Your CAO Checklist ahead of July 1st deadline

Many of you are still working your way through the Leaving Cert exams but with the CAO Change of Mind deadline approaching on July 1st, it is really important that you take some time to look at the details of your CAO application, particularly your course choices. This is the last opportunity for you to make changes before the final deadline at 5.15pm on July 1st. It has been a challenging two years, with lots of uncertainty and so much has been out of your control. What is within your control now is how you finalise your CAO choices to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of securing a place on a course you want in September. Leaving Cert results will be issued on September 3rd with CAO Round 1 Offers out on September 7th. To use the Change of Mind facility you simply log on to www.cao.ie , click on ‘My Application’ and log in with your CAO number, date of birth and account password. You can add, take out and amend your course choices with the exception of ‘Restricted’ courses which can’t be added in at this stage. There are exceptions to this in that you may be permitted to introduce a restricted course which shares the exact same assessment procedures with a course you had applied for by 1st February at 17:15 - you should consult with the relevant Higher Education Institution (HEI) before introducing such a course.

As you review your CAO choices in the coming weeks, use the following checklist as a guide:

1.      Have you checked your Statement of Application email from CAO and verified that all your details are correct including personal details, qualifications & assessments (including educational and exemption) details and course choices?

2.      Have you included courses on both sides of the CAO (Level 8 & Level7/6). This gives you the best chance of getting 2 offers when the Round 1 Offers come out (the top choice that you qualify for on each list). You will then have to choose which one you prefer.

3.      Have you filled in as many of the 20 choices as you can? You have the option to fill up 10 on both sides, giving you 20 possible options for college in the new academic year. By filling all 20 choices you give yourself 20 chances of getting a college place.

4.      Have you checked the Alert Lists on www.cao.ie? Lots of have new courses have been added in several colleges since the CAO Handbook was published last September, some very recently. You can add these courses in by checking the course code on the Alert List.

5.      Have you taken out courses that you are no longer interested in? Lots of students rush the application ahead of the Feb 1st deadline with the intention of coming back to look at the course choices more closely. It is not unusual for students to completely change their minds between February and July 1st.

6.      Have you researched the detail of every course that you are including on your CAO application – take particular note of entry requirements and modules. By doing so you are giving yourself the best chance of choosing courses that you are able for, that suit you and that you are interested in and minimising the chance of making the wrong choice.

7.      Have you listed your courses in ORDER OF PEFERENCE?  This is the golden rule of CAO. No one knows what the points will be for 2021 until the day the Round 1 offers come out and equally you won’t know your results of exams and/or accredited grades until September 3rd. My advice is don’t try to second guess either of them and before 5.15pm on July 1st make sure that your course choices are list in ORDER OF PREFERENCE! This means listing your favourite course in your favourite college first, your second favourite next and so on down to number 10.

8.      Have you made sure to include courses that you have a good chance of getting? While you must apply the order of preference rule when filling the courses and place the courses you really want at the top of your list, you also need to keep in mind how you think you might do and the past points for the courses you are interested in so that you include courses that you are confident of getting. There is no point in filling all your choices with courses that tend to come in over 500 points if your target is 400 so be sensible about your choices.

9.      Have you applied the HEAR and/or DARE schemes or completed the HPAT exam? If so you will know the outcome of your applications on June 29th and the result of the HPAT exam is expected around the same time. This may influence your decisions around your choices.

10.  Have you all the information you need to make an informed decision? If not, now is time to get it. In the 2 weeks leading up to the deadline the HEIs (Higher Education Institutions) will be running CAO Information and Q & A sessions so check the college websites and their social media as well as the events guide on www.careersportal.ie and www.qualifax.ie for further details. You can also get lots of helpful information and video guides on the ‘Information for Students’ section of www.cao.ie

You have had a challenging senior cycle, all the more reason to look ahead to a brighter future. Take time to review your CAO course choices, research your options outside of CAO and make an informed decision about the best next step after the Leaving Cert!