7 Stages of Leaving Cert

Dear Readers,

Seeing as the current Leaving Certs are nearing the end of the life-draining year, I feel it’s relevant to re-publish this post! Having finished last year and near the end of my first year of college, I think it would only be right to reflect on the life of leaving certificate, how you deal with it and the general deterioration of sanity you experience.

1) The first month or so of Leaving Cert is relatively similar to 5th year. Still working on courses, your social life is still sort of intact. You being to think “oh, this isn’t so bad. I can so get a good Leaving Cert!”

2) The weeks go by and you begin to feel a bit more pressure as words like “mock exams” and “projects” begin to get thrown around. Teachers aren’t just reading and highlighting any more, they’re piling on revision work as well as current work and you’re previously positive thoughts begin to dip a little. It’s okay though, you think, I still have like 7/8 months. Loooooads of time.

3) WRONG. You see, during the course of the Leaving Cert time does this funny thing where it goes 10 times faster than the last five years. It’s December. Teachers are harping on about the mock exams. How time will flyyy. You should study. However, Christmas comes along and the stresses of exams are far from thought and before you know it, it’s the night before school returns and you have a pile of projects, notes and unused pens sprawled around you.

4) January is a blur. Why are teachers still giving you homework? Mocks are in like 3 weeks? “They don’t mean anything.” “Loads of time after the mocks” “Don’t wanna burn out now!” And you’re right. Don’t burn out in January. However, it is at this time that your sanity is starting to fail you. You find yourself saying things like “did I just eat a whole jar of Nutella?” “I can’t remember life before the Leaving Cert..” “Is this even worth it? Maybe I can drop out and become a street mime.” The weight gain is real.

5) The Mocks pass and you think it went how you expected it to. “Grand.” Kinda. From here, you realise that you can no longer expect to look decent. You live in your pyjamas and tracksuits and your hair.. Let’s not go there. Mock results can be upsetting but they’re also motivators. HOWEVER. Oral exams are on the horizon, you’re dreaming of “Léigh anois go curamach ar do scrúdpháipéar na treoracha agus na ceisteanna a ghabhann le Cuid A,” and it’s the perfect excuse to ignore all else until after easter. March and April whirl past with project write-ups and oral practise.

6) Easter passes. Leaving Cert is in a month or two. Seriously beginning to question life choices. You began 6th year thinking maybe 500 points was achievable but right now you’d settle for a simple pass. You start daydreaming about summer plans, ignoring the three week block of exams to jump past. Then, suddenly, YOU GRADUATE.

7) The two weeks before the Leaving Cert are interesting. You want to eat everything and nothing at the same time. Sugar is all you crave. Books are all you know. You’re not quite sure you’ll be able to stop studying. And then hey presto, exams arrive. The thought might make the blood drain from your face right now but when the time comes you just kind of.. do it. Like a robot.

The important thing to remember is that it will eventually come to an end. You will have changed dramatically this year and so too will other people. Freedom will never have tasted so good (it will likely taste of alcohol) and quite frankly, there’s a little too much freedom. It’s difficult to wind down but it happens.

Keep your mental health in check for the next few weeks. You-time will be invaluable. It isn’t easy but it will be worth it on results day when you’ll realise you’ve done better than you thought you could. Although having a good Leaving Cert to your name will be handy, it isn’t the only option you will ever have in life. Breathe, prioritise, and don’t forget to take time out. If I can do it, everyone else certainly can! Best of luck 🙂

Love,
Kerry x

5 Truths of College Life

Dear Readers,

As most of you know, I have been embracing the college life for the last six months and it has been an eye-opener in many aspects. When we think of “college” all we really think of is freedom and having a social life since we’re fresh out of the hell of Leaving Cert. However, we’re not long past fresher’s week when we realise that there is much more to this freedom and “getting a degree” than we expected. Suddenly we have to feed ourselves actual meals, fit in study around our new freedom, and make decisions between Nutella and vegetables and Netflix or sleep. Here are some of the truths I have discovered about college:

 

Early Mornings are Back.
We thought college would be different. That school was the only place cruel enough to have you up before 8am. You wake up each morning thinking SURELY it’s not morning again. It can’t be. Before you’re even out of it, you stare longingly at your bed, promising you won’t be long – you’ll be back the minute your lecture ends. You begin to question your motives for attending college. Do I need a degree? You know, if we all get degrees, there’ll be no-one to run the corner shops or the cafes. I could just stay right here under my duvet and live a wonderful life on the income of a waitress. Yes.

The Venn Diagram of College Life.
Few have learned how to master it. Those who have are rare and royal. And we hate them. This diagram holds so much truth of the struggle of college life. Choose two, forget the other. Change it up. There’s no way around this diagram really. A picture speaks a thousand words. Let’s face it – most of us end up in the zombie category.

And not necessarily from partying.
Actually, rarely from partying. We’re actually quite able to bounce back from a night out. We knew what we were getting into – we accept the consequences. Majority of the time the tiredness is a result of binge-watching episodes on Netflix and staying up talking to your friends. Here returns the new responsibility of deciding whether or not to be an adult. The decision to be mature is rare and the decision to stay in pyjamas and do nothing (literally) is all too frequent.

The thoughts of dropping out as finals week creeps closer.
I didn’t expect this to actually happen but as deadlines all became one week and exams remained un-studied it becomes logical to assume dropping out and returning next September would be a whole lot easier than catching up on the amount of work you haven’t done. You think about the probability of meeting a doctor-in-the-making and marrying him and it’s a whole lot higher than the probability of getting your work done.

Actually Choosing What to Wear Everyday.
You’re fresh out of school and stuffy uniforms and you are ready to wow the world with your style. You’ve waited a whole fourteen years to show people your wardrobe. However, this usually lasts about a week, maybe two. By then you’ve shown the people that you can look human. Tracksuits, hoodies, leggings and scraped back hair will do for the rest of semester. Perhaps the odd day here or there you’ll make the effort and brush your hair but for the majority of the time you just can’t be bothered.

And there you have it. The 5 truths of college. Hopefully I’m not alone in all of this. I’m sure we’ll all end up with degrees – let’s just enjoy it while we can. I’m sure it’s not now that’s the difficult part… That probably comes when we actually need to earn a living. Oh God. I’ll leave you with that.

Love,
Kerry xx

Spotty Skin No More!

(15th January 2014)

Dear Readers,

is your skin going crazy at the moment with the stress? I know how you feel; exams, results, general life mean our brains are going mental! The stresses of life, I’m afraid, has taken it’s toll on my skin and I’m breaking out like mad. Not what I want to be stressing about at the moment.

SO. Why stress at all? Let’s take action against these breakouts and take one more problem off of your list! I have top tips for you on how to keep your skin clear 

WATER WATER WATER.  Water.
Seriously if you aren’t drinking enough water your whole body is going to be affected. I found when I started increasing my water intake not only was my face no longer dry but my hands which were usually dry are now soft! Try to drink water in sips throughout the day rather than downing 500ml in one go. More water is also going to help increase brain productivity too. It’s pretty much the only free thing that will clear your skin. Water.

Green tea.
While we’re on the topic of drinks, here’s another absolute miracle worker. Green tea’s anti-oxidant will keep you glowing while also protecting against cancer! Like water, it also helps with concentration so GO GREEN. Yes it’s an acquired taste and when I first had it I thought it tasted like dirt but now I like it!

Pillow Cases.
I know it’s a given but you neeeed to change your pillow cases weekly. They collect all the bacteria from your face at night and it STAYS THERE and affects your skin while you sleep! BAD BACTERIA.

DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE.
STOP. JUST DON’T. EVER. I don’t care if your face is itchy put down your hand! Honestly if you could see the amount of bacteria on your hands you wouldn’t dare touch your face. No. Never.

Exercise.
I know I know. Ew. Why would I go for a jog if I could sleep instead? FOR YOUR SKIN THAT’S WHY. When you exercise your heart will beat faster, pumping the blood around your body. Your skin will not improve without exercise. Even a brisk walk!

General Diet.
Super important! Essentially everything you put inside your body will show on the outside. You eat shit, you look like shit. The more colourful juicy fruits and vegetables you’re eating the better you will look and feel. If like me you are a chocolate addict you need to cut back. I certainly do! It’s not the cocoa that’s bad for your skin it’s the amount of sugar that goes into your usual brands of chocolate bars! If you’re finding it difficult to cope try replacing the chocolate you eat with dark chocolate as this does not affect your skin as much.

Make-up.
I love make-up. I do. But nonetheless we shouldn’t wear it when it’s unnecessary! If your skin is going through a rough time please allow it to breathe! The make-up is only going to clog your pores and create more silly spots. MAKE A PROMISE TO YOURSELF RIGHT NOW NEVER TO USE MAKE-UP WIPES. I know if you’ve been out all you want to do is sleep when you get home but in the morning you will thank yourself for taking off your make-up properly with a proper face wash. It’s worth your while investing in one that will really work for your skin too.

Lastly, keep calm. Stressing really won’t make a situation better so just do your best and all will be as should be. As the ever present Mickey Mouse said, “Don’t stress over anything that you can’t change.”

Love,
Kerry xx