The first round of CAO college offers has been issued, and you, or the student in your life, has been left disappointed.
Maybe you’ve been offered your third choice, or maybe you’ve been left with no offer at all.
It’s a whirlwind of emotions, disappointment as well as sadness and anxiety.
If you are wondering what to do next, the advice from a top guidance counsellor may surprise you — You should hit the pause button, even if just momentarily.
A teacher for more than 20 years, David Drury is sixth year guidance counsellor and head of guidance and counselling with Blackrock College. He regularly shares careers information on Insta @ careerascent24.
“Of course, there will be students who will be delighted come CAO offers, as everything has gone smoothly,” Mr Drury told the Irish Examiner.
“Then, you will also have another cohort who might be surprised and disappointed, who will need to start exploring other options.
“My advice [to disappointed students] is to be excited, and to start exploring and to start investigating. Give yourself the time to grieve as well. Give yourself 24 hours and then start being proactive and exploring alternative routeways.”
First things first, if you have received an offer of a college place from the CAO — even if it is not your first preference — then you should accept it, Mr Drury recommends.
“Remember, you can still rise to a higher preference in later rounds. So, accept your offer.”
He also stresses the importance of making a note of all the upcoming CAO rounds, as well as the deadlines to respond. “Set reminders,” he added.
“There’s a lot of them, and sometimes students can miss the dates.”
Round Two offers will become available on September 8, with a deadline of September 10 to respond. Round Three offers will become available from September 16, with a deadline of September 18 to respond. Offers will continue until Round 5 towards the end of September.
Another important step at this stage is to take a look at the CAO’s available places facility online, Mr Drury added.
College courses that are not filled yet will appear on the system here from August 28, at 12 noon.
“It’s very important that students go through the available course list and find courses that align with their strengths and interests, and that they start to list those courses.”
“It’s important to check the entry requirements for these courses, but the available places can give a lot of hope to students. It’s very important to check this daily as courses will keep coming in.”
This year, there are also two “very exciting” developments, he added. “Pharmacy in ATU has just been released as a new course, and it will become available after the CAO offers are issued in the available places. You will leave that course with a Level 9 Masters, so it’s definitely worth having a look at that course.”
Nursing which has also been added as a new course at Maynooth University, will also become available through this online facility, he added.
If you don’t get an offer, it’s “not the end of the world,” Mr Drury said. “There are other options out there.”
“You have to start examining different pathways you haven’t already done so, because there are so many routes now.”
These include PLC courses, apprenticeships or national tertiary degree courses.
“A PLC is a wonderful alternative, and its probably the fastest and most flexible route into a degree or the course you want to study.”
Application for PLC courses is done through the relevant further education college.
“PLC courses are practical, they are hands-on. A lot of them involve work experience and have a clear QQI progression to the degree you want, or the course you want to get to.”
However, it’s very important to do your research about the course.
“You need to sit down, maybe with your parents or with your guidance counsellor and find a PLC that aligns with your career goals, that is linked to a career you will enjoy.”
When applying for a PLC, you may need to complete an interview. “It’s best to contact the relevant course directly and speak with the coordinator. They will be busy, and places will fill quickly, so it’s important not to hang around.”
He cautioned: “It’s very important to remember that a PLC does not guarantee that you will get on to the degree course the following year.”
Places are limited for QQI applicants and, the course might only take a small number of students through that route.
“It also depends on your results. Some may require all distinctions across all your modules.”
While you are researching PLC — or any of the alternative pathways — it’s “very important” that you keep an eye on the next round of CAO offers, Mr Drury stressed.
“It’s parallel, working on the CAO as well as the alternative routeway as well.”
“Parents can be involved here with shortlisting PLCs and making sure that it reaches the targeted degree while also keeping an eye on the calendar.”
This year, Mr Drury has witnessed a shift towards, and more open mindedness about apprenticeships in Ireland. “Finally,” he said. “It’s slow, it’s been a grind.”
“I suppose they are associated with the traditional trades, and yes there is a snobbery with that I will say, but they have expanded into ICT, cybersecurity, aircraft maintenance, into logistics and accountancy.”
“Students are starting to look at this as an option and say ‘I can get a pay slip here while I study’. You get to work a couple of days a week, and you get to study a couple of days a week. Some of these courses progress as far as a Level 10.”
Available apprenticeships can be found on Apprenticeship.ie
The new national tertiary degrees are also another great option to consider, Mr Drury added.
“Some of these will remain open until September. A revolution in Irish education you could call them, because they are degrees without points,” he said.
“You can apply for them through your local ETB where you will spend your first-year studying. If you meet the results requirement, you will then progress on to the linked university where you will finish your degree with a Level 8 degree — the same as a student who got there with CAO points.
“All of these courses are geared towards gaps in the labour force,” he said. “It’s important for any students who are unhappy with their points to remember there is that routeway there, without points, that will bring them to the same degree.”
If none of these options work for you, you may be considering whether or not you should repeat the Leaving Cert.
“It is a big decision, and it is a big commitment,” Mr Drury said. “You have to look at your goals, and you are ready to put your head down for another busy year, then go for it.
“I would suggest repeating if you can pinpoint exactly what you need to change. So, the things that might not have worked may have been your study method, your study routine or perhaps your subject choices weren’t for you.”
“That might need to be changed. Perhaps support structures weren’t in place for you, that might need to discussed at home or in school. If you were working part-time, that might need to be reconsidered, and they may well not have a choice in that as well, as well as your overall commitment and motivation.”
There is a risk of losing momentum, he added. “It can fade throughout that repeat year.”
There is also often a financial cost to repeating, and you will be with a new class group, Mr Drury added.
“Also remember that there are new English texts, there’ll be a new geography field investigation. There could be a new economics project, a new ag science project. You have to remember that the syllabi will change, and can you commit to that.”
Other options if you are still unhappy include studying in the UK or in Europe, of taking a gap year.
It may all still seem very overwhelming.
“My advice is to pause, and to not react to it, and to hold on,” Mr Drury said.
“There are subsequent CAO rounds coming up, there is the possibility of an upgrade, and you absolutely have brilliant routes in through the national tertiary degrees, apprenticeships and through PLCs.
“There are excellent routeways to bring you to where you want to be in your career, and they will, but you have to give them the chance. It’s not all about the CAO; it is a path, it is the most common path, but it’s not the only path.”
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