Today is the last day for posting off CAO forms if you want to meet the February 1st deadline. The obvious advantages of getting the form off in time are that you pay the standard fee of £18.90 rather than the late fee of £37.80 (the late closing date is May 1st).
You can also apply for restricted-application courses, which may not be listed after tomorrow. And you can now relax, forget about the form (for a while at least) and concentrate on studying for the Leaving Certificate.
Restricted-application courses include courses such as art, design, photography and music, where selection criteria other than Leaving Certificate points apply. Page three of the CAO handbook lists some 22 degrees and 26 certificate/diplomas which fall into the restricted-application category. You may need to submit a portfolio, attend an interview or do a music or drawing test.
When you're posting off your CAO application, don't forget to get the certificate of posting stamped. You may change your mind about your choice of course up until July 1st, but you may not introduce any new restricted-application courses at this stage.
Grant applications
If you wish to apply for a maintenance grant, the process does not coincide with the CAO applications season. The closing date is usually in mid-July, after the Leaving Certificate is over.
Many students head off for the summer, completely forgetting to apply for their grants. Late applications mean late payment. If you are applying for a certificate/diploma course in an institute of technology, you should apply for a grant to your local Vocational Education Committee; other applicants should apply to their local authority.
If you qualified for a full maintenance grant in 1999-2000 you would have received £1,690 (non-adjacent rate) or £676 (adjacent rate). The income threshold for the top rate of grant was £19,200 for a family with fewer than four children.
The downside - graduate unemployment
While the overall figures for graduate employment are very positive, there is still some residual unemployment. This year, the Higher Education Authority's statistics show that nearly 60 per cent of those graduating with degrees, diplomas and certificates in 1998 were in employment less than a year after completing their studies. This is the highest proportion attained in the 1990s, with most of the balance engaged in further studies.
At the same time, 2.4 per cent of third-level graduates were seeking work. College Choice received two calls on this subject - one from a parent of an unemployed mechanical engineering graduate and another from an unemployed graduate with degrees in both mechanical engineering and computing as well as a FAS qualification in software development. They were concerned that with all of the elation about a buoyant economy the people who still can't find work are being forgotten.
The graduate with the two degrees said he was in a Catch-22 situation, in that employers wanted experience. He was seriously considering emigrating to find work.
Helpline
The helpline has been humming with queries from students, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors. During the course of the past three weeks, a number of problems and themes have recurred.
Calls during the first week of the helpline came predominantly from first-year students, already in third-level, rather than school-leavers faced with the CAO form for the first time. These were unhappy with their initial choices and wanted to reapply.
The non-completion rates at third-level are around 9 per cent in universities and 33 per cent in the institutes of technology.
A guidance counsellor, Mr Vivian Cassells, says this highlights the need for research by students. The main reasons students wanted to change were: "They hadn't realised what the first-year subjects would actually entail, undue parental pressure and the fact that the offer they finally took was the only one they got and they knew little or nothing about it.
"With so many courses coming onstream, it is essential to start this research in fifth year by attending open days and getting a copy of relevant prospectuses.
"Many students panic when they get their Christmas or mock-exam results. Poor results are often a blessing in disguise as they give the necessary KIP (Kick in Posterior) to the student."
On the other hand, it is very important, he says, for parents to discuss whether students should take higher-level or ordinary-level papers. Too many students attempt higher-level papers against the advice of their teacher, with disastrous consequences. Students should also be aware of the necessity of ensuring they pass an essential subject - for instance, Irish for NUI colleges.
Guidance counsellor Sile Sheehy is concerned about the proliferation of direct-entry courses, which are actually splitting entry to courses which previously had omnibus entry. She says students who go the direct-entry route are guaranteed their second-year place, though they may not perform as well as those doing the same subject under omnibus entry.
The omnibus-entry candidate has to compete for a limited number of second-year place in many courses. "It seems to defeat the whole notion of a broad education, which is what arts and science were meant to provide," she says.
The Commission on the Points System "considers that all third-level institutions should, where feasible, offer broad-based courses in first year. These courses should be such as to enable students to make an informed choice in relation to specialisation at the end of first year or later." This is particularly so in the case of certificates and diplomas. In many cases, courses share common modules in first year, and given the high level of attrition on some courses, "the commission considers that institutes of technology should consider offering a much broader first term or semester on these courses in order to introduce students to the choices that are available."
Ms Sheehy says she is also "infuriated at the number of late courses coming on-stream a few weeks before the February 1st deadline". She suggests that colleges wait until April when a composite list could be published before the CAO late application deadline of May 1st. This list could then be circulated to guidance counsellors and should also be advertised publicly so that those outside the school system would be alerted to the changes.
A number of calls to the helpline were from confused applicants wondering about cut-off points for the double honours degrees listed under TCD's TR001 code on page 39 of the CAO handbook. If you look at the list of final cut-off points issued by the CAO, and published in the College Choice supplement on January 10th, you will find cut-offs listed for individual subjects only.
The relevant cut-off is the higher one. For instance, if you chose classical civilisation and Italian, the cut-off for classical civilisation was 360 last year while Italian came in at 425. To do both subjects you would have needed a minimum of 425 points.
Ms Sheehy suggests that this be explained on page 39 of the CAO handbook. Cut-off points for other courses are straightforward.
The vast majority of calls from school-leavers and their parents were about courses which are not offered in second level. "People don't seem to understand what subjects such as philosophy and psychology are all about," she says. "The information in the prospectus must be put in a student-friendly manner. There should be a clear statement as to what the subject is about and how it will develop over the years and where it will lead."
Mature students
Mature students applying for third-level places face a different set of deadlines to school-leavers. Some colleges require direct entry, others require mature applicants to apply through the CAO, while yet others ask applicants to apply directly to the college and through the CAO. Page five of the CAO handbook sets out the procedures and the various deadlines.
Mature students calling the helpline were concerned about the aptitude tests and interview process operated by some colleges. What did they need to know? How could they prepare? Would they get feedback?
The final report of the Commission on the Points System notes the low proportion of mature candidates in full-time third-level education - 5 per cent - and recommends that, by the year 2005, a quota of least 15 per cent of places be set aside for students entering at age 23 or older.
It also notes the lack of transparency in mature-student selection, which leads to frustration and dissatisfaction among many such applicants; it recommends that third-level institutions move towards a co-ordinated system of assessment for mature student applications, under the CAO, and that such a system be in place for those seeking a place in autumn 2002.
Recommended reading: Guide for Mature Students 2000 (Entry to full- time third-level courses). Copies are available from the Curriculum Development Unit, Sundrive Road, Dublin 12. (tel: (01) 453 5487). email: elaine.ohara@cdu.cdvec.ie
Series concluded