delighted I’ll never have to speak to again, but I also made some great friends and encountered some truly great people (This is where I’d like to mention me ol’ buddy ol’ chum Jephson, who just genuinely deserves a mention!) To everyone who injected a bit of life into my year- You guys RAWKKK.
I’ve left school before, so I know I won’t keep in touch with the vast majority of my newly-acquired cohorts, but I’ll certainly stay in contact with the best of them. Finally, a degree of sentimentality has hit me. Finally.
On Grad Night I cheered. On Tuesday evening, after my last exam, I screamed expletives regarding the school at my friends. But now, I guess I’ll miss the banter. The craic. The general fun.

To anyone considering repeating- I say, GO FOR IT.
It’s shocking how quickly a year will pass.
There will be days when you’ll miss all of your college-bound friends, days when you’ll resent your various subjects and days when you’ll want to empty your school bag into the bin.
But, why settle for second best? If you’ve your heart set on studying a specific thing in 3rd level and you think it’s actually within your grasp, then what’s a year?
I could have just accepted Pharmacy or Radiation Therapy this year, but I’d have always wondered what life would have been like had I actually gotten Medicine.
If I don’t get it this year, at least I can say that I tried.

So, what now?
Well, as the Leaving Cert’s now over, I haven’t got any reason to stick around writing these blogs, much as I’m sure you’d all love me to.
However, I will be back to let any loyal readers know how I get on with both my HPAT Results (Which I’m finding out on Monday. Gulp. Gulp. Terror. Fear) and, of course, my actual Leaving Cert results this August.

We did it! We can get our lives back!
So, this is it.
This. Is. It.
We can finally all get our lives back.
All of those small sacrifices we had to make, which eventually accumulated to make us total shadows of our former selves- GONE.
Make the Summer of 2009 your best one yet, I know I will.
I’m not sure what to do with myself just yet, but I’ll figure something out!
Go out, get drunk, get merry-happy. Cram as much fun as you can into the next few weeks. Just, enjoy!

Congratulations to everyone!
But, more importantly, best of luck with the results and your offers.

Class of 2009, I’m out.

Tags: chemistry, finished, HPAT, I love you Jephson, maoineachas, reflection, repeating, results

Just one day left to this big mess that is the Leaving Cert! After an English paper fiasco and many a tear, it’s time to celebrate.

I would also like to congratulate all the bloggers on completing their exams and to thank them for providing us with such great and entertaining blogs during the year, well done!
To anyone doing religious education, technology, applied maths, Italien or Japanese, best of luck!
And to those who have just completed music, let us know how you got on?

Join the forum today for post-leaving cert conversation!

Tags: 2009, exams, leaving cert

Tags: 2009, leaving cert, music

Ahhhhh.. Okay.. Going mad from waiting for the next two exams to roll around. Had a lovely evening out last night at a friends and seem to have lost ALL sense of urgency or whatever it is that you have when you’re studying for exams.
I think that this isn’t a good thing..
Anything, Latin.. I think that I am one of like less than two hundred students doing it for the Leaving.. If anyone out there does it, leave a comment, we’re practically extinct and I want to know how comprehensive your history notes are..

For people who want to know what exactly is the Latin subject and exam all about.. Well it’s basically divided into two parts, history and language. That’s all you really need to know.. oh and I have to learn off 500lines of Latin and their translation.. Whooop!

Hmm.. I am also super duper boring these days.. All that there is to talk about is how I did or did not study.. I’ve tried making timetables, lists, guilt inducing posters… Nothing works. I think I’m going to try and stick to Chemistry tomorrow (and perhaps glance on those 500 lines of Virgil occasionally) but the Chemistry is panicking me a bit now.. Like I can’t deny that I didn’t have an AMAZING teacher.. But bits of the course bore me to tears and just seem like a horrific hassle and so I might try to avoid them.. like the theory in the water chapter.. Not a fan. I also think that the history and all that is completely useless and just is put in to screw with our hears. Hiss hiss grumble grumble. Anion tests.. Oh Anion tests. I have somehow managed to take a “mental picture” on the Anion summery page in book and hopefully my brain won’t fail me and I’ll be able to vomit that back up on Tuesday ( I use lovely imagery I do).
Anyway.. Back to the Cicero transtlations.

As a parting note; TOGA TOGA TOGA!
(and how to wear one… giant toga party anyone?)

Tags: bloggity bloggity blog, chemistry, kittens, Latin, leaving cert, need more coffee, TOGA TOGA TOGA

Thus far, I’ve sat 9 Leaving Cert Papers. I’ve done 2 orals, 2 aurals, and a pretty awful Geography project. I’ve also done all of this and more last year.
I’ve pretty much done it all again. Almost.
All that remains is Chemistry.
I ought to be delighted. Ecstatic. Excited. Proud.
But I am not.

I’m sure many of you can identify with me when I say that I’m getting an awful awful sense of the post-exam blues. I was reading Cautioner’s Blog and he felt much the same way- if only a little more optimistic.
Constantly, all I can think about is how many stupid little mistakes I made in these exams. I think back to each of my papers and I ask myself “Why the hell did you leave out an urú there?”, “Why didn’t you know more about the Paris Basin?” and “Surely you should have written down more for that Biology question? You KNEW all there was to know about the heart and you BLEW it!”
Come August 12th, I’ll probably be humming this tune . Throw some Ds on that Bitch!

I’m all for not dwelling on the past, but I can’t help but get an awful feeling that I’ve messed up my Leaving Cert for the second year in a row.
I’m plaguing myself with questions constantly to the effect of “What if you get less points this year Jennie?” and “What happens if you don’t get into medicine? What are you going to do now?”. It’s quite unsettling, but it’s all I can think about. I feel broody, moody, discouraged, despondent and pessimistic. There is no sense of pride. There is no sense of delight. There’s just woe and regret.

Seeing as I never got around to updating after Biology, well, I thought it was quite a fair paper. I wrote plenty, but I got a bit caught out here and there. As I am an idiot, I didn’t turn over the last page of the actual exam booklet, so I didn’t even notice the last long question until about 12.25, 5 or so minutes before the exam was coming to an end. I’m a fool. An imbecile. A right chump.
Luckily, I’d already attempted all of the other long questions at that stage, so I already had an extra one done and everything. It’s just that, well, that particular question was SO much nicer than some of the others. But whatever, it’s just another stupid little mistake I made that I can add to the list.

For the moment though, I’m really focusing on Chemistry. It’d be great to get an A1 in it, and with a few days of cramming I’m REALLY hoping this will be attainable, seeing as I’m less than happy with some of my other papers (Most notably Maths). I got a B1 in it last year, so it’s not MUCH of a jump, especially considering I’ve now got Organic Chemistry, pH and water totally DOWN, but I’m definitely not holding my breath.
Optimism is the last thing I can muster up right about now.
I’d sort of been putting the subject on the long finger for the last while, seeing as I knew I’d have a few days to cram for it after my other exams- this probably wasn’t the best of ideas.
I ventured to the library yesterday from 10am to 8pm (With regular breaks. Very regular. One could say, almost TOO regular. I learned plenty about how “Women suck” <Cough> and how knock off Gucci shoes just don’t look as good <Thank you, dear Library, for supplying trashy magazines free of charge>. Facebook also got a visit) but I’m still only REALLY happy with Chemical Equilibrium (Arguably the most enjoyable thing I learned in any course for the Leaving Cert. Henri Le Chatelier- I love you) and all of the experiments. When I arrived there today, however, there had been a Power Failure. “Sorry for any inconvenience caused”? Stupid library.
I can’t study at home!

So, anyway, I’m off to brood pessimistically for another while and think about what I can do with my life if the worst comes to the worst and I don’t end up studying Medicine. Sigh.
Might try to NAIL Rates of Reactions too- if that comes up as a question on Tuesday afternoon and I can’t fully answer it, I will hate myself even more.
Also, congratulations to all of those who’ve finished exams- I couldn’t be more jealous. Go out and have a shot on me.

Tags: biology, blues, chemistry, FML, Le Chatelier's Principle, medicine, optimism, Organic Chemistry, Pessimism, pH, Rates of Reactions