Amazing eight H1s for Hilary

HILARY GALLAGHER (18) from Willow Grove in Bray achieved a phenomenal eight H1s in her Leaving Cert, exceeding 600 points.

‘It still hasn’t sunk in, it was a nice pleasant surprise,’ said Hilary, who went to St Gerard’s. She had no idea she had done so well.

‘You come out of the exams thinking you didn’t get such an answer, or should have got something, rather than focussing on what you did get.’

She worked very hard and made a conscious decision to put the foot down from fifth year. She had considered medicine at one point, and she also wanted to be able to continue to play hockey.

She was delighted this week to receive an offer of her first choice – economics and finance in UCD.

She hadn’t fully decided up to February. A number of her family members are doctors, so that was an option for Hilary.

‘Finance appealed to me more,’ she said. ‘I wanted to keep using maths and logic. I love figuring things out rather than learning things off,’ she said.

She said that she feels recent changes in the Leaving Certificate have facilitated that mode of thinking.

Hilary and some of her friends decided to celebrate a little differently when they got their results last week and went off to Galway. She felt like a change of scenery and taking a break to relax, rather than heading to Dublin like many other graduating secondary school students.

‘It’s a bit surreal,’ said Hilary, on the attention that has come her way with her wonderful exam results.

‘I don’t mind, but it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since last week.’

Hilary is looking forward to going to college this autumn. Most of her friends got places in either UCD or Trinity so they will all be together again very soon.