Student diary: Becky Finn reports general relief at ‘doable’ maths

What a relief. The exam hall began to empty out more than half an hour before the end of maths paper one. Everything we had gone over – complex numbers, algebra, compound interest, formulas and financial maths – came up. Everyone was happy.

I know that there will be people who say it should have been harder, that it should have been more challenging, but given how rough last year’s ordinary level paper was, we’re just relieved it was doable.

This morning I sat the geography paper. This is my least favourite subject, but I took it because it was either geography or physics, and I dislike physics more. But, again, I came out smiling, because the areas I had studied and even looked over last night – mudflows and bogbursts, industry in India, the Paris basin and the human environment – all made an appearance.

These are just precursors to my favourite subject, biology. I’m fascinated to learn about the human body, plants and animals. I want to be a midwife, and I just need enough passes to get into the nursing studies course in the College of Commerce. If I do well there, I can study midwifery in UCC.

I’m the second eldest of four girls. Ever since I was young, I was interested in babysitting, minding people’s kids and looking after small babies. If I was a midwife, I’d be helping women through labour and helping take care of their newborns. I’m a people person; I think the job would suit me well. It’s also a career with lots of travel opportunities. I’d love to go to Canada and work there for a while, or maybe Australia.

Don’t get me wrong: I love my hometown of Mahon in Cork, and I love my school. People always have something negative to say about Mahon: that it’s a bad area. That’s not my experience and it’s not a fair representation at all. It’s quiet where I live, there is a great community, I have loads of friends and everyone supports each other. There’s also plenty to do, including soccer and hurling clubs, a gym, a swimming pool, a park and “the line”, a really serene walk along the river Lee.

I'll be doing a fair bit of study this weekend but I'll also have a lie-in. And I'll catch up with EastEnders, because no matter how bad your week has been, it's always worse in Albert Square.