Student to Student: Lessons from my Leaving Cert

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE SERIES

Young people deserve to hear from the perspectives, opinions, and experiences of other young people.

I believe we can learn from each other and help each other as we navigate the Irish education system.

I aim to draw from as many points of view as possible, making sure this advice is relevant to as many different students as possible.

The articles over these 10 weeks will look at study skills, career route options, Leaving Certificate reflections, school experiences, and so on.

LESSONS FROM LEAVING CERT YEAR

Carl Dwyer Murray is an 18-year- old Law student from Cork who has just completed his first year in University College Cork. I felt it was important to talk to a student who has been through and completed the Leaving Certificate, rather than just students in the depths of it.

Sure enough, he managed to come up with really brilliant advice to secondary school students by having the added advantage of being able to look back and reflect on his two years studying for the Leaving Cert.

Carl took French, Economics, Geography and Politics as well as the three core subjects, English, Irish and Maths. He also shared some tips on navigating the CAO, picking your course, and starting college.

The Cork student actually experienced burn-out towards the end of the Leaving Cert. He said: “When I was studying for it, I that I got really burnt out, especially for the last two months.”

I was really interested to hear why he thinks this happened to him, and how students facing these same exams can avoid it. Carl gave me a really personal insight into how the pressure of the exams built up.

It kind of got to the point where, when you are studying for the full year, it really does feel like if you’re not studying one day... it’s very hard not to beat yourself up over it.

He described studying as becoming a habit, something you have to do. Many students will relate to this feeling of guilt attached to taking healthy, necessary breaks from studying.

Carl explained: “It’s very easy to become burnt out.”

Thankfully, there was a positive outcome. He has learnt how to cope with that sense of intense stress. Part of this, he said, is that “it’s very important to find a way of studying that doesn’t allow you get burn-out. Also,” he added, “don’t be sitting there for the sake of it. If you find yourself sitting at a desk for two hours but nothing is going in, then there is no point sitting there.”

Using your time wisely when studying, rather than constantly, is important. Build in breaks but study hard while you’re at the desk, you’ll be less tired and drained whilst feeling more focused as you work.

That feeling of sitting aimlessly in front of your books, absorbing nothing - frustrated him at the start of college, combined with the burnout of the Leaving Cert. “I just thought I couldn’t study,” he says.

On the back of that, he explained how he has only really learned in college how to actually study effectively.

Finding a way to study is really important, I know that’s kind of the most basic thing ever.

Using a study method that works for your best friend but doesn’t help you learn is pointless. Carl emphasised the point that everyone studies differently.

“Some people like listening to voice memos and recordings, some people like flashcards, and some people like writing essays.”

This goes for college and secondary school students, but he has advice specifically for the Leaving Cert too.

“Do your notes in 5th year or early 6th year, it makes studying later so much easier.”

Trying to write out and understand a topic as you attempt to learn and revise it towards the end of 6th year is far too difficult. The problem with that is, “you’re not giving yourself time to take in the information, you’re just putting yourself under pressure to write the notes and vomiting out what’s on the paper.

“It’s just a bit of preparation, a bit of organisation goes a long way.”

Make your notes at the time, go over them bit by bit once you’ve properly learnt them, and then let revision take you to the finish line. This same advice translates, very much so, to further studies, beyond secondary school.

Even in college, I’m finding the same thing, if you have notes already written… it’s so much easier to study for exams than trying to write them out and learn them in one go.

His key takeaway has to be: “Repeatedly studying something really works.”

Having narrowly missed out on his first choice, University College Dublin, Carl also talked about his lessons on the CAO. He said: “I think pick a university that has the course that suits you the best, but also, it’s reasonable.

“There is no point picking a course because the campus is pretty or you want to live in south Dublin. That’s nice to have as well, but pick a course that suits you.”

Reflecting on the last year - having now finished one full year of college - he said: “I love college. Don’t get me wrong, exam season is nothing short of hell. I would rather do the Leaving Cert half the time.”

But his overall impression of college was positive.

“The social life of college is so fun. There is so much to do, so much to get involved in.”

Finally, I asked Carl what his overall advice was for any students who have started college?

“In every university in Ireland there are societies and clubs and I think it’s really important to be open, to put yourself out there.

“Don’t stick to yourself because you won’t be able to meet new people. Make new friends, clubs and societies, go on nights out and 100%... have fun.”