The Central Applications Office (CAO) typically experiences an influx of activity around this time of year as the deadline for changing decisions nears. A large number of candidates use the initial CAO application in January as a provisional measure, but it’s swiftly approaching the time when a final selection of choices must be submitted. The dawn of the written Leaving Cert examination process signals the time to reassess your course preferences to make sure they’re the right ones. Here is some guidance on how to navigate the CAO process.
Why is it a good idea to revisit my CAO options now?
During the period of your initial CAO application, you were likely concentrating on studying for your mock exams or post-Leaving Cert (PLC) programme. Now that you have been relieved of those pressures, there’s a little over a month remaining to settle on your final list of course preferences. The initial CAO application is often utilised by many candidates in January as a temporary measure in order to guarantee a place at a university in September. Shortly, you will need to submit a finalised list of options. Ask yourself, which programmes will supplement your passions and abilities and increase your prospects of gaining employment upon concluding your tertiary education.
How can I make the right decisions?
Understanding the range of courses available is vital. The online CAO manual for 2024 was completed during summer 2023, providing a comprehensive list of courses and thorough information about each stage of the application journey. Since its publication, some colleges have either removed, altered or introduced some courses, the CAO website maintains an up-to-the-minute catalogue of these modifications. To inspect the current list of courses available through the CAO, including programme specifics, view Qualifax. A categorising drop-down menu classifies every course under the following titles: administration and business; agriculture and horticulture; architecture; art and design; arts and social science; built environment; dentistry; education; engineering and technology; human medicine; law; nursing; other healthcare; pharmacy; physiotherapy; science; applied science; and veterinary medicine. Broaden your horizons by researching these categories.
Regardless of the CAO points you obtain following the imminent examination period, or through your PLC award, universities and colleges are providing courses at esteemed certificate and both ordinary and honours degree levels, suitable to your specific needs.
Q. I’ve located information on courses, what’s the next course of action?
The majority of pupils have navigated this pathway with their school career advisors over the last couple of years. If you’re still unsure, consider the following steps:
1. Take the interest determination test on qualifax.ie and careersportal.ie to confirm if they pinpoint any specific areas of interest for you.
2. Revisit the outcomes of any previous interest or aptitude tests you sat in the last two to three years. They may indicate one or more of the 17 course groupings on offer.
3. Reflect on your academic performances over the past few years, including your Junior Certificate results. Are there any subjects where you consistently perform above average? These might be the subjects to focus on for your undergraduate study.
4. Consider any work placement in your transition year or the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, and whether it stimulated or diminished your interest in a particular job or career path.
5. Ponder on the subjects you’ve engaged with over the past two years. Which piqued your interest the most? Responses to these inquiries may help streamline your course selections to a manageable few.
Q. Where can I access career-specific information?
Among the most beneficial tools for career exploration is the Careers Portal website. It also hosts an “interest inventory” that aligns your courses to areas that spark your interest.
Your interest inventory results could open your mind to avenues you’d never considered before. Preconceived ideas about certain professions may often be misguided. If hearing individuals discuss the nitty-gritty aspects of a certain job appeals to you, the site hosts over 100 Irish employer testimonials covering their routine work-life. A platform where businesses are advertising openings in their sector is advantageous to anyone interested in joining the labour market, be it fresh school leavers contemplating their future or mature CAO applicants pondering a career shift.
Bear in mind that the Central Applications Office (CAO) website provides access to all educational institutions offering positions as well as an electronic platform for submitting a ‘change-of-mind’ request.
Q. Is it compulsory for every applicant to engage in the ‘change-of-mind’ procedure?
Absolutely, every applicant is required to re-evaluate their submission prior to the CAO’s cut-off time at 5pm on July 1st.
Q. What happens if I am satisfied with the decisions I made in January?
In case you feel content with your preliminary selection of programmes and their sequence, your only task should be to cross-verify your preferences with the most recent list of programmes communicated by the CAO.
Confirm that all your selected programmes are still available and check if there are any new possibilities you might be interested in. Ensure you still fulfil all the criteria related to subject, levels, and admission prerequisites. If you’re unsure about these, refer to the subject selection feature on the Qualifax website, as it contains detailed admission requirements for all programmes.
For instance, if you’ve let your school know about your desire to transition from higher to ordinary level maths, you may have overlooked that a minimum H4 grade in higher level maths is a need for some options. If any of your chosen programmes are no longer accessible to you, exclude these from your CAO list.
Upon revising the options, if you feel confident about your submission, no further steps are necessary. There is no requirement for you to correspond further with the CAO.