CAO – start by listing all ‘maybe’ courses on a page

PLCs can be an alternative way to get into the course you want

Aoife Walsh

For the last number of months, Leaving Certificate students all over the country have been spending time thoroughly researching CAO courses, checking links with Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses and how such courses can facilitate progression to third level, searching the internet, and attending open days.

Hopefully they now have a reasonably long list of possible courses including one or two dream courses. Now it is important to take the next step, and the next step needs careful consideration.

Slight differences in courses can be confusing and often students become fixated on points and whether or not they are likely to achieve them. Here are some guidelines that should assist students in the essential task of placing their CAO courses in order of preference, and without too much stress and confusion.

Once students have reached the stage where they have found a large number of 'maybe' courses it's time to try and decide on their order of preference.

Courses should always be listed in order of preference and in no other way. This is because the CAO will presume that applicants have listed their choices in this way, and will always offer applicants the highest listed course for which they qualify.

At this time of year students often ask if they should place those courses with the highest points at the top of their lists and even refer to the idea of 'wasting points'. However, this is never the case.

Points are merely an indication of the level of supply (number of places) and demand for a course and can change from year to year. It is impossible to guess what the points for a particular course will be in advance and therefore it is very risky to make guesses.

When beginning to organise courses in order of preference, it can be helpful to first list all the courses in which a student is interested on a single page. Then, the applicant should check they meet the entry requirements for all the courses they are considering. For example, do these courses require a science subject or honours maths? Is the student taking the required number of honours level subject in their exams etc?

Once the applicant is satisfied that they will meet the entry requirements they should scan the list for their 'dream' courses. Ask 'If I could choose any of these courses which would I like the most?' This course should then be placed in the number one spot on the CAO list.

After that important decision, the next question they should ask themselves is 'If it was not possible to take this course what would I do instead?' They may consider a similar course in a different institution or a slightly different course in the same institution. They will then place this course in the number two spot on their CAO form,

Applicants continue this process until they have exhausted their list of "maybe" courses or have filled all 10 of their options and should bear in mind that they have 10 options on each of the CAO lists, so that is a total of 20.

Applicants should complete one list for their Level 8 course choices and a separate list for their level 6 and 7 courses.

Next August, the CAO will offer the candidate the highest course on each list for which they qualify.

It is important to remember the CAO will always try to offer the highest courses on each list. It is not possible to change an offer for a course that was originally placed at a lower point on the CAO therefore it is of the upmost importance that all CAOs are completed in order of preference only.

A sentence worth bearing in mind is that an applicant can move up the CAO list after each round of CAO offers, if they are eligible for a course higher on the list and a place becomes available on it because not all offers were accepted, but they cannot move down the list. Once the CAO makes an offer, all the choices listed below said offer are effectively deleted.

Most applications to the CAO are now done online. This facility allows students to begin their application and save their progress as they go along. It also allows students to make as many changes to their application as they wish between now and January 31.

On February 1, the CAO will close and begin processing all the applications. The CAO will then reopen for a 'Change of Mind Period' between May and July.

Aoife Walsh is a guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin

Important dates

JANUARY 5

Acceptance for applications for PLC 2015 entry Ormonde College of Further Education

JANUARY 6

Open Evening Dublin Business School

RCSI Open Day for School Leavers Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

JANUARY 7

HPAT Ulster Test — Standard Registration Closes