It just doesn't seem fair. The 12,000 students who took the Leaving Cert Vocational will get varying rewards for their studies.
They took three link modules - enterprise education, preparation for work and work experience - in addition to their "traditional" subjects. Usually they take five to seven subjects along with the modules.
Assessment of the link modules is via a portfolio of course work (60 per cent) and written exam (40 per cent). The link modules are then given a composite grade: a distinction (80100 per cent), a merit (65-79 per cent) or a pass (50-64 per cent).
If you're one of those 12,000 LCV students who took the message about the need for innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurial skills to heart your reward will depend on which college you applied for. The link modules may be used, for points purposes, in lieu of a sixth subject.
The institutes of technology (other than DIT) award 70 points for a distinction, 50 for a merit and 30 for a pass. The universities and the DIT are decidedly less generous. They give 50 points for a distinction, 40 for a merit and 30 for a pass.
Not only does this seem unfair, it is against the spirit of the common points system which allows students to calculate their points for college entry once and use the result for all colleges within the CAO system.
There are two other exceptions to this commonality: UL continues to award bonus points for higher-level maths (although other colleges have discontinued this practice since the introduction of the new higher-level maths syllabus); DIT awards bonus points for maths and some science subjects in the case of its electronics/electrical engineering degree.
While most students are worrying about what the CAO envelope will contain next Tuesday, there are other career options out there. Nursing is one of the more popular of these.
This year there were 5,013 applicants for nurse training places in the 40 schools of nursing, according to the Nursing Applications Centre, which handles the competition for places. These applicants are competing for some 1,500 places in general, psychiatric and mental handicap nursing.
All of the courses are three-year, college-associated diplomas and students are paid a non-means-tested grant of £3,325 per annum. The grant is considerably higher than the standard third-level grant which has a maximum of £1,775. However, nursing students do not enjoy the same summer holidays as other third-level students so they don't have an opportunity to earn additional cash.
Getting one of those places means succeeding in a three-step process. First, applicants do an assessment test. This year 4,248 applicants sat the test and 3,677 passed. Successful applicants are then called to an interview and are ranked in order of merit. In all, 3,240 came to the interviews and 2,925 passed.
To be made an offer of a place you must have the minimum educational standards set down by An Bord Altranais as well as any special subject or grade requirements demanded by the particular college. Those who meet the requirements are then offered places based on their performance at interview.
Students could list up to 40 schools of nursing, in order of preference, on their application form. It is expected that offers will be made at the same time as the CAO offers.
The acceptance schedule has four options. Option 1 is for students who are offered their first choice of nursing school and who wish to accept it. You will not then be considered for a place in any other school of nursing.
Option 2 allows you to conditionally accept a place. You are guaranteed that place but may be given the choice of a higher-preference place if a vacancy arises. Option 3 is a conditional rejection of an offer other than your first choice. You do not wish to accept this offer but would like to be considered for a higher preference. If you choose Option 4 you are basically asking to be eliminated.
Applications are down on last year when 5,560 people applied and the Nursing Applications Centre has announced details of a supplementary competition. There are 1,000 general nursing places on offer, 300 psychiatric and 100 mental handicap available this year.
At this stage there are vacancies on the psychiatric and mental handicap programmes only. You may apply for these places if you did not apply already this year and meet the educational requirements; or you did apply, were unsuccessful at either the interview or assessment stage and now meet the educational requirements; or if you applying on the basis of mature years (23 years of age on or before January 1st, 2000).
Mature applicants are exempted from the minimum educational requirements and will be shortlisted for interview by a written assessment test.
The minimum educational requirements laid down by An Bord Altranais include two higher-level C3s and four ordinary-level D3s in the following subjects: English or Irish (not foundation level Irish); maths (not foundation level); a lab science subject (biology, physics, chemistry, physics and chemistry (joint) or agricultural science; three other subjects (which may include English or Irish or a lab science subject not already included). Individual colleges may specify additional subject or grade requirements.
The closing date for applications to the supplementary competition is September 4th at 4 p.m. To obtain an application form, a list of schools in which vacancies exist and an information booklet telephone 1 890 201065. Completed forms should be returned to the Nursing Careers Centre (supplementary competition), PO Box 7887, Dublin 2. Useful website: www.nursingboard.ie
Webcast: If you have queries about your Leaving Cert results and/or college offers you can e-mail those questions to education@irish-times.ie Anne Byrne will put the questions to College 2000 helpline counsellor Sile Sheehy in a webcast which will be broadcast live on Wednesday morning (August 23rd) at 10 a.m. The session will be available in both audio and text format and will be archived at the ireland.com site.
Group orders: The College 2000 column will appear from Monday to Friday for the duration of the college offers season. Teachers can places group orders for The Irish Times by calling 1 800 798884 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.