The long summer wait for Leaving Certificate results came to an end for 51,000 students today and they began the altogether different sort of stress involved in mapping out their futures.
Schools opened their doors early to hand out the pieces of paper that, yearly, can make or break teenagers' dreams.
John Reidy (18), Ashbourne, Co Meath
But principals and guidance teachers urged those disappointed with their results or those who felt they had not gained the points necessary for a particular college course not to be disheartened and to consider all available options open to them.
Many schools said their former pupils had turned up in person to collect the results, preferring the support of their friends and teachers to the lonely anonymity of checking results online.
There were joys and disappointments, of course, and the usual cluster of students achieving top marks in the exam - seven A1s.
John Reidy (18) from Ashbourne, Co Meath, was one such student. A former student at Ashbourne Community School, John said he had been "surprised" at his seven A1 result.
"I really was not expecting it," he told ireland.com
John was one of the many students who had been disappointed with the higher level maths paper, although he said the first paper rather than the second had been the problem one.
The A1 in English also came as a surprise - he had previously gained a B3 result in his mock exams in February, he said.
"English would not have been my strong subject. I would never really have gotten an A in English."
John praised the school and the teachers for their hard work, but admitted he hadn't enjoyed much of a social life while studying for the exams.
"I just got my head down and I got great help from my teachers. I was studying every weekend so I didn't have much chance to have a social life."
Ashbourne Comhaltas provided one social outlet for John throughout his studies, however. He plays traditional flute.
Ruth Gilligan (18), Blackrock, Co Dublin
Celebration plans had not yet been finalised this afternoon, but John said his night would not be too hectic as he will be working at his summer job in St James's Hospital tomorrow.
John, son of Frank and Gabrielle Reidy from Ashbourne, hopes to be offered the dentistry degree at Trinity College Dublin when the CAO points are published next week.
David Cooney (18), a student at Gozaga in Ranelagh south Dublin, bucked the national trend scoring As in both chemistry and maths.
He managed four As and four Bs achieving 540 points - far above the requirement for his preferred subject of Science at Trinity College.
David intends to go straight to university and is exited at the prospect of trying out a full range of disciplines. "There's biotechnology, genetics, pharmaceuticals and medicinal chemistry. I'll just get in there and try it out before I specialise so I can look into areas I haven't tried before and see what they're like."
David Cooney (18)
David puts the "crisis" in his own favoured subjects of maths and science down to a difficult maths paper this year and the board range of information needed for science generally
"Science subjects are quite difficult, they have a really high drop-out rate at third level. I think the courses and the hours which are long, is a factor but, apart from biology, they are just not regarded as 'sexy courses' .
"A lot of people just don't like science and opt for business courses because they think that's where the money will be. But I read that science graduates make the most money in their first year after graduating, but that only came out after the Leaving Cert was finished," David said.
Ruth Gilligan (18) from Blackrock, Co Dublin, was another high achiever in the Leaving Certificate.
Ruth, an actor who also managed to write a best-selling novel while studying for her exams at St Andrew's College, Blackrock, gained eight A1s in the exam.
She took English, Irish, maths, applied maths, French, physics, business studies and classical studies.
Ruth, also known for her role as Laura in the RTÉ soap Fair City, has already successfully completed an interview for Cambridge University in Britain, where she will study English.
The young Dubliner's first novel Forgetis currently at number two in best-selling books charts.