Another deadline, another date. Today you must have your first-round acceptances with the CAO in Galway.
If you have not done so already, forget "snail mail" and try the online option instead at www.cao.ie
A spokesman for the CAO says many parents and their children take trips to Galway each year to make the 5.15 p.m. deadline. Unfortunately they often forget about traffic jams or get a puncture on the way.
The spokesman says: "If people find themselves in such a position they would be better advised to go to the nearest Internet cafe and accept online. They will save themselves great anxiety and avoid possible traffic accidents. About 14,000 people have already accepted online, so it is not difficult".
That said, yesterday the CAO site was offline for about an hour to allow files to be updated. Many students could not access the site during this period.
But it should be working perfectly today. But in case there is a crash, you should use the site early today and not leave it until just before the deadline when the site is likely to be very busy.
If you have already accepted your place, you should sit back and relax. Yesterday, however, many students and parents who accepted by ordinary post called our helpline worried they had not heard from the CAO since they sent their acceptances.
There is no reason to worry. The CAO sends an acknowledgment three days after the reply date, not three days after you post your acceptance.
To accept or not
Only you can decide on that. Of course, take advice from parents, teachers and friends, but the decision remains yours.
If you are still uncertain you can defer a place for a year, use the time to clarify matters in your mind, and come back into the system next year.
At that stage you can either take the place deferred from this year or enter the CAO system as a new applicant.
The points may rise next year in certain areas, but if you have done relatively well you should be all right.
Several callers to our helpline have said they are still unsure whether to take a certain place or not.
Many of them want to know, if they accept a CAO offer, will they be able to change their mind later on, possibly in college itself?
Yes, you can leave your course any time, on the first day of college or on the last. Once you register with a college it is then between you and it, not the CAO.
But remember if you drop out of a course and attempt to transfer to another one a financial penalty comes into play.
If you start an undergraduate course but decide during the year to leave and apply to transfer into something else for the next academic year, you will have to pay full fees when you begin your new course.
If you drop out of the original course before January 31st you will only be charged a half-fee the next year.
British Colleges
The British UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admission Service) yesterday published its list of vacant places. For any student who missed out on an Irish place, it made for hopeful reading.
The sheer range of courses available is staggering when set against the dearth of places available here, especially on degree courses.
The list was published in the London Independent and is also available at www.ucas.com Notable was the number of vacancies on computer, engineering and business studies courses.
If you are interested and do not mind paying fees, contact UCAS for further details.
Veterinary Nursing
If you like working with animals but do not have the points to be a vet you could try veterinary nursing. UCD still has places on its diploma course in veterinary nursing.
UCD says because there has not been enough Leaving Cert applicants able to meet their matriculation requirements, late applications are being considered.
To apply, applicants must have two honours on higher-level papers (including at least a C3 in biology) and four passes on ordinary-level papers (including at least a C3 in English and maths).
It is a three-year part-time course, based on continuous work assessment in a veterinary practice and an eight-week intensive lecture period each year. The course costs £1,500 per year.
Inquiries can be made to Ms Moya Ryan, Dept of Veterinary Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Tel 01-6687988, ext 2649.