Leaving Cert Diary: February
Last year missy.ie writer, Sophie Coffey, kept us up to date in the run up to her Leaving Cert exams with her Leaving Cert Diary series…we all know how that turned out now.
This year another missy.ie writer, Sorcha Kennedy, will be documenting her experience in 6th Year. With a lot still going on due to the pandemic and uncertainty over the 2021 exams, it will definitely be an interesting one to follow every month.
Whew, what a month that was! February was definitely the month with the most ups and downs during this Leaving Cert year (which is saying something!)
Some clarity…finally!
The best thing to come out of this month was that we finally got an answer about the exams!
We learned that we have a choice between an accredited grade (like was used last year) or sitting the exam on a subject by subject basis.
This is great because it means that every student can make a choice based on what suits themselves and each of their subjects the best. Although I do have some issues that, perhaps could still be resolved – for example the fact that we don’t know our predicted grades before the exams or the lack of school profiling which caused hundreds of students to be downgraded last year. I am honestly so so relieved that we have an answer. I honestly would’ve been okay with any decision, as long as it was concrete.
For me personally, I’m terrified of being downgraded like so many people were last year. So, I’ve decided to sit the exams for 6 of my 8 subjects – which is definitely a tactical choice. By sitting the subjects I believe will be used to calculate my points (as only your best 6 are counted) I feel as if I’m solidifying and guaranteeing my predicted grades, which will greatly decrease my stress levels.
It also means I can focus on my 6 subjects only, and possibly improve upon the grade I was predicted. I would definitely encourage every Leaving Cert student to think carefully and tactically, as this is a very individual choice and what works for someone else may not work for you.
UCAS, Clothes and Catfish
Other news (not that much has been happening), I had my first (and I believe only) interview for one of my university applications in the UK.
I interviewed at my dream school, and I’m honestly just so proud of myself that I made it this far in the application process because I definitely didn’t expect it. I’m now waiting for their decision, and I’ve turned into a UCAS portal addict. I’m not kidding when I say I check my UCAS portal multiple times a day. As well as checking my emails every 20 minutes (including my spam, socials, and promotions folder). Literally every notification gives me a mini heart attack. But, it’s definitely a good distraction from all the actual craziness going on in the world!
I’ve also been filling the gaps in my life with clothes (which I would definitely recommend but my bank account would not) and have been binging every episode of Catfish on Amazon Prime.
Hopefully March is a quieter month, and that the return to school goes smoothly (and safely). I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and sticking to COVID rules (which I know is hard) because we’re all in this together!