Tomorrow's Irish Independent

Kat Slater

Mr.Obvious wrote: »

What really annoys is is the fact these people think they are better than me because they scored higher in the leaving cert than me.

Why would you assume that about these people??? I got 600 points in the LC and would not consider myself better than anyone else, it was damn hard work actually.

Mr.Obvious wrote: »

yes, a bit. But not as petty as the people who care so much about their image that they spend up to 4 hours a night slogging it out for the sake of a number on a piece of paper that measures absolutely nothing except their willingness to spend hundreds of hours rote-learning information to regurgitate during an exam for the sake of a number on a piece of paper.

There is a lot of rote learning and more so in certain subjects like the sciences etc... but you need a level of intelligence too for the most part.

Some of the posts on this thread about the 9 A1's guy are unnecessarily personal, nasty and unnecessary BTW. Fair play to the lad, he obviously had a lot of dedication.

Handsome Bob

994 wrote: »

Yeah, doing the bare minimum required to get by is da bomb.

lol, didn't I make it clear that it was the wager they put on rather than their work ethic that bothered me?

mental07

dub_skav wrote: »

If they were that clever they'd have realised only 6 subjects count, why bother studying for 9 - morons

stovelid wrote: »

Fluffing one subject out of six could mess up your points; fluffing one out of nine means you can juggle your good subjects.

7 is plenty!

markok84 wrote: »

Don't forget your chat up line, "I got 595, how 'bout you?"

I'd look you up and down with disgust and ask where the hell the other 5 went to

legendal

Mr.Obvious wrote: »

[I'm] not as petty as the people who care so much about their image that they spend up to 4 hours a night slogging it out for the sake of a number on a piece of paper that measures absolutely nothing except their willingness to spend hundreds of hours rote-learning information to regurgitate during an exam for the sake of a number on a piece of paper.

Just a thought, and I could be crazy here, but I thought that people spent four hours a night slogging it out so that they could get the points they needed for college and set themselves up for the career they want. The points for courses can go up, and if you're unfortunate enough that the course you want was 550 last year, it's in your own best interest to try and have a few extra in the bag just in case. Getting 600 gives you the best chance possible, not that I got anywhere near it!

Kat Slater wrote:

I got 600 points in the LC and would not consider myself better than anyone else, it was damn hard work actually.

Fair play and well done!

lostexpectation

JupiterKid wrote: »

So what if they got 9 A1s? Isn't that better than if they were drug addled and banged up for their third babby?

I really hate the way success is dissed on in this country. Begrudgery, jealousy and bitterness is alive and well in this little benighted isle of ours...:(

its called taking the piss its our best quality

xOxSinéadxOx

Wow. That guy that got the 9 A1s looks like your typical geek. He is the spit of that geek on family guy.

walshb

abouttobebanned wrote: »

They spend the whole year being ostracised by their class mates, being called swots...sitting in at the weekend etc....but the day after leaving cert results is their day. The day where they get to be on the front page of the independent, with a smug little smile saying how they're so surprised that they got 9As. Me arse you are.

Let's try and guess what they'll be like tomorrow...it's almost always a girl, they generally struggle to find a fella who got 9As and when they finally do they're not too keen on taking his picture cause he's chinese.

Tomorrow's swot is going to be a pretty white girl,no doubt. Probably called Aoife.

"Oh i'm really happy...all my friends did really well too...we're all gonna watch DVDs at my house tonight." No you're not.

From my recollection over the past few years, it is usually boys who got the
9 A1s. I do remember girls getting these scores, but more boys I think.

Mr.Obvious

legendal wrote: »

Just a thought, and I could be crazy here, but I thought that people spent four hours a night slogging it out so that they could get the points they needed for college and set themselves up for the career they want. The points for courses can go up, and if you're unfortunate enough that the course you want was 550 last year, it's in your own best interest to try and have a few extra in the bag just in case. Getting 600 gives you the best chance possible, not that I got anywhere near it!

Most courses are not high points. And image is the primary motive for most high achievers going for these courses. In fact image is the reason why many people choose courses like medicine in the first place. The leaving cert is not a measure of intelligence.The only thing the leaving cert measures to any large degree is how much of your time you are willing to spend studying. People who think otherwise annoy me.

Kat Slater wrote: »

There is a lot of rote learning and more so in certain subjects like the sciences etc... but you need a level of intelligence too for the most part.

I would have thought honours maths/the sciences required more intelligence than the other subjects (although I have heard biology is quite rote-learney). Hence the dropping numbers taking these subjects.

phasers

I would never go to a ginger doctor

D-Generate

I went to the school where that Rory chap went to and I think for the past three years the highest achieving leaving cert has been from there.
Its a good school that does emphasize the importance of your studies and takes an active interest in the students educational commitment. In my year which was 4 years ago about 70% of people did honour maths. In my class alone there was 36 and only 2 didn't get an A of some sort.

It does irritate me how people are supposed to feel ashamed if they did well or they are supposed to hide it. Its quite upsetting that over here the general consensus is that you must be a weird to do well academically. Its the same begrudgery that continues on into adulthood and targets the lad or lass driving the BMW which was paid for through their sweat and ambition. A lot of people complain about America but if there is one thing in their society structure that I wish we could have here its the fact that when they see someone doing well for themselves it gives them inspiration and hunger for success, not jealousy or wanting that person to fail.

Risteard

As far as I'm copncerned you can study all you want and that will bring you far, but I don't think it will bring you to 9 A1s. For that you have to pretty gifted in any case. Fair play to him for getting it.

FearDark

My girlfriend got 7 A1's and i still beat her at quizzes :P

lostexpectation

FearDark wrote: »

My girlfriend got 7 A1's and i still beat her at quizzes :P

she lets you win.

phasers

FearDark wrote: »

My girlfriend got 7 A1's and i still beat her at quizzes :P

You and your girlfriend do quizzes together?

Dude, you're doing it wrong.

Pighead

FearDark wrote: »

My girlfriend got 7 A1's and i still beat her at quizzes :P

"Quizzes" is a bit of a vague general term in fairness. For all we know these quizzes could be set by you with questions such as "How many songs does FearDark sing in his head per week?" or "Whats the longest FearDark has gone without changing his underpants?"
Pigheads not impressed by your vague claims of victory.

FearDark

phasers wrote: »

You and your girlfriend do quizzes together?

Dude, you're doing it wrong.

With questions such as

"Will this fit in there"...

Nah, ya know the ones like University Challenge when theyre on the telly.

stovelid

topper75 wrote: »

Back then Stovelid, I would have told you anything. Just so long as my homework got done, we were all cool.

I haven't a clue what you mean but on the off-chance it's a good joke that I'm too thick to get, I'm issuing a thanks forthwith.

asdasd

PS: There are some seriously humourless eggheads on this thread.

Ah shut it

and I want more chips in my order next time.

legendal

Mr.Obvious wrote: »

Most courses are not high points.

To a point, what constitutes "high" points is relative. For someone who has to work insanely hard to get around 350, a course at 360 is high for them even though for others it's well within their reach. With a some extra work and a bit of luck, they might get the course. Getting 360 points isn't going to make the front pages, but it's an achievement and all that hard work was for the course, and not 'image'. There's people out there I'm sure doing medicine that like it because of the course content.

Mr.Obvious wrote: »

And image is the primary motive for most high achievers going for these courses. In fact image is the reason why many people choose courses like medicine in the first place. The leaving cert is not a measure of intelligence.The only thing the leaving cert measures to any large degree is how much of your time you are willing to spend studying. People who think otherwise annoy me.

The Leaving Cert's a flawed system and is not a definitive measure of intelligence, I completely agree there. Having said that, I'd rank people who do well because they work hard and have the foresight to make sacrifices during their school years as being pretty intelligent. One A1, let alone nine, isn't easy to come by so kudos to the guy in Cork.

Piste

Mr.Obvious wrote: »

Most courses are not high points. And image is the primary motive for most high achievers going for these courses. In fact image is the reason why many people choose courses like medicine in the first place. The leaving cert is not a measure of intelligence.The only thing the leaving cert measures to any large degree is how much of your time you are willing to spend studying. People who think otherwise annoy me.

Really? So I guess you know every LC student then, seeing as you seem so confident that you know their motivations for choosing various courses. The primary motive for high achievers is reaching their potential. If this is your last time studying history/chemistry/business then why not do the best you can? That was my attitude anyway.

shane86

If I had listened to my mother and studied hard, got my x amount of points and did 4 years of college I would likely be sat on the dole queue like half of the people who completed the college class I dropped out of. Instead Im living it large in Oz

Moral of the story kids, your mother doesnt have a clue about modern life.

tech77

dub_skav wrote: »

If they were that clever they'd have realised only 6 subjects count, why bother studying for 9 - morons

Got a kick outta this.
It's bloody true... in a David Brent kinda way.
There's a grain of truth in it though (well, seven is probably optimal).

tech77

Zigmund wrote: »

B's? No, they're all A's. Did you not read the article?

Well done sir.

ottostreet

Reading through all these posts, ripostes, witty repartee, arguments and counter-arguments has made me realise one thing about my completely average Leaving Certificate results.


I hate being ginger.

tech77

phasers wrote: »

I don't understand why they're on the front pages of newspapers though. Page 4 or something maybe, but page 1 should be for real news.

Also, why do some 600 pointers get on the news and some don't? Poor ugly nerds.

Yeah.
And they stick poor Claire Tully on page 3.

tech77

Rebelheart wrote: »

Very well said. The amount of humourless eejits on this forum beats the band. I'd love to say I'm anti-intellectual just to spite them but I'd rather just remain opposed to smug, frosty-faced plebs who yatter on obsequiously about "success". If they'd achieved any "success" themselves well they'd hardly be here in the middle of the day, would they. That's perspective.

What passes as 'begrudgery' is one of the best Irish character traits. It keeps (or is intended to keep) all those people with notions about themselves a bit more grounded. It also testifies to the existence in society of all those who have not been as successful; success is a social phenomenon and it obviously has two sides. Proper order and a proper context. Anybody who has been begrudged sufficiently can testify that it is an art form, particularly when they arrive home in a big car and with plenty of money only to be told by an old classmate "I remember you when you hadn't an arse in your britches." If somebody is offended rather than entertained by that, then they have unresolved issues.

Just listening to old biddies of Mammys and aunties going on about how well their kin did in the Leaving brings it home to me that these people have achieved so little in their own lives that they have to live 'success' through attaching themselves to somebody else. Then there is that long line of absolute muppets who want us to address them as "Doctor" because they did a tiny specialisation in a world of countless possible specialisations.

Pathetic really. I have no time for braggers, never had and never will. They are the most insecure people I have ever known. The day Irish people abandon a healthy scepticism about "successful" people - particularly rich and powerful people- will be a bad day.

When it comes to respect and admiration, give me the humble musician, philosopher, writer or artist any day. Humility is a good value, and a very very wise one.

I'm fairly sure that's the first recorded use of the term "obsequiously" in AH.

Call Me Jimmy

topper75 wrote: »

One of my other flaws is that I sometimes forget to stock up on jack's roll.

You too?! Have you ever used brown bread out of desperation?!

It's great to find one's soul-mate...

gaeilgegrinds

Rang my friend in Cork just to see what the low-down on young Rory is, her boyfriend teaches in the school. Ordinary Joe-Soap, plays rugby, mediocre popularity wise, more popular with the ladies than the gents. So basically...Joe Soap.

K4t

Fair play to the guy I say.

A lad in my school got 600, another got 590 and a good few more got over 550. Nearly all of them are some of the nicest, most genuine people you could meet. They went out during the year to parties, were involved in various sports etc. I would say maybe one of them is slightly socially shy but I still always gave him the time of day and always say hello if I see him on the street. Achieving over 500 points in the LC requires a lot of work and committment. These guys did their 3 or 4 hours a night but still had time for the internet, friends, televison, sports etc. But they were at school to work hard and receive an education and this they did to the best of their ability. And it is for this reason I salute them. We have had a lot of threads in AH recently about welfare state 'spongers' and so on. Yet when young boys and girls in this country go out and work hard in school and achieve incredible results, they are scorned by many of you and unfairly judged. Fair play I say. They deserve their moment in the limelight.

abouttobebanned

yawn.

K4t

abouttobebanned wrote: »

yawn.

Thanks. At least now we know that it is you with the problem and not the people doing well in their exams.

abouttobebanned

Did that even make sense in your head before you said it?

who what when

K4t wrote: »

Fair play to the guy I say.

A lad in my school got 600, another got 590 and a good few more got over 550. Nearly all of them are some of the nicest, most genuine people you could meet. They went out during the year to parties, were involved in various sports etc. I would say maybe one of them is slightly socially shy but I still always gave him the time of day and always say hello if I see him on the street. Achieving over 500 points in the LC requires a lot of work and committment. These guys did their 3 or 4 hours a night but still had time for the internet, friends, televison, sports etc. But they were at school to work hard and receive an education and this they did to the best of their ability. And it is for this reason I salute them. We have had a lot of threads in AH recently about welfare state 'spongers' and so on. Yet when young boys and girls in this country go out and work hard in school and achieve incredible results, they are scorned by many of you and unfairly judged. Fair play I say. They deserve their moment in the limelight.

+1

bythewoods

I'd just like to say-

A friend of mine from school got 8A1s this year and he's absolutely lovely. Really sound and well rounded. And well liked by everyone.
He's not a total losebag either who just sits in all the time, I've been to clubs and parties with him many a time.

I got 5As this year, and I don't see myself as being socially inadequate either.
I didn't dedicate myself to my studies either, I was out pretty much every weekend and averaged 1.5hours study (including homework) a day.
I went to a public school and did no grinds or revision courses or anything of the sort.
So there.
Smart people can be cool too.

phasers

Look, if you got loads of A1s and are well adjusted and happy that's very unfair. Stop bragging and let us inadequate people believe that we could achieve too if only we tried

Misterdenudatio

"I really hate the way success is dissed on in this country. Begrudgery, jealousy and bitterness is alive and well in this little benighted isle of ours..."

Ah...isn't that why Ireland is feckin great!

Misterdenudatio

bythewoods wrote: »

I'd just like to say-

A friend of mine from school got 8A1s this year and he's absolutely lovely. Really sound and well rounded. And well liked by everyone.
He's not a total losebag either who just sits in all the time, I've been to clubs and parties with him many a time.

I got 5As this year, and I don't see myself as being socially inadequate either.
I didn't dedicate myself to my studies either, I was out pretty much every weekend and averaged 1.5hours study (including homework) a day.
I went to a public school and did no grinds or revision courses or anything of the sort.
So there.
Smart people can be cool too.

But you seem to be the exception to the rule obviously?

splashdown18

and why do most these a-listers feel obliged to do medicine,simply because its the highest( and one of the most respected) courses?
i really admire the girl who got 9 a1s this year whos doing primary teaching. i dont want some swot with no social skills telling me ive got arse rot

Mr.Obvious

legendal wrote: »

I'd rank people who do well because they work hard and have the foresight to make sacrifices during their school years as being pretty intelligent. One A1, let alone nine, isn't easy to come by so kudos to the guy in Cork.

I'd rank most of them as lacking in intelligence tbh.

Making all them sacrifices and working so hard when they could be doing more useful things with their time and still get the course they want. Now if that isn't dumb I don't know what is.

There are plenty of perfectly good courses in the 300-500 point range. Working really hard to get into a high points course when there's a mid-ranged one that equally interests you and has the same money prospects at the end of it, is pretty dumb also imo.

As for people who get 360 points and work really hard, that is because they have not been as enthusiatic about learning as the high achievers over the previous 13 years of school and as a result find themselves at a disadvantage. The further you fall behind the harder it gets to catch up.

AnonoBoy

splashdown18 wrote: »

and why do most these a-listers feel obliged to do medicine,simply because its the highest( and one of the most respected) courses?
i really admire the girl who got 9 a1s this year whos doing primary teaching. i dont want some swot with no social skills telling me ive got arse rot

Ugh! Dude! Arse rot?

asdasd

As for people who get 360 points and work really hard, that is because they have not been as enthusiatic about learning as the high achievers over the previous 13 years of school and as a result find themselves at a disadvantage. The further you fall behind the harder it gets to catch up.

Or because they are not as bright.

Riverpineapple

Hard work is nearly as good as being bright

couch13

hard work is most important for success.

asdasd

Hard work and talent.

couch13

and abiltiy to memorize.

asdasd

Which is a form of intelligence. i would hesitate to hire a doctor with a crap memory.

The leaving cert is no more a test of memory than most other exam systems - including university exam systems - and is less rote than some of them.

Reillyman

Hats off to everyone who done well and worked hard for their LC. They deserve the applause etc.

The only problem I have though, is that the more and more coverage these 600 pointers get, the less prestigious lesser points are.

For example, the course I intend to do went up by 15 points this year to 400. When my auntie heard this she said "400! Sure that's not very much." Because of the media's constant coverage of these 8/7/6A1's students, 550+ becomes the industry standard to people who aren't familiar with the work involved, and therefore those of us who work hard to achieve 400+ are deemed less intelligent...

asdasd

becomes the industry standard to people who aren't familiar with the work involved, and therefore those of us who work hard to achieve 400+ are deemed less intelligent...

Maybe you are not as intelligent?

This would hardly be a problem with hardworking soccer apprentices who dont get to play for United as a pro, would it? People need hard work to succeed but also, talent. Intelligence in exams, ability in soccer.

hardwork only gets so far.

But cheer up, as I said recently, the B students employ the A students.

Acacia

I say fair play to them. Whether you think the LC is just a 'memory test' (funny how often I hear this from people who got 300 points or less themselves:rolleyes:) or not, it takes alot of hard work and talent to get 600 points. Fair fcuks to to them, I say, and don't let the begrudgers drag you down.

rois!

like its such a generalisation to assume anyone who does well is a nerd

i studied hard this year but like went out every weekend without fail, played football, won an all-ireland, went for long walks with a friend everyday and followed home and away religously...and i got 600 so like it really pisses me off when people make us all out to be like ugly nerdy geeks