Irish teenagers on life now: ‘Most Leaving Certs wonder if third level is still even an option’

Young people in Ireland have been largely ignored during the pandemic, certainly in comparison with other groups. So we wanted to hear directly from them. We asked two questions: how are they coping, and what are their concerns? Here are a few of their replies.

"I find it difficult to ensure that I am eating, sleeping and exercising enough"
ADRIAN
Co Meath
"I'm a Leaving Cert student. That opening sentence almost provides enough description of what you can imagine my life is like at the moment or what most of the 60,000 students sitting the exams lives are like at the moment. And yet it would appear that the stress, anxiety and nauseating worry we are experiencing on a near daily basis would seem at best unnoticed and at worst totally ignored by stakeholders and the Government.

“Most Leaving Certs, like myself, are now wondering if third level is even an option now. We don’t know whether or not we will have to sit a traditional exam, and what that may look like. We don’t know what kind of competition we are in for, in terms of college spaces – if Leaving Certs from last year who received inflated grades will heighten the points for the courses we wish to pursue. We don’t know how much more online learning we can take.

“It is tiring and overwhelming, both keeping up with assignments, trying your best in subpar live lessons and maintaining some sense of daily normality, one can only imagine how first-year college students must feel, another cohort and their struggles rarely talked about. I find it difficult to ensure that I am eating enough, that I am sleeping enough, and that I am exercising enough. I feel like myself and many Leaving Cert students are on the verge of a total breakdown, except this breakdown has been going on since the start of this academic year.

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“There is a history in this country of constantly screwing over the younger generations, from mass emigration in the 1950s, 1980s and late 2000s, to the lack of equality of opportunity compared to our parents, (young people can barely get on the property ladder, compared to 20 years ago), our student nurses are not getting paid for being a vital part of the healthcare service and in my case, the indecision, total lack of planning and haphazard dealing with the Leaving Cert, and the total disregard for young people’s mental health in this global pandemic has really told us all that this Government, a government that was elected in a time that mandated change, is clearly no different.”

"We were both feeling quite down about the prospect of another long haul lockdown"
MUIREANN and EMMA
Co Dublin
"We are two 19-year-old girls in our first year of college – one of us studying primary school teaching and the other studying nursing. In 2020, we found ourselves living through the Leaving Cert nightmare and then started our first year of college online, alone in our bedrooms. Going into the new year, like so many others, we were both feeling quite down about the prospect of another long haul lockdown, and were frankly feeling very bored . . . so we decided to do something about it!

“With nursing placement being cancelled, growing uncertainty surrounding primary school placement and all college classes online, we had a lot of time on our hands. On the 2nd of January, we were both chatting about how we need to have a new hobby to keep ourselves busy and to bring some excitement into our lives! So, we decided to start our own lifestyle blog.

“Life with M and Em was born! We started the blog in January and now we post twice a week on our website about everything and anything from our favourite movies to online school, from learning to drive to finding motivation to exercise. We have gotten such a positive response to the blog. We write all the posts ourselves and the art on the website is all original.

“Before this, we were sitting in our rooms, unmotivated, looking into a daunting new year full of lockdowns and restrictions, reminding us of how much we have missed out on and all the things we would love to be doing in our first year of college. Now, we have something to work on, something we enjoy doing, and it has brought a new purpose to our days. Despite how tough these times are, starting something new has for sure made being a teenager in lockdown a whole lot more fun.”

"I often feel deceived, like I'm the only one toeing the line"
CATHAL
Co Wicklow
"Most of us are doing what's right by staying at home, but there are those who are out every day with their friends as if there's no reason not to be. As a teenager this is heartbreaking and feels like a betrayal, all we see on social media is the activities of the people who are breaking the rules. I often feel deceived, like I'm the only one toeing the line, while all my friends are out having fun. While this is obviously not the full truth, it's how many of us feel during every lockdown that comes along."

"I wake 10 minutes before a class starts, roll out of bed, power on my laptop and force myself to concentrate on my lecturer"
AMY
Dublin
"I feel as though college students, including myself, have been left behind in the pandemic. I have not stepped foot on my college campus of DCU since the 12th of March. I admit I was delighted at first to have two weeks off, but now, 11 months on, I would give anything to attend a lecture in person. During the first lockdown there was so much uncertainty surrounding how to provide classes my modules were cut short and I ended the semester with relatively little upheaval. We all assumed we would be back on campus in September, but alas that was not the case.

“Myself and fellow college students around the country were thrown into the deep end attempting to navigate Zoom and learn the difference between asynchronous and synchronous lectures. I watched enviously as my younger sister donned a face mask and gladly went back to secondary school. Each morning I wake 10 minutes before a class starts, roll out of bed, power on my laptop and force myself to concentrate on my lecturer as the internet connection becomes increasingly unstable. I spend hours at a time in my bedroom trying to find books that are available online so I can write assignments, watch pre-recorded lectures, read long journal articles and attempt to organise group work. My bedroom has gone from a place of relaxation to stress and frustration. Everything is on you. I feel as though I am completing this college degree on my own.

“Education aside, it is the social aspect of college I miss the most. I am missing out on so many experiences of being in my 20s. Even the simple things like seeing my friends in person, grabbing a coffee between lecturers, taking a break in the student union building and getting lunch at Nubar seem like fragments from a different world. I am in my final year of college now faced with the crushing reality that I will never step foot on the DCU campus again.

“I am juggling college, work, a dissertation, Masters applications and studying for the HPAT. It can get a lot. One thing I am hopeful about is getting to my graduation in November, seeing my classmates and being able to say ‘We did it!’ (Even if I have to buy a face mask that matches my dress). I am optimistic that in the summer I can regain some of the time I have lost as a teenager. When cinemas, bars, restaurants and nightclubs reopen I will be first in line. Never again will I moan about waking up early to get to college on time. I will wake at 7am with a smile on my face, grateful I have the opportunity to attend a college campus again.”

"I'm watching my life pass by while I do nothing"
HANNAH
Co Cork
"It feels like all of the plans I had for my teen years has to be put on hold for who knows how long. All of the hope we had around this time last year is pretty much gone. There's no more "next summer will be better", it'll probably be the same. I'm finally old enough to go out and do things with my friends and instead all we can do is call each other. I'm watching my life pass by while I do nothing. I don't know when things will go back to normal or what that will even be like. I've stopped making plans for the future because everything is so uncertain. Will we be able to go to that arcade during the summer? Will we get to have sleepovers? There's only so much fun I can have from my bedroom."

"My body is too young to deal with a mind feeling so old"
PHILIPPA
Northern Ireland
"It's the insomnia. Knowing that there is a morose reality to wake up to. Out of a routine. Sinking into unhealthy habits. There are no nights out. No late night drives. Instead, the nine o'clock news. Broadcasters reciting rehearsed lines. Depicting the tragedies. Paying tribute to the casualties. A world full of madness. Yet, we, the future generation, are meant to act 'normal,' in a world filled with havoc and chaos. My body is too young to deal with a mind feeling so old.