LEAVING CERT DIARY: June
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.
The end is finally here!
I am writing this approximately 4 hours after I finished my final Leaving Cert exam and I have to admit, it feels good.
I am one of the unlucky few who had an exam on the final day thanks to politics and society. The relief of exiting the exam hall and leaving the school building for the final time, and entering into the sun and heat of June was nothing short of poetic.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t leave the exam early because the temptation of being done was too much. I have spent the past few weeks watching my friends live their best, care-free lives and now it is finally my turn!
Surviving The L.C
Looking back on my exam experience as a whole, I’m not really sure what to say. At some point I was expecting the infamous “Leaving Cert panic” to sink in and cause me to have a mini crisis, but it never did. I was genuinely the most laid back I’ve ever been for any exams in my life, and these were arguably the most important exams of my life. I think because the experience was so long (four weeks long!) that the novelty began to wear off as I went on. I was definitely the most stressed and nervous for English, but today I honestly couldn’t have cared less.
I think I did well in all my exams, no overwhelming disappointments or big mistakes, but I probably could have studied more. But maybe I did study enough and I’ve just been lied to by society for the past 6 years. I definitely think that we put too much emphasis on the exams and hype them up so much, when in reality they really don’t feel like that big of a deal when you’re actually doing them (at least in my opinion).
I did end up sitting six of my eight subjects (sorry German and Maths) and I’m glad I at least attempted them!
The End of An Era
So, what do I do now?
My whole year has been thinking about my exams, and studying, and changing my CAO, and now it’s all done. I have nothing to do. No exams, the CAO application has been submitted, everything. I have two months to relax, spend time with friends, and prepare myself for the big changes coming in September.
I can’t wait to declutter my clothes, read books, buy a debs dress, and eat as many 99s as possible.
Thank you to everyone who has followed my (at times crazy) journey through the leaving cert exam process, and I wish everyone well with their results in September.