‘Don’t panic’ as CAO deadline approaches
WITH the deadline fast approaching for CAO, Wexford students are being told not to panic if they do not get their first choice.
The normal closing date for applications is on February 1, but after this students still have the option to change their mind or course.
Loreto Secondary School Principal Billy O’Shea said the key thing to do is not to panic.
‘Just get some sort of an application in by the deadline. Even if you only have a couple of courses on your list you can still change your mind on a later date,’ said Mr O’Shea.
He said overall the CAO is a fair system and if you get the points and entry requirements you will get your first choice.
‘Students should be very careful with their order of preference when filling out their CAO application. Talk to parents, teachers and guidance counsellors if unsure about anything. Just don’t panic as there is no need to,’ he said.
On February 6 from 12 p.m. a ‘change of course’ facility opens on the CAO website and will close on March 1 at 5.15 p.m. After this, students can avail of the ‘change of mind’ option that opens on May 5 at 12 p.m. and will close on July 1 at 5.15 p.m.
All courses and institutions have their own entry requirements so having the points for the course is just not enough. Students need to make sure they meet the requirements by checking subjects or their average grades.
Place your course choices in order of preference. Round one offers are on August 21 at 6 a.m. and you have until August 28 at 5.15 p.m. to reply. Offers are then issued on a weekly basis until mid- October, or until all places have been filled.
If you get a lower preference course in the first round, the best available option is to accept it as it might be your only offer. Accepting the course will not prevent you from receiving an offer from a higher preference course in a later round.
Engineering, science and other range of subjects are amongst the choices for CBS Enniscorthy students. With the deadline around the corner and some still unsure what to pick, they are urged to open a CAO account by CBS guidance counsellor Mink Weafer.
‘Open an application online if you are still not sure what to do. Once it is opened you are still able to change around your course choices or even add new ones if you have done some research,’ said Mr Weafer
He said there is a lot of information online that will give you details about courses and the potential job opportunities and salaries from certain courses. Qualifax and Careers Portal are very student friendly.
The new points system comes into affect this year and it is impossible to predict how it will go.
‘ The only advantage to the new points system is less students will be landing on the same scores. Any student could land on anything like 342, 366 and 387, so it means less competition for colleges as points will vary,’ he said.
Mr Weafer said all students should go to their guidance counsellors if they have a question about anything. ‘ Their doors are always open and they are there to help even with the simplest of questions,’ said Mr Weafer.
Visit www.cao.ie for more information.