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 ). 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.

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

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

Good luck everyone, revision and exam-wise.

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.

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!

That news arrived up on my screen to a resounding “ewww” from all school-going persons in my house. My sister is concerned about the TY musical actually going into production. I am concerned that I won’t be in school til the mocks with all this carry on. Like seriously. When’s all this snow and ice going to stop? I mean it was cute at first, I made snowangels and attempted a snowman but now…now it’s just annoying.

I feel like a right nerd for saying this, but I’m booorrreeeed. A good lot of my friends all live on these treacherous country roads where the slightest frost has them housebound. I have most of my homework done. My mind is reeling from trying to study. So what I’m sorta kinda maybe trying to say here is: Can I go back to school please? Get out into society again instead of the seemingly endless days of rambling around the house talking to my cats, who really aren’t that well learned in the art of scintillating conversation.

Mmhm. I think I’ll be using my self-created ”slowly going insane” tag from now on. It fits the general mood.

Valerie

Yup, they’re just around the corner. The Mocks, Pres, Hell, whatever you call them. I don’t know about anyone else but I can safely say for myself I’m not ready. Not even in the slightest. I’m pretty sure that with the sum of my knowledge so far I could scrape a pass in most subjects. I know, real Medicine material. I’ve sat down to study over the past week, mostly Biology and English. Which I’m fairly comfortable with. It’s the likes of my Irish folder I want to set ablaze and leave on Batt O’Keefe’s doorstep, cackling manically into the distance.

Of course, we got the studying lectures and seminars in school. Divide it into chunks. Study in half hour blocks. That’s one thing that really drives me crazy. Half hour blocks? What the hell are you smoking dude? Ok, maybe if you know everything on the given topic you could revise it. Then they start hammering on about putting down what you know first, checking for mistakes and trying an exam question. In half an hour. With Biology, it makes me want to scream. For me, I could spend at least an hour going over a chapter and getting it in there, nice and concrete and then trying some exam papers. Maybe I’m alone in that, I don’t know.

Either way, come Monday the countdown begins for our year. 3 weeks of cramming, panic and pleading with people to get copies of lost notes. Don’t get me wrong; I studied in 5th Year, did all my homework on time, studied for any tests, small or large, so I’m not freaking out about not doing ok in these exams. It’s the higher tier that scares the bejesus out of me. And time. I work weekends, starting grinds soon on them too so something is going to have to give. Failing that, you know it will be Mister X involved in the high-speed Garda chase away from Mr. O’Keefe’s house (or at least as high-speed as Gardaí get).

Probably contributing to this panic is that I did my HPAT Practice. 70/110. Good, bad? I don’t know I’ve been trawling the ‘net and haven’t got a clue. Section 2 was definitely my strongest, followed by 1 and the car crash that was 3. Mmmm. For now, I really just want to go crazy but it’s too icy to go running. Thanks Arctic Circle. Good luck in the coming weeks guys, try and overlook my temporary frustration..

Mister X.

Anyway, so the mocks are coming up next week and run for 2 weeks in our school. I am missing days 1 and 2 because I’m going to a camera show in Birmingham. But don’t fret, I actually went to the teachers and I have organized to take the exams at another time.  Then I miss a morning in the following week due to my driving test, which, personally, I rate 10 times more important than the leaving cert.

I fear every time I write here that it becomes a public display of my “give a damn” being broken. Honestly I try not to convey things like that, but I suppose it comes across as that.

I haven’t started studying just yet, I am spending the week catching up on business maters, and other stuff involving money. Maybe I’ll give things a look over the night before each exam, we’ll see. But I’ll keep yall’ updated as i go

Until then, have fun!

Three weeks til midterm…four weeks til pre’s…eight weeks til the orals…twenty something til the leaving. The countdowns continue.

Countdowns are all I have these days, cause I’m getting oh so sick of school! Usually my tolerance is much lower but I have finally snapped. I’ve had enough. I’m finished! We’ve got about four months of actual school left though, so it’s not looking too bad. As for that old gem, “Enjoy your school days, they’re the best days of your life!” Life after school will have to be fairly crap for that to be proven true, in my opinion at least.

This seems to be as good an outlet as any so I’m going to continue with the ranting. Does anyone else think that teachers should have some kind of psychotic assessment before being given a job? If I may borrow a quote from Henry Brooks Adams, a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. That being said, what if the teacher is a bad influence? Teachers are meant to inspire and encourage…but I find more and more that teachers are bitter, cynical creatures who do nothing but discourage and irritate pupils. It’s most disheartening. Of course I don’t mean to generalise, there are that special few out there who truly enjoy teaching their subject, and fair dues to them, but that other breed…it’s soul killing stuff.

This is the last rant I swear. But does ANYONE else see that the vast majority of these revision days and courses that are currently being shoved in our faces are money spinning rip offs? I think that paying sixty quid to sit in some lecture hall for three hours with four hundred other kids is blasphemy. Sure you might remember one or two facts from the day, but surely three hours of study in the comfort of ones own home would be much more beneficial? Not to mention free of charge. If you have an idiot for a teacher then fair enough some help is needed…but for gods sake, get a few grinds! I’ll stop talking about this now cause anyone who cares has gotten the point and those who don’t have already been distracted by something shiny and less neurotic.

If I may be so bold as to blatantly advertise, for those with an incompetent French or Irish teacher who’s a little worried about the orals then I recommend the Shortcuts to Success Oral books. As I don’t do German, Spanish or any other language I can’t help you there, but all in all those books are great.

Later, Grace x

Here comes the sun. And here comes the orals and practicals. 4 weeks. 4weeks.

But not to worry 4 weeks to learn off by heart, every possible answer to every possible question we can be asked and to learn off all music pieces to the point of an exceptional ace. Not to worry. 4 weeks.

I got thinking, time is resourceful and of the essence; 672 hours in 4 weeks. IF I spend this time wisely, I can take the strain of the government’s educational programme off my shoulders. 4 weeks.

19th of June; Free from the system. Just 100 days. I will be open to the world, free to do as I please, almost free… for a while. But now, I have 4 weeks.

Colin.