Students reach the end of exam journey
FOR HUNDREDS of students across Wexford town and district, the long wait was over last Wednesday as they made their way back to their respective secondary school for the last time - to collect their much anticipated Leaving Certificate results.
In total, 937 females and 829 males sat their exams across County Wexford, while 58 females and 65 males sat the Leaving Certificate Applied. First round CAO offers were made yesterday (Monday).
Before that, however, the excitement was rife at Wexford schools as the big day finally arrived.
Carla Fusciardi Wallace, from Wexford town, was amongst the first students at the Loreto Secondary School, eager to collect her results.
‘I’m delighted. I surpassed my expectations but that was what I’d worked towards since fifth year.’
The outgoing Head Girl remarked that there had been lots of uncertainty for the Loreto students this year with school and weather woes the main issues. Carla is hoping to study Law in UCD where she has already been accepted onto the Ad Astra Performing Arts programme.
Isabel Allen from Crossabeg was also hoping to study Law in UCD, saying she was really happy with her results. She said she had only really started worrying about the results the night before.
Amy Forde from Crossabeg was also ‘really happy’ with her results which, hopefully, will allow her to take up a Nursing course in WIT. Higher Level Maths, she said, had been a concern for her.
‘I was so nervous about Maths. I thought I’d failed but when I opened the envelope and saw that I hadn’t I started crying!’
Cora O’Leary from Wexford town did not let the day faze her in the slightest: ‘I was fairly chilled out, I was listening to Avicii before coming in here!’
Cora hopes to head to Waterford to study Sports and Recreation.
Over at St Peter’s College, there was further excitement as students poured through the doors to see how they had fared.
Robbie O’Leary from Barntown said he couldn’t sleep the night before and was happy that it was all over, adding that he was looking forward to socialising with his friends that night. Happy with his results, he hopes to study I.T. in Cork.
Dáire Reville from Wexford town said he still needed to tot up his points but was happy with the results. He hopes to study engineering in DIT.
‘I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be until I was coming in the door of the school.’
Darragh Winters from Taghmon said he was happier than he expected to be, saying that he hoped to study Agricultural Science in UCD. With Kildalton College as a back-up plan, he said he was not nervous about receiving his results.
Jack Allen, from Our Lady’s Island, hoped to study Massage Therapy but was taking a year out to go to acting college in either the Lir or DIT. The talented thespian, who is a member of Ballycogley Players, said he had been nervous on the way to the school but was very happy with the results he had received.
Thomas Reilly, from Monamolin, was delighted with his results but said that he was shaking with nerves on the way to the school that morning. He said the few days leading up to the results had been a bit nerve-wrecking. He hoped to study Computer Science in UCD.
Darragh Kent, from Rathangan, was looking forward to a ‘quiet night’ of celebration after receiving his results! Happy with the final tally, he hoped to study Mechanical Engineering in Waterford.
A large group was gathered at the CBS on Wednesday morning, with hopeful parents watching from the wings as the group retrieved their results.
Dylan Wright, from Wexford town, was happy with his results, saying that he was due to take up an apprenticeship in plumbing. He said he had been nervous the night before the results but was ok once he met up with his friends at the school.
Aaron Walsh, from Barn-
town, said he had butterflies in his stomach going to bed the night before but was ‘as happy as Larry’ with his results. He hopes to study Primary Teaching in Maynooth.
Cathal Hillis, from Crossabeg, said he was delighted with his results, and was especially thrilled that he had passed Higher Level Maths. Now working as a plasterer, he had come straight from work to pick up his results but said, happily, that his father had given him the following day off so as not to curtail his celebrations that night!
James Byrne, from Murrintown, also came from work to collect his results which he was happy with. Currently working in C+D Providers, he is also due to take up an apprenticeship as a fitter.
Twins Luke and Sam O’Neill from Wexford town collected their results together, having studied the same subjects as each other, but Sam was holding off on opening his until he went home. His brother Luke got the points he needed to study Accounting in Maynooth, while Sam hopes to study Primary Teaching in Limerick. Both said they ‘sat in silence’ and were very nervous that morning.
Aaron Smith, from Clonard, said he was ‘sorted’ as he had achieved points well in excess of what he needed to study Applied Computing in WIT. He added that he hadn’t been nervous about the results as ‘all the work was done in June’.
Anxious students filed in and out of the Presentation Secondary School from 9 a.m. onwards to pick up their hardearned results.
Aine Sinnott, from Wexford town, was nervous about collecting her results but the nerves soon turned to happiness. She hopes to study Nursing in DCU.
Cria Barry, from Rosslare, was ‘so relieved’ on receiving her results, saying she had been ‘absolutely bricking it!’ that morning. Her immediate plans included ‘a nice calm night’ of celebration, and a course in Law and Politics in Maynooth, a location which seemed to be very popular:
‘It seems like the whole of Wexford wants to go to Maynooth!’
Carla Caffrey, from Castlebridge, was delighted with her results saying she had sobbed in her car with relief ! She hopes to study English and Sociology in UCD or Maynooth.
Lauren Whelan, also from Castlebridge, hopes to do Primary Teaching, saying she had been so nervous in the morning but was thrilled once she opened the results.
Amy Clancy, from Rathangan, has science on her mind as she hopes to study it at UCD. She was very happy with her results, saying she wasn’t sure how well she would do in the science subjects she had taken.
Olivia Malone, from Coolcotts, hopes to study Politics and German in England and will be watching the A-Level results closely, She said she was very nervous about collecting her results.
Fiona Kinsella, from Curracloe, was ‘really happy’ with her results, saying that she should get her first choice course, which is Biological and Chemical Science.
Orla Brennan, from Rathangan, turned her nerves into delight when she received her results. She hopes to study Irish in Limerick next.
A steady stream of students filtered through the corridors of Selskar College from 10 a.m. onwards on Wednesday last.
Sophie O’Connor, from Wexford town, was happy with her results which dampened the nerves she had been feeling that morning. She hopes to complete a PLC course in Social Studies.
Stephanie Pattern, also from Wexford town, was equally happy. She hopes to complete an Early Childcare PLC course.
Inside the school, friends Sophie Carroll from Glynn, Kaitana Cary-Dempsey from Maudlintown, and Ciara Sinnott, from Wexford town, were deep in discussion over their results.
Sophie hopes to complete the Early Childcare PLC at Selskar College, while Kaitana has her sights set on a Zoology course in UCD or Trinity. Ciara also intends to do the Early Childcare PLC, saying she had not been nervous that morning but it had hit her when she arrived at the school.
• Waterford Institute of Technology has announced that its Maths Entry Exam will take place on August 24 at the Cork Road Campus of WIT. The exam is a second chance scheme for students who have not achieved the required maths grade for their chosen course in WIT. Full details and application is through: www.wit.it/mathsentryexam.