You are browsing the archive for 2009 December.

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by colin

The School – New RTE Series

December 31, 2009 in Study

The SchoolRTE television in the new year will screen ‘The School’, a new three-part documentary series following the students and teachers of St Peter’s College, Dunboyne, over one academic year. Never before has an Irish school given such unlimited access to film-makers, allowing camera crews to document every aspect of school life.

Principal Eamon Gaffney was initially reluctant to open the doors of the school he built up from nothing 15 years ago. But he felt his staff had nothing to hide. Quite the opposite, in fact; here was a great school, producing great students, ready to make a contribution to Irish society.

A number of students reappear across the series, giving viewers the opportunity to follow the ups and downs of their school year. Band members like Adam and Donal, who just seem hell-bent on stretching every rule in the book for their last year of school life. Or fifth year Conor, whose months of rehearsals are jeopardised by illness on the eve of the school musical, or the pressure felt by sixth year students, including Claire and Niamh, who are about to confront one life-changing exam.

‘The School’ begins on RTE One on Monday 4th January at 9.30pm.

Catch Episode one again  if you missed it:

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1063518

Source: http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/the_school.html

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by Site Admin

Taoiseach David Higgins

December 31, 2009 in Study

David HigginsFirstly, I want to wish everyone here a happy new year and a happy new decade. For many of you, this is the year you sit your leaving cert. For me it’s not. I’m in 5th year :P

So, don’t expect me to use the words stress or pressure in any of my posts :)

What I’ll be covering is the more political and current affairs side of education. If the government decides to introduce third level fees, If there’s a cut in education funding or if there’s to be a teacher’s strike I’ll be the first to let you know.

I run my own political blog at www.davidhiggins.net

*BIAS WARNING* I’m a member of Young Fine Geal and as a result I will be just a tad critical of the govenment. But, I’ll try to keep things balanced.

As you may have guessed I’m into politics and I’ll probably study it in college. Being in 5th year my mind is not made up but I’m looking at Economics and Politics in Trinity College.

I could go to another college in Dublin but the 15 bus goes straight from my doorstep to the gates of Trinity. Funny how you plan your future around a bus timetable!

Music is my other passion. I play the piano, the guitar and I sing. I’m in a rock band and numerous choirs. I’m even looking to start my own choir, similar to the new TV show Glee.

Check out my music http://www.youtube.com/davidhiggz

For the Leaving Cert I’m studying the core 3, Music, Physics, Economics and French. I got 8 A’s in the junior so I’ll be hopeing for the big 600 in June 2011.

Wish me luck!

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/Higgz
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/davehiggz

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by misterx

The Times, They Are A Changin’

December 31, 2009 in Study

Today was quite possibly one of the most productive days of my Christmas holidays when it comes to the Leaving Cert. Oh yes, there were sweat, blood and tears and I didn’t open a single book, copy or folder. I did it,  I took the plunge and hauled my ass over to the CAO website to sort it out, once and for all. Well, figuratively speaking at least… Might as well bookmark the “Change of Mind” facility now.

You know it’s funny. I’d gone to pretty much all of the Open Days. I’d dragged my mates around the different stands, to the boring information lectures to the point where it was much better to split up, letting them check out the university “talent” while I checked out courses. “Pfffft,” they said, “loads of time.” So today it paid off: I got out all my prospectuseseses (prospecti??), happy that I had some grasp of what I want to do. Okay, Medicine down the five slots there… Then lost. I mean, I know that you need to have a back up, a back-up for your back-up and so on. I put down back-ups. I mean, I know now that I want to do Medicine and there’s really no other course that I’m interested in, especially after thinking it over the past few weeks, even months. It’s deciding where you might end up going  if things don’t go as planned,the complete uncertainty that’s so unnerving. They say change is good, but one that ties you down somewhere for 4 years? Yipes. Must be the Mother Theresa of the World of Change.I guess it’s good motivation to really knuckle down and get what you want to get.

I wasn’t even going to do the CAO for another few weeks until someone warned me about the Dublin HPAT test centre and the possibility of it filling up and then having to go to Galway or Cork. That would be one hell of a day. For anyone in a centre outside of Dublin in the event that Dublin does fill up… I think that you’ll be able to tell which candidates they are. The twitching ones that will cry tense tears of exhaustion as the time to put down the pencil draws ever closer. Then I saw myself in the situation. Not a chance I’d cope, I’m bad enough in exam situations without being sleep-deprived even further with travel time. Hence the CAO panic and now I have my number and HPAT registration all done and dusted. Figuratively speaking.

So what did I put down as my back-ups in the end? Human Health and Disease, Science, Physio and Occupational Therapy, roughly in that order and it’ll probably change after this post. After all that I nearly wish I really did go check out the talent because really I’m no more concrete on my “definitely maybes” than I was six months ago. Yet as 2010 draws closer and closer I can’t help but think where, in little over six months time, my CAO application will lead me and for my friends, their’s. I think today is the first day, the first big wake-up call I’ve had, of life beyond the Leaving and life beyond school.

30th December 2009 folks. A day for change.. now the 31st? Let’s hope it’s a positive change for study! ;)

Mister X.

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by valerie

i can has christmas?

December 28, 2009 in Study

Christmas. It’s MEANT to be our one last safe little refuge before the inevitable doom-and-gloom that is January. I spent three days gorging myself on Roses (caramel barrels ftw), reading until my head hurt and pelting my sister with snowballs. Three glorious days without one thought of study. And then of course I remembered that I wasn’t really allowed Christmas – not if my teachers had anything to do with it anyway. An essay, poetry revision and a write-up on three characters from An Triail, melody and harmony exercises, more poetry…

Dear Eavan Boland,
You are lovely, your poetry is lovely, but if I have to write about the “thought-provoking metaphor of blahblahblah” or “the title really emphasises the suchandsuch” one more time I will tear my Poetry Now to shreds.
Love,
Me

More and more stuff keeps popping up that I had forgotten about. It’s pretty rotten.

I’m going to start all of this tomorrow. Tomorrow! Yeah yeah yeah. Tomorrow will turn into the next day and then the next day…No.  I’m not much of a procrastinator actually. Usually I’m able to start things up fairly quickly. Get the ball rolling like. Finishing things…not so much. As in, halfway through a moderately productive study session I will drift away into dreamland, or whip out the iPod, or sneak up a non-school book and call it “studying English” (which it is, sort of.) It’s just too easy.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Of course, now that the festive season is drawing to a close, it’s a straight road to the Mocks and the fun they shall bring. Oh yes. Nothing beats les examens blancs for a bitta banter. I’m absolutely dying to begin. (Ah! Sarcasm! My first and only love.) But yeah, I understand why they are a good idea – breaking us down to build us up stronger again, making us realise that shit is going to get real for us very soon…stuff like that.

Is anyone good with New Year’s Resolutions? Like in all honesty, has anyone ever kept to them? Mine are nearly always the same:

1)      Cut down on the sweets.
2)      Do more exercise.
3)      Um…be nicer to everyone?

This year I’ll have to modify them a bit, make them more relevant to the life of a student who is doing Very Important Exams. Let me see…

1)      Cut down on the study.
2)      Do more daydreaming.
3)      Um…be mature-er?

Yep. Can’t see anything wrong with those resolutions.  On with 2010!

Valerie

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by bruno

Introducing Bruno. Bruno? Bruno.

December 28, 2009 in Study

Who is Bruno?

First of all, hello, Leaving Cert’ers. I am Bruno De Barros. I’m 18 years old, Portuguese, but living in Ireland. I am a sixth year student, and I love computers. Anything even remotely related to them obtains my unconditional attention. When I’m not working on my websites, or dreaming about computers, I am usually reading great books, obsessing over hair and different hairstyles, or going for the occasional rollerblading session.

What I want out of my Leaving Certificate.

I intend to get a degree in Computer Science, in Trinity. For that, I will be required to get around 360 points, which I deem to be ridiculous for such a degree. Computers are everywhere, so I would have expected the points requirement to be much higher. I’m glad, however, because I am absolutely certain that I will be able to get the required amount of points. I like good challenges, though, so I’ve imposed upon myself a new challenge. To become the best student in my school this year. So my goal is to get at least over 560 points (which I believe was the number of points last year’s best sixth year had here). I had intentions of applying to university in the USA (and that’s where a brilliant point score would really have been worthwhile), but because I didn’t register for the SAT tests, I’m afraid I am not able to do so this year. Hopefully I will next year!

After finishing school (and college), I am going to dedicate myself to running my business and I will continue to strive to excel.

That’s it?

Yes, I’m afraid so. I’m sure you wanted to know oh-so-much-more about me (yeah, right), and, this blog post is probably much smaller than the other posts (I’ve been looking at you, “peeps” from this year’s class), but what can I say? I have the habit of writing short and concise articles, so as not to bore the readers (and this is the part where most of you comment saying this was the most boring of them all).

So, that’s me for you.  I’m looking forward to an exciting year writing for Leaving-Cert.net and mingling (do people even say that?) with other Leaving Cert’ers . I’d also like to wish the best of luck to all of you who are doing their leaving certificate this year.  Don’t forget to read Leaving-Cert.net frequently! ;)

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