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Avatar of valerie

by valerie

check it outttt – it’s snow joke!

January 8, 2010 in Study

(I decided against a Beastie Boys reference in the title (too many “ch”s) and went instead for The Checkout Girls from ”Sonny With A Chance”. Feeling cool right now.) http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0108/breaking1.html

That news arrived up on my screen to a resounding “ewww” from all school-going persons in my house. My sister is concerned about the TY musical actually going into production. I am concerned that I won’t be in school til the mocks with all this carry on. Like seriously. When’s all this snow and ice going to stop? I mean it was cute at first, I made snowangels and attempted a snowman but now…now it’s just annoying.

I feel like a right nerd for saying this, but I’m booorrreeeed. A good lot of my friends all live on these treacherous country roads where the slightest frost has them housebound. I have most of my homework done. My mind is reeling from trying to study. So what I’m sorta kinda maybe trying to say here is: Can I go back to school please? Get out into society again instead of the seemingly endless days of rambling around the house talking to my cats, who really aren’t that well learned in the art of scintillating conversation.

Mmhm. I think I’ll be using my self-created ”slowly going insane” tag from now on. It fits the general mood.

Valerie

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Avatar of misterx

by misterx

3 Weeks

January 8, 2010 in Study

Yup, they’re just around the corner. The Mocks, Pres, Hell, whatever you call them. I don’t know about anyone else but I can safely say for myself I’m not ready. Not even in the slightest. I’m pretty sure that with the sum of my knowledge so far I could scrape a pass in most subjects. I know, real Medicine material. I’ve sat down to study over the past week, mostly Biology and English. Which I’m fairly comfortable with. It’s the likes of my Irish folder I want to set ablaze and leave on Batt O’Keefe’s doorstep, cackling manically into the distance.

Of course, we got the studying lectures and seminars in school. Divide it into chunks. Study in half hour blocks. That’s one thing that really drives me crazy. Half hour blocks? What the hell are you smoking dude? Ok, maybe if you know everything on the given topic you could revise it. Then they start hammering on about putting down what you know first, checking for mistakes and trying an exam question. In half an hour. With Biology, it makes me want to scream. For me, I could spend at least an hour going over a chapter and getting it in there, nice and concrete and then trying some exam papers. Maybe I’m alone in that, I don’t know.

Either way, come Monday the countdown begins for our year. 3 weeks of cramming, panic and pleading with people to get copies of lost notes. Don’t get me wrong; I studied in 5th Year, did all my homework on time, studied for any tests, small or large, so I’m not freaking out about not doing ok in these exams. It’s the higher tier that scares the bejesus out of me. And time. I work weekends, starting grinds soon on them too so something is going to have to give. Failing that, you know it will be Mister X involved in the high-speed Garda chase away from Mr. O’Keefe’s house (or at least as high-speed as Gardaí get).

Probably contributing to this panic is that I did my HPAT Practice. 70/110. Good, bad? I don’t know I’ve been trawling the ‘net and haven’t got a clue. Section 2 was definitely my strongest, followed by 1 and the car crash that was 3. Mmmm. For now, I really just want to go crazy but it’s too icy to go running. Thanks Arctic Circle. Good luck in the coming weeks guys, try and overlook my temporary frustration..

Mister X.

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Avatar of paul

by paul

Mocks?

February 19, 2009 in Study

Okay, as you all are probably aware at this moment in time, I’m not all that bothered by the leaving cert. I’m not sure if its just that it hasn’t hit me yet, or I genuinely don’t give a damn. I suppose I’ll soon find out.

Anyway, so the mocks are coming up next week and run for 2 weeks in our school. I am missing days 1 and 2 because I’m going to a camera show in Birmingham. But don’t fret, I actually went to the teachers and I have organized to take the exams at another time.  Then I miss a morning in the following week due to my driving test, which, personally, I rate 10 times more important than the leaving cert.

I fear every time I write here that it becomes a public display of my “give a damn” being broken. Honestly I try not to convey things like that, but I suppose it comes across as that.

I haven’t started studying just yet, I am spending the week catching up on business maters, and other stuff involving money. Maybe I’ll give things a look over the night before each exam, we’ll see. But I’ll keep yall’ updated as i go :D

Until then, have fun!

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Avatar of grace

by grace

A Lack of Patience…

January 27, 2009 in Study

Discuss the leaving cert in the forum

Three weeks til midterm…four weeks til pre’s…eight weeks til the orals…twenty something til the leaving. The countdowns continue.

Countdowns are all I have these days, cause I’m getting oh so sick of school! Usually my tolerance is much lower but I have finally snapped. I’ve had enough. I’m finished! We’ve got about four months of actual school left though, so it’s not looking too bad. As for that old gem, “Enjoy your school days, they’re the best days of your life!” Life after school will have to be fairly crap for that to be proven true, in my opinion at least.

This seems to be as good an outlet as any so I’m going to continue with the ranting. Does anyone else think that teachers should have some kind of psychotic assessment before being given a job? If I may borrow a quote from Henry Brooks Adams, a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. That being said, what if the teacher is a bad influence? Teachers are meant to inspire and encourage…but I find more and more that teachers are bitter, cynical creatures who do nothing but discourage and irritate pupils. It’s most disheartening. Of course I don’t mean to generalise, there are that special few out there who truly enjoy teaching their subject, and fair dues to them, but that other breed…it’s soul killing stuff.

This is the last rant I swear. But does ANYONE else see that the vast majority of these revision days and courses that are currently being shoved in our faces are money spinning rip offs? I think that paying sixty quid to sit in some lecture hall for three hours with four hundred other kids is blasphemy. Sure you might remember one or two facts from the day, but surely three hours of study in the comfort of ones own home would be much more beneficial? Not to mention free of charge. If you have an idiot for a teacher then fair enough some help is needed…but for gods sake, get a few grinds! I’ll stop talking about this now cause anyone who cares has gotten the point and those who don’t have already been distracted by something shiny and less neurotic.

If I may be so bold as to blatantly advertise, for those with an incompetent French or Irish teacher who’s a little worried about the orals then I recommend the Shortcuts to Success Oral books. As I don’t do German, Spanish or any other language I can’t help you there, but all in all those books are great.

Later, Grace x

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Avatar of colin

by colin

Go go GO… STOP!

March 5, 2008 in Study

The mock exams are over. The mock exams are over.

Here comes the sun. And here comes the orals and practicals. 4 weeks. 4weeks.

But not to worry 4 weeks to learn off by heart, every possible answer to every possible question we can be asked and to learn off all music pieces to the point of an exceptional ace. Not to worry. 4 weeks.

I got thinking, time is resourceful and of the essence; 672 hours in 4 weeks. IF I spend this time wisely, I can take the strain of the government’s educational programme off my shoulders. 4 weeks.

19th of June; Free from the system. Just 100 days. I will be open to the world, free to do as I please, almost free… for a while. But now, I have 4 weeks.

Colin.

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