Waterford people shared their memories of doing their Leaving Certificate as the exams begin today.
WLR went out to speak to people about their experiences and whether their results had any impact on their lives.
One woman did her leaving Cert 40 years ago and explained how terrified she was going in. Another agreed with her and said that regardless of how much study you've done, you never feel prepared and ready until the paper is in front of you:
Some people did their exams and have never used them since, while others had high hopes but were disappointed with their results.
One man had planned on doing Sport and Recreational Science in Waterford or Cork but decided to take a year out to work. Seven years later he has not gone back to college and has no intentions of doing so.
A woman who had hoped for better results didn't get the course that she wanted and decided to go to college anyway. She was pleasantly surprised with how her life turned out:
One woman commented that the stress is the same nowadays as it was when she was doing her Leaving Cert. She has two daughters who have done the exams in recent years.
Another woman spoke about how afraid she was and said she does not envy anyone starting the exams today.
The overall consensus was that the Leaving Cert does not determine your life even if it doesn't go as expected.
For more on the State Exams, click here.
