People should spare a thought at this time of the year for any Leaving Certificate student trying to get a place on an art and design course.
It's bad enough that these poor souls have to cram all their years of unfettered creativity into one portfolio, but then they have to trudge between colleges trying to convince the institutions that what lies inside its covers is good enough to get them on the course.
Many art and design courses are not decided on Leaving Cert subjects, but this does not lessen the competitive element, with the most prestigious courses seriously oversubscribed every year.
While points are not given for Leaving Cert subjects on many courses, they are given for portfolios with many colleges allocating up to 600 points for your work. Others decide on the basis of Leaving Cert and portfolio points.
Another point to remember is that many art and design courses are not part of the CAO at all and you should apply directly to the college.
For example, the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) runs one of the most oversubscribed courses - its first year (core) course - outside the CAO system.
All the colleges will issue you with a leaflet explaining what they want in the portfolio. Read it as you would read a Leaving Cert exam paper.
If you leave something out, you have only yourself to blame. If you are unsure what the college is looking for - even after reading it - ring up and get clarification.
Some art colleges use nothing but the portfolio for selecting their candidates so this is one of the most important portfolios you'll ever put together. Some of them also want them dropped in at very precise times, with one or two colleges saying that if a student is late by one minute that is it.
Restricted application
Another important point to remember about most art and design courses is that they are restricted application courses.
This means that if they are not on one of the lists you submit to the CAO by February 1st, you have missed your chance. The CAO will not allow you to change your form and enter those courses later on.
This is because assessment procedures for most art and design courses take place in March and April.
So what are the colleges looking for from potential artists, designers, animators and illustrators (to name just a few)?
Requirements
As I said earlier some of the most popular art courses are not in the CAO at all. NCAD's "core" first-year fine art and design course, which acts as a gateway to all their courses except industrial design and education, is not in the CAO.
Entry is based on portfolio although the college looks for the minimum academic requirement of two C3s or more in higher level papers and at least four passes at lower level. Your six subjects must contain Irish, English and a third language or art.
The portfolio must be submitted to NCAD by January 26th, a date which is worth remembering because it falls so shortly before the CAO deadline.
Like most colleges, NCAD allows a teacher to assist with the preparation of the portfolio, but the college is clear the ideas must belong to the student.
The portfolios can be taken back by late February and results of the assessments are normally available in March. The college, like many others, retains the right to interview candidates, but it is rare.
NCAD has two courses in the CAO, the Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design (LM072) and the BA in Art and Design Education (AD001) with 25 places each. These are both restricted courses but portfolios are not submitted until the week beginning April 30th and applicants will be contacted in advance by the college.
Ms Cecily Grant of the NCAD admissions office advises applicants who do not already have the NCAD leaflet on compiling a portfolio to contact the college immediately.
"Applicants should bear in mind the portfolio is a small selection of their work," she said. "Don't overload it, just choose your best pieces and do get the advice leaflet."
There are no changes to the NCAD courses for first years, but those choosing the Fine Art option after first year now have the choice of specialising in new media instead of painting, sculpture or printmaking.
As for employment, she says job prospects vary between the disciplines, but the opportunities for graphic design graduates are "very plentiful".
Other dates worth remembering are March 8th and 9th when DIT in Mountjoy Square inspects portfolios for courses such as the degree in Fine Art (FT 546).
DIT retains the right to hold an interview after this as well, although again it does not happen in every case.
The Crawford College of Art and Design, one of the constituent colleges of the Cork Institute of Technology offers two undergraduate courses in the CAO, the national diploma in fine art (CR201) and the national diploma in design products (Ceramics) (CR202).
There are 70 places between both courses. The split is usually 55 fine art and 15 ceramic design. Both diplomas take three years but there is an "add on" degree year for students achieving a merit or better in the diploma.
The entry requirements are the same for both courses: five passes in any Leaving Certificate subjects (there are no specific subject requirements) a portfolio and a drawing project.
The college's methods of assessment are done differently to NCAD's.
The CAO sends out details of the drawing project to applicants in March. Students complete the drawings and return them to the CAO, not Crawford College. The college views portfolios in April and May. Students present their work to the college themselves, but this should not be looked on as an interview.
The principal of Crawford College, Mr Jeff Steiner-Scott, recommends that applicants base their portfolios around the things they're most interested in and that they choose their best work. "Drawing from direct observation is important for a Crawford portfolio." Subjects should be observed and then drawn, not copied. "Students shouldn't look at a photo or a record sleeve, they should look at real objects," he said.
The job opportunities of art graduates have "always been unusual", said Mr Steiner-Scott, but he said the current strength of the economy meant graduates were finding employment in a variety of fields.
The Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology views portfolios in March. It offers a national diploma in art (DL008) and a national diploma in Design Communications (DL009). Both are restricted application courses on the CAO.
In addition to a portfolio, applicants must obtain five passes in the Leaving Certificate and the only subject requirement is English. There are 50 places on the art course and 25 on the design course. The college reserves some of these places for NCVA II holders. Details of the NCVA modules accepted are available from the college.
Portfolios are received by the college in the morning and may be collected later the same day. Some applicants may be required to attend a subsequent interview at the discretion of the college.
One other point to remember is that many of the art colleges, including NCAD, do not allow you to defer your place for a year.
(Additional research by Olivia Kelly)
