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by misterx

March 22, 2010 in Study

Well everyone!

I know it’s been ages for my last post. Apologies. School is just pretty insane at the moment…. Some mock papers also took much longer to get back than others and I wanted to blog about them all as a big, miserable mess. I hopped on over to the Mister X’s Journal to the right… “elePHAnT”? Has it really been that long? Might as well throw that out there then.

HPAT. I was at Trinity College (at which there was a chronic shortage of toilets…) No panic attacks or anything the night before thought it did take me a while to fall asleep. Overall I though the whole thing was organised really well, smooth in and out apart from the blip of handing out papers. Is it true people cried in UCD?

Section 1: Surprisingly okay. I think I had to rush at the end and hadn’t a notion about the dragonfly or mosquito question on wingspan. Graphs seemed off to me. Otherwise, this section was alright I thought.

Section 2: Again, not too bad. Apart from the dialogue between the child talking to her dad about leaving her mother? I found that a little difficult, as if the questions were presuming too much from little snippets of conversation. Overall, I thought it too was alright.

Section 3: Sweet Mother of Jesus. This section was all over the place for me and I found it much less logical than anything on the sample paper. I mean, I got a few but most of it was everywhere. Not happy with that one and it could be the one that let me down.

For the most part though, I was happy/relieved. It’s one more thing done right? Kind of messed up my timing though, because I sped through Section 2 to leave extra for 3 in any practice I did. You can’t do this! Tight for time, but generally ok. What was up with people with beeping stopwatches? Seriously, you waste time tapping the yoke every 30 seconds! Fingers crossed, salt over the left shoulder, three-leafed clover, horseshoe and rabbit’s foot at the ready :)

Ah the Mocks. I got 475 points. I’m needing 550. Suffice to say I freaked out a little bit. But I’ve chilled a lot, become more organised in my approach to notes/study and decided, hey, if HPAT goes okay and the Leaving sucks I can always repeat. (Don’t tell Kevin I’d love to stick around another year haha :P ). In truth though it is a big leap to 550 and I am a little apprehensive.

English     B1

Overall, pretty amazed. My poetry was badly, badly answered in my opinion. Paper 1 was my saving grace which I suppose is a good thing. Paper 2 can be improved although Lear/Comparative/Poetry (eh…whole paper..) need serious work.

Irish     B3

Again, I was surprised. My An Triail question was one of the best, although I missed a poetry question and my Aiste was riddled with mistakes. Oral let me down and I need big work there.

Maths C1

My only Ordinary Level paper. I’ll admit: I did nothing, looked at none of the stuff I hadn’t done in Honors. My Trig is ferociously weak and I’m really going to have to pull up my sleeves to get the A1 in this. Was it just me though or was the paper really hard compared to past years? Our’s was DEB I think, had the tough tax question as number 1 on Paper 1…

Geography    B2

I put a lot of cramming into Geography and none of my regions came up. I had to work on memory a LOT and I think the paper was marked too easily. My SRPs were really hazy and general. I was pretty surprised with the result and my timing wasn’t too great in the exam.

French B2

I couldn’t believe this result but overall I found the mock disappointing and much too easy in comparison with the past papers, particularly the comprehensions on which I got full marks on the first. The listening was ok but again, like Irish, my oral was not good. Again, a major source of stress over the coming weeks.

Biology B1

Delighted. I really love Biology and worked hard at it throughout the year. I did a little cramming but the constant work obviously paid off.  Hopefully I can haul this up to the A bracket over the next few months.

Chemistry C2

My lowest result. My God, the cramming for this one. I’ve since started keeping up with topics as they come but I find the subject very difficult, especially learning the material off and not mixing up chemicals. Doesn’t help either we’re crawling through the course.

Sooo… overall? Yeah, I’m happy with the results I suppose because they’re mostly good. I just really hope I can bump up for June. Reckon it’s possible? Because my parents are fairly skeptical  and my friends (who were just delighted to pass) don’t want to hear it..hope everyone else’s were ok!

This is my major source of Vitamin Chillax : http://songza.org/

It’s keeping me sane. Peace out!

Mister X.

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Avatar of valerie

by valerie

Mockadoodledoooooo

February 8, 2010 in Study

I’m really sorry I haven’t posted in ages (though it was probably nice to have a break from my constant prattling on and on), mocks have sort of taken over my life. I wasn’t actually planning on that happening at all, but when I come home from a day’s thinking and remembering and writing, oh the writing – well, I’m too tired to function. No doubt everyone is experiencing the exact same thing.

It’s a Saturday. I’m supposed to be studying for my Maths 2 and Irish 1 exams on Monday but I’m having the most horrible trouble concentrating. So here I am!

As of Friday I have Maths 1, English, History and all my Art practical work done. Let me take a moment to discuss History.
IT WAS AWFUL.
Every kind of awful. I couldn’t answer any of the questions on Sovereignity and the Impact of Partition. Three questions we haven’t even covered (thanks, teach) and the one I could possibly have done I hadn’t studied, of course. I wrote the saddest, sorriest, most irrelevant page of history I’ve ever written and promptly gave up. Dictatorship and Democracy: fine. America: kind of ok, I had to bullshit, which I don’t really like doing. Document Question: the only case study I didn’t look at came up, that’s how it always works, isn’t it? It was funny actually, I think I jinxed myself. Right before the exam I was studying* with my history classmate and I said “OMG I bet ~this~ will come up.” And it did. Grr.
(*chatting, insulting historical figures and generally avoiding study)

After the loveliness that was English, History was wayyy disheartening. I had a bit of a sulk later on in the evening and threw aside the schoolbag in favour of singing class and trying to find my doppelganger for Facebook (no one’s ever told me that I look like anyone, which is great for everything else except Doppelganger week.)

Next Thursday, the 11th, and it’ll all be over. My year is planning on going absolutely mental for the midterm, y’know, to get it all out of our system. I recently realised how much I love doing stuff that isn’t studying. I dream about going to the cinema, or even oh! going to Penneys! (Yes, Ballina has a Penneys. It’s kind of our landmark.)

Hope everyone’s having a more pleasant mock experience than I’m having.

Til next time, my dears.

Valerie

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by misterx

They’re heeeeeeeeeere…

February 3, 2010 in Study

Well that’s day one of the mock, pre, whatever exams down. For me it was English Paper 2. That’s right, Paper 2. I should probably point out that I’m not going to give anything away on any paper, in this post or in any other, at least not without an express warning. No point ruining the fun :)

How was it anyway? Well, it was okay. Overall my big problem is time and managing it. Trying not to be distracted by some of the more attractive teachers. Thank God I’m not stuck behind some of our Year. Seriously, hormones should be left at the door, it’s pretty ridiculous. Section 1, The Single Text is probably where I’m most angry at myself. I chose the question that naturally chose to focus on one character and in doing so shot myself completely in the foot seeing as over my revision I’d skimmed over everything, all characters and a few general quotes but nothing too specific. I realised this 2 pages and approximately 45 minutes in. Too late now, so I chugged ahead. Eventually an hour had passed, still not finished so I moved onto Section 2, The Comparative Study.

Holy Mary Mother of Jesus. The Comparative. It’s not so much a difficult topic or a difficult question really is it? It’s condensing it all down that’s the hard part. In an hour. I took the 2 parter and again, although I got a good few questions I was unable to write a solid conclusion for the (b) part. I know that I’ll get more practice in before June but perhaps the 70 marker is the way to go, even if the two parter breaks it up nicely.

Section 3 and my most detested part of the course. Which as of today has probably become my favourite. It’s like that snotty-nosed cousin you remember from your youth…the years go past and you meet them at a wedding or funeral or something and suddenly they’re all grown-up and pretty cool. Lovely questions on all the poets, I can only hope that we’re so lucky this summer. Again, time was an issue. I barely covered 2 poems in my answer.

So yeah, overall I’m slightly disappointed. Although, given the level of revision I did (clue: rhymes with “falmost hero”) I am pretty happy. Assuming I hit the B range. Next up is Irish Paper 2. Awesome.

I know it’s been ages since I posted and apologies for that, I’m trying to keep on top of it all having started grinds at the weekend on top of everything else. I have to say, I’ve been keeping pretty optimistic about these exams but at the back of my mind is that lingering question: would I repeat? Trying not to listen to it in English exams, that’s the challenge :P

Good luck everyone, revision and exam-wise.

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Avatar of ronan

by ronan

Doctors, C.A.Ah Sure and Only the pres.

February 3, 2010 in Study

Apologies Gaffer.

I got an e-mail and I knew I should post something, but expecting me to do it would’ve been like expecting a Haitian to run a marathon. Pure mean considering the state I was in. Suffering vicious headaches, mucus build up (I’m dead sexy), dry mouths, impoten……. well I felt awful. And the last thing I needed was for the shrew of a doctor to shine a big Jesus arising from the dead-esque light  into my eye to try find the solution to the headaches, then tell me there was little she could do to determine the cause of the problem! We need better doctors medicine students!

Truth be told I would’ve welcomed this dilemma twelve months ago, few days off like boi! But now, yeah it’s hindered the auld study progress. I mean there’s only so much Loose Women and Maury someone can watch. Incidently, you can NEVER have enough Total Wipeout! But the fact that I’m watching Richard Hammond make jokes as brutal as Loose Women, JLS and a relationship with O.J. Simpson all combined on a Saturday night isn’t exactly as good as a few Loose Women out on the town.

But anyway everyone’s probably done their C.A.O.’s. End of story with that, you’ll NEVER get to change that! Phhfftt. Of course you will, people just try scare ya, the facts are that it’s good to give yourself a goal to work towards, but you have until July technically to sort it out! So take it easy, maybe even listen to some Sigur Ros while sipping on Iced-Tea (Mr. Kraft from Sabrina memories btw), chill, relax, it’s not the end of the world as Maury would say. Whether LaBron’s the father or Shaneiequa, as long as the bab……. Sorry, digressing. Some people will make the right choice, some wont, some will end up delighted, some gutted, either way you should just put the task of the C.A.O. in the backseat now until after the exams, hush!

February, pres, mocks, whatever you call them for most students they’re falling on our laps in this month. All I can say from experience is, it’s only the pres! While I’d give The Leaving a capital letter, the pres are so insignificant (well they’re not completely useless but many a flaw do they have) that I don’t value them worthy of one! I mean, last year, jesus, people getting 530 when they end up with 460 in The big LC, others getting 370 when they achieve 450 when it matters come August. Some marks are as inaccurate as Jordan’s chest, or Dannii Minogue’s face for that matter. Don’t squeel crying at some prick grading your questions too poor, the pres are all about experience, timing and the likes. And if you still care, you can get the papers off the internet! Not that I recommend that or anything of the sorts.

Is there a point in the pres for Repeats, without doubt! Especially if they didn’t give a hoot last year. In fact this Sunday last year, I was sessioning on down for the Superbowl throughout the night, how American! Steelers v Cardinals, woohoo! U.S.A., U.S……. Ehm. Needless to say the next day, well school wasn’t an option. Especially when it started snowing! Intense drinking and snow, like Christmas in Poland. You’d be surprised how much one can mature over a year. As Maury would say.

Oh and I’m not impotent.

Ciao and Merci Beaucoup.

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Avatar of annah

by annah

Revision Seminars, Pres, HPAT….Social Life??

January 24, 2010 in Study

Sorry for taking this long to post but my parental units felt the need to withdraw my internet privileges as they thought it was ‘interfering’ with my study. All i can say to that is ‘WT fuck??’, but thankfully The broadband modem and I are now happily reacquainted = D

soo..anybody else fall victim to the delusion that revision seminars are the solution to all? just yesterday i sacrificed an entire saturday in the name of chemistry revision in ucc(pretty pricey revision at 5oeuro!). Not really sure what i’d expected but it wasn’t what i got. Basicly we were presented a chemistry book,slightly smaller and less ‘waffly’ then our actual book but a fairly hefty read nonetheless. We then spent six friggin hours going through that book! I will concede that the lecturer was fairly proficcient in the art of pretending to be an electron(did you know that they’re all scottish??) but aside from that it just seemed like exactly what any chemistry teacher would be doing with their class in may except crammed into one VERY long yawn inspiring day. Maybe other people found it helpful,and i’m open to criticism. leave a comment if you were there and think i’m just being a cynical biatch,oh and if you were there, I was the girl sitting with the infamous SIMON,lol.

SO enough about that,and on to bane of my existence right now..PRES. Normally I am the most layed back person around,infact i’m practicly horizontal, but i live in fear that my loveably chilled out dispositon won’t last the next few weeks of general ‘freak-out-ness’. The pres are approximately…well i have no idea when they are,but they’re soon and i should probabley be studying for them like everyone else. I however have been reminded of this fact so very many times that my natural teenage rebllious instinct has kicked in and has revoked my ability to study for more then half an hour at a time. Not the kind of thing someone hoping for medicine should be doing,or not doing as the case may be, you’re probabley thinking and you’re totally right. So basicly,PLEASE STOP GIVING OUT TO ME EVERYONE. I’m directing that particularly at certain classmates(you know who you are!). If worst comes to worst i can always stick to the golden phrase “it’s not like they matter anyway”,i really hope that works as well for the l.c pres as it did for my j.c ones.Nothing beats a good excuse afterall,except maybe a leather suit..(fotc joke,hehe…)

So on a totally and depressingly related note, the hpat is right smack band in the middle of my pres. sad,eh? This sucks worse then beta decay since the hpat actually matters,so hopefully i won’t succumb to pre fever and be a nervous wreck that weekend. I think that my school might secretly conspiring against me cos they want me to have to repeat so they can have me for a whole year more. Not likely,i know,but it’s a comforting thought.

I should probabley be doing some homework/study right about now but i think i’m gonna end this here and go watch full metal alchemist and pretend i’m in fifth year(you should try it,it’s a nice feeling!).

Annah

p.s. I miss having a life!

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