Why I like the Leaving Cert

I hear a lot of people complaining about the Leaving Cert: “it’s too many subjects!”  “it’s just regurgitating information!”  “It doesn’t prepare you for life!”. Well I can happily say that I quite like the Leaving Cert. I suppose I’m lucky in that I can learn lots of information quickly and remember it well (but not names, or things to get in the shop, oh no). But what I really like about the Leaving Cert is it’s almost like a game, a large part of doing well is exam technique. Of course in theory that means we should all be getting A1s left right and centre, but I suppose so much exam technique comes down to a teacher’s skill, and thankfully I have some excellent teachers who know the Leaving Cert inside out at this stage.

What I don’t like about the Leaving Cert is that it’s constantly breathing down my neck. I have done no proper work (apart from a pathetic attempt at some chemistry and french) since Thursday, if I make this a habit I’ll be lucky to make it into a PLC. Because of dress-shopping and  babysitting on Friday night, birthday-present shopping and wrapping (ok and about five episodes of Southpark) on Saturday and being slightly hungover (and curling up to feel sorry for myself and watch Burn After Reading with my boyfriend) today I’m trying to cram all the homework I have for the weekend (this is thankfully not an awful lot) into the few hours before bed.

Tomorrow is another day though, and another week to try and make myself work consistently instead of having the attitude of “Ah I did 4 hours yesterday, I can afford to take the next 5 days off”. Tomorrow also heralds the launch of Operation Put Santa Hat on Skeleton in Biology Lab. Stay Tuned.

Discuss the leaving cert in the forum

5 thoughts on “Why I like the Leaving Cert”

  1. The key difference between the Leaving Cert and a game is that the Leaving Cert is not fun. And that the game stops when you want it to. And that… In fact, the Leaving Cert is nothing like a game.

  2. Wrong. Games are inherently fun and ending-on-demand. If these two things are absent, it is not a game.

    But this is irrelevant. Should be discussed on the forums…

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