2011 CAO/Leaving Cert discussion thread

Insect Overlord · 25-05-2011 9:36pm

randylonghorn wrote: »

"Sean-aibítir Éireannach is ea Ogham. Úsáidtear línte gearrtha i gach taobh den bonnlíne. Úsáidtear go minic ar chlocha adhlactha. Bhásaigh sé amach le teacht na Críostaíochta, na manach agus leabhair scríofa."

Ceapaim nach raibh ach botún amháin agat ansin. Baineann "úsáidtear" leis an Aimsir Láithreach. Úsáidtear "úsáideadh" sa saorbhriathar Aimsir Caite.

I think you've only one mistake there. "Úsáidtear" is for use in the present tense. "Úsáideadh" is used for the [noparse]briathar saor[/noparse] in the past tense.

I totally agree with you, and with KnifeWRENCH. It's absolute folly to deliberately leave a section blank in an exam. Stair na Gaeilge can be answered with bullet-points, so even a few little lines can give you as much as an extra 5% in the exam.

Pigwidgeon · 25-05-2011 10:01pm

Just thought I'd point out that I wasn't advising people to just leave it out, but if like me during the exam everything goes wrong, And you go completely blank that stair isn't the be all and end all of it. I was terrible at written Irish which I knew so I really focused on my strengths for the oral and aural to get me through. You wouldn't want to have met me after the Irish papers, I was not in a good mood, convinced I'd failed and spent the summer worrying about it, it was the first thing i checked on my results. At the end of the day stair is a tiny section of the whole Irish exam and it needn't be your main focus for the exam, if youre good at learning paragraphs off then it'll be a cinch for you.

Slow Show · 25-05-2011 10:05pm

Stair na gaeilge??? What? Please tell me that's not on the course anymore...

Namlub · 25-05-2011 10:12pm

Slow Show wrote: »

Stair na gaeilge??? What? Please tell me that's not on the course anymore...

It's not, all this talk about Ogham and Padraig Pearse is baffling me

flyswatter · 25-05-2011 10:17pm

Randy, I wouldn't advocate leaving anything out, you are right.

I was on medication at the time, it was reduced for the exams so I did better than expected but I couldn't perform to the best of my ability.

It slowed my performance down, I had just as much ability as the others in the class, probably more, as I went to a Gaelscoil. I probably wrote a bit looking back at it but I didn't really study it much, just used my knowledge on the Gaeltacht or something like that and wrote a few bullet points. It was the last thing I did before the exam finished.

flyswatter · 25-05-2011 10:21pm

kateos2 wrote: »

Just thought I'd point out that I wasn't advising people to just leave it out, but if like me during the exam everything goes wrong, And you go completely blank that stair isn't the be all and end all of it. I was terrible at written Irish which I knew so I really focused on my strengths for the oral and aural to get me through. You wouldn't want to have met me after the Irish papers, I was not in a good mood, convinced I'd failed and spent the summer worrying about it, it was the first thing i checked on my results. At the end of the day stair is a tiny section of the whole Irish exam and it needn't be your main focus for the exam, if youre good at learning paragraphs off then it'll be a cinch for you.

Yeah I completely agree with this. It's a pressurised exam and the smallest section so it kind of makes sense to leave it til last.

SarahBeep! · 25-05-2011 11:13pm

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Ceapaim nach raibh ach botún amháin agat ansin. Baineann "úsáidtear" leis an Aimsir Láithreach. Úsáidtear "úsáideadh" sa saorbhriathar Aimsir Caite.

I think you've only one mistake there. "Úsáidtear" is for use in the present tense. "Úsáideadh" is used for the [noparse]briathar saor[/noparse] in the past tense.

I totally agree with you, and with KnifeWRENCH. It's absolute folly to deliberately leave a section blank in an exam. Stair na Gaeilge can be answered with bullet-points, so even a few little lines can give you as much as an extra 5% in the exam.

Why do I sense there's gonna be another secondary teacher in the family.....

Also..

PASS IRISH FTW!!
B1 beours

Lawliet · 25-05-2011 11:35pm

SarahBeep! wrote: »

PASS IRISH FTW!!
B1 beours

Gotta love pass Irish, I scrapped a pass which I am very proud of considering one of my more coherent answers consisted of "Ní raibh mé ar nós an Púca, ní raibh sé ar nós madraí"

I should totally give grinds in Irish.

SarahBeep! · 25-05-2011 11:38pm

Lawliet wrote: »

Gotta love pass Irish, I scrapped a pass which I am very proud of considering one of my more coherent answers consisted of "Ní raibh mé ar nós an Púca, ní raibh sé ar nós madraí"

I should totally give grinds in Irish.

My oral was so funny. You know the way you have all these family members to talk about? Well I'm an only child and I forgot to talk about Michéal agus Tríona....

'Is páiste aonar me...' (in my mind; shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!)'...ach, iníon amháin agam!'

Grindylow · 26-05-2011 3:38am

Extrasupervery wrote: »

Mhmm! Last semester. Good times.

Coolio

we'll be first years together if you're reapplying

27-05-2011 12:22pm

flyswatter wrote: »

Hmm. It depends. I wouldn't have been ready to move up to college at that age certainly. I know that a close friend of mine lived on campus for first year in UCD and ended up moving to Rathmines to live with his friends because he didn't get on with his roommates. Had to wait a year until this could happen. He had never met these people before.

UCD is different from many other colleges in that is absolutely massive compared to most.

Don't let my opinion put you off, just saying what my friend experienced.

He was graaand though. He aced first year and loved second year.

flyswatter · 27-05-2011 6:39pm

Deleted User wrote: »

He was graaand though. He aced first year and loved second year.

He enjoyed himself I've heard. :P Heard some stories involving you too.

27-05-2011 7:12pm

flyswatter wrote: »

He enjoyed himself I've heard. :P Heard some stories involving you too.

...

all good, I hope. :pac:

jumpguy · 27-05-2011 7:44pm

Any one of ye doing German at LC and wanna have ultra-mad craic talking in it (or typing, more like) so you'll score highly in the exam, get lots of points, get your course and subsequently go on to be a billionaire?

unknown13 · 27-05-2011 8:15pm

jumpguy wrote: »

Any one of ye doing German at LC and wanna have ultra-mad craic talking in it (or typing, more like) so you'll score highly in the exam, get lots of points, get your course and subsequently go on to be a billionaire?

If it had of been this time last year. Definitely now, my German has gone out of my head. I would also like to thank the SEC for setting out the hardest ordinary level German exam ever. That paper was impossible and I was the best at German in my Ordinary level class.

unknown13 · 28-05-2011 5:20pm

Noel2k9 wrote: »

School seriously does not prepare you for this whole picking courses deal..

I'm so uncertain about what I want to do, it's ridiculous! Psychology: I mightn't like it. Occupational Therapy: What if I don't like it? Business: I'm good at it, will I enjoy it?

There is WAY too much, and then choosing colleges is so much harder! Gah I hate all of this so much, and now I've only got until 1 July to decide, and more than 2/3 of June will be taken up with the leaving cert, so I've even less than a month to decide, not even a month at this rate!

It isn't the end of the world. If you can the points for BESS in Trinity you would be set. Business, Economics and Social Social studies.

Occupational Therapy, Psychology and Social Work are all similar in a way that they are courses which help people. If you do one you could be able to do a masters in another without much hassle.

Business is the hard one because it is deals with finance, marketing, accounting etc

illiop · 28-05-2011 6:42pm

Noel2k9 wrote: »

School seriously does not prepare you for this whole picking courses deal..

I'm so uncertain about what I want to do, it's ridiculous! Psychology: I mightn't like it. Occupational Therapy: What if I don't like it? Business: I'm good at it, will I enjoy it?

There is WAY too much, and then choosing colleges is so much harder! Gah I hate all of this so much, and now I've only got until 1 July to decide, and more than 2/3 of June will be taken up with the leaving cert, so I've even less than a month to decide, not even a month at this rate!

I'd advice you to take a year out if it's possible, in fact to take several years out. Try and get a job, do a plc, travel etc. Go to college because you have an active desire to study something (or become something) not just because it's the done thing. I can not tell you how much I regret doing a course just because I felt I had to pick something, especially now that I can think of something I would be really interested in.

My Aaaarrrgghh: I'M MELTING. It is far too hot here and I have done no study in the past month, my first exam is in 9 days and i'm having a slight breakdown.

challengemaster · 28-05-2011 7:04pm

illiop wrote: »

I'd advice you to take a year out if it's possible, in fact to take several years out. Try and get a job, do a plc, travel etc. Go to college because you have an active desire to study something (or become something) not just because it's the done thing. I can not tell you how much I regret doing a course just because I felt I had to pick something, especially now that I can think of something I would be really interested in.

Not trying to start an arguement but....

That's about the worst thing you could do with the way things are at the moment.

Grindylow · 28-05-2011 7:09pm

unknown13 wrote: »

It isn't the end of the world. If you can the points for BESS in Trinity you would be set. Business, Economics and Social Social studies.

Occupational Therapy, Psychology and Social Work are all similar in a way that they are courses which help people. If you do one you could be able to do a masters in another without much hassle.

Business is the hard one because it is deals with finance, marketing, accounting etc

Thanks.

Yeah I was thinking of BESS, but it dawned on me that I absolutely hate economics and accounting, so realistically doing a business degree would probably just put me through hell!

I think I might go down the media route, something along those lines as it's a fairly open area and it'll be easy to do a post-grad in after it, then at least by then I'm sure I'll be certain on what I'd like to do!

illiop wrote: »

I'd advice you to take a year out if it's possible, in fact to take several years out. Try and get a job, do a plc, travel etc. Go to college because you have an active desire to study something (or become something) not just because it's the done thing. I can not tell you how much I regret doing a course just because I felt I had to pick something, especially now that I can think of something I would be really interested in..

Thanks! I would take some time off, but I'd be afraid I'd get too into a habit of having time off/not doing anything, and never return to college. My parents would never approve of it either, and no-one in my family would, I'd just look like the let-down of the family!

Lawliet · 28-05-2011 7:29pm

challengemaster wrote: »

Not trying to start an arguement but....

That's about the worst thing you could do with the way things are at the moment.

Not really, rushing into a course and discovering a few years down the line that you made a mistake would probably be a lot worse than doing a PLC. Especially if you can't afford to pay full fees for a course you would like to do.

MavisDavis · 28-05-2011 8:14pm

flyswatter wrote: »

He enjoyed himself I've heard. :P Heard some stories involving you too.

There's not a bother on him now..

Hope you've only heard bad stories about conorstuff. :P

Screaminmidget · 29-05-2011 2:21am

Lawliet wrote: »

Not really, rushing into a course and discovering a few years down the line that you made a mistake would probably be a lot worse than doing a PLC. Especially if you can't afford to pay full fees for a course you would like to do.

Ya, a PLC isnt worst thing you could do. For one, Its only one year of your life, and you'll find out if you like the course or not. Also, you're qualified once you complete the PLC, which will be handy to put down on a CV when you're job hunting!

challengemaster · 29-05-2011 11:59am

Screaminmidget wrote: »

Ya, a PLC isnt worst thing you could do. For one, Its only one year of your life, and you'll find out if you like the course or not. Also, you're qualified once you complete the PLC, which will be handy to put down on a CV when you're job hunting!

If you think a PLC will be any aid to you while job hunting, you need to check what year it is. People with PhD's can't get jobs.

KnifeWRENCH · 29-05-2011 1:34pm

challengemaster wrote: »

If you think a PLC will be any aid to you while job hunting, you need to check what year it is. People with PhD's can't get jobs.

People with PhD's are often regarded as "overqualified", which is completely retarded but it's how employers operate.

And a PLC course can often be a springboard for other things; a friend of mine started off doing Arts in college but hated it and dropped out. She then decided she wanted to do Nutritional Science in college but didn't have any science subjects for her Leaving Cert. So she did a PLC course that brought her up to (and most likely beyond) the standard of LC Chemistry and Biology. Three years later, she's in 3rd year of a BSc Nutritional Science and loves it.

I know it's important to keep shít like the recession in mind, but recessions don't last forever. If I was 18 and I thought that all I could ever get out of life was doing a course I hated for a shítty paid job that I'd also more than likely hate......well I'd probably just kill myself now tbh.

@ Noel: It may be worth your while starting off college in September and seeing how you get on. You can always drop out if it's not what you thought it would be or if you don't enjoy it, or if you realise you made a mistake and want to be something else. Drop out before the end of October and you won't be liable for any tuition fees when you register for another course. (Make sure you double check the dates but I'm fairly sure it's usually the end of October)

But above all else: DO NOT stay in a course you hate. Take it from someone who did that for 4 years because I was too proud/stubborn to drop out. I pretty much feel I wasted 4 years of my life now. Don't make that mistake!

01-06-2011 10:51pm

challengemaster wrote: »

If you think a PLC will be any aid to you while job hunting, you need to check what year it is. People with PhD's can't get jobs.

Ah now. It completely depends on where they want to work. A PLC in something like multimedia might be just fine for getting a job, and a PHD is a prerequisite for any research positions.

flyswatter · 02-06-2011 12:30am

Noel, PLC: Yes. Taking a few years off to work: Bad choice.

jumpguy · 02-06-2011 8:27pm

This time next week we'll have finished English omg omg omg etc. :eek:

(Seriously, can't wait to get that ball of shít of an exam over with).

unknown13 · 02-06-2011 8:53pm

jumpguy wrote: »

This time next week we'll have finished English omg omg omg etc. :eek:

(Seriously, can't wait to get that ball of shít of an exam over with).

It is safe to say English paper 2 was the longest and most tiring exam I have ever done. Bit of advice bring plenty of water and some sort of sugary snack, IE Chocolate or Jelly's.

Bonkers_xOx · 02-06-2011 8:57pm

jumpguy wrote: »

This time next week we'll have finished English omg omg omg etc. :eek:

(Seriously, can't wait to get that ball of shít of an exam over with).

I KNOW! No more poets or Hamlet or comparitive! (Which I hate because it's a completely false and pointless excercise.)

Lawliet · 02-06-2011 8:59pm

unknown13 wrote: »

It is safe to say English paper 2 was the longest and most tiring exam I have ever done. Bit of advice bring plenty of water and some sort of sugary snack, IE Chocolate or Jelly's.

I brought a bottle of water and a packet of mints into English paper 2, never touched them because I was writing non stop

2011 CAO/Leaving Cert discussion thread

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