Breda Whelan, Guidance Counsellor 201466 77 CAO Information Evening All Information is in CAO...

Breda Whelan, Guidance Counsellor 2014 11


CAO Information Evening

All Information is in CAO Handbook and Website. Dates and Following CAO Procedure very

Important. Students are all familiar with all of this

information. Familiarise Parents with main points of CAO


Decision Making

Your Choice Opening Doors and Opportunities Combination of Ability , Aptitude and Interest Happy and Content with Decisions


Key points in Applying to 3rd level

Centralised Application System for 3rd level Institutions.

Every 6th Year has a pack since September containing all of application and course information and familiar with websites

Application Process has many stages and these must be adhered to or YOU Could LOSE YOUR COURSE PLACE

NB late CAO 1st May but can’t apply restricted courses


Timetable of CAO Events

November 3rd CAO online Application Facility opens

January 20th apply online by this date ,avail of discount price of 25 euro. Free change of mind until Jan 31st

Feb 1 1 February closing date up until 5.15 Cost 40 euroNB must have Restricted Courses in Application( Feb 5th can amend courses up until 1st March but charge 10 euro)

March/April Tests and auditions for restricted courses

Closing date for HEAR/DARE Applications

May 5th

Before End May

Change of Mind facility opensNB Statement of Application Record


Continued CAO Dates

July 1st 5.15pm Change of mind online facility closes.

Mid August Leaving Cert results are issued (expected 13th August)

18th August (expected date)

round 1 offers are issued.

25th Aug (expected date)

offers must be accepted

27th of August Round 2 offers

[opportunity to view scripts: Early September]


Restricted Courses

Care must be taken with courses that are marked restricted these are marked clearly in handbook

These courses cannot be applied for after 1st of February because they have extra assessments eg some art courses, medicine, music and architecture.(clearly marked)

Can Be amended 10 euro fee from 5 February to 1st March


Timely Action

In order to be fair to all applicants , closing dates are strict and therefore action should be taken in good time

Do not leave everything to the last minute


Choosing Courses Research

Research each course carefully from prospectus , websites and visiting college etc

Consult with your Guidance Counsellor Discuss with family and friends Websites: CAO, Qualifax.ie , Careersportal.ie

(Reach Programme) College websites etc. Careerdirections.ie , Steps.ie


It is the applicants responsibility to:

Research thoroughly all courses for which he/she is making an application

Be familiar with all aspects of application system Better if candidates are around themselves in

August to accept college offers etc


College Entry Requirements

General College Requirements: Degree[Hons] [Level 8] requirements:

Cert[Level6]/Pass Degree[Level 7] Requirements:

Specific Course Requirements:

Points


Breda Whelan: March 2014

Basic College Subject RequirementsLevel 8[Hons Degree] IT

or University2 HC3s and 4 OD3s

[TCD and Colleges of Education= 3HC3s and 3OD3s] level 7 courses 2Hs+4Os

NUI Colleges 2Hs + 4Os, require a pass 3 languages [Irish, English and a Modern Language] no lang requirement for Science, Engineering or Nursing courses

Primary Teaching 3Hs + 3Os

Level 7[Pass Degree ]IT usually

5 OD3s

Pass in English/Irish and Maths

Level 6[Higher Certificate]IT usually

5 OD3s

Pass in English/Irish and Maths


Subject Requirements Maths, English & Irish - most commonly required. A 3rd Language is required by the NUI Colleges. Except Science,

engineering and nursing Most Business courses state a requirement in Maths - not a business

subject! An Art portfolio is required for most art related courses - Art itself is not

always a requirement!

A minimum of one science subject is required for the following fields: Nursing, Medical/paramedical, Science,

Engineering


POINTS ALLOCATION

Grade Honours OrdinaryA1 100 60A2 90 50B1 85 45B2 80 40B3 75 35

C1 70 30C2 65 25C3 60 20

D1 55 15D2 50 10D3 45 5 Honours maths extra 25 points LCVP Distinction 70 points Merit 50 points Pass 30 points

Summary College Requirements:

NUI Colleges :NUIG,NUIM,UCC&UCD 2H&4O including 3langs(Eng,Irish&lang) except science,nursing or engineering courses

Trinity: 3H&3O including Eng,Irish/Lang and Maths

DCU: 2H &4O including Eng/irish and Maths

UL: 2H&4O including Eng,Irish/Lang and Maths

IT: Eng/Irish and Maths Level 8 (2H&4O) Level 6/7 (5OD)



Levels 6, 7 and 8

Students have 20 choices in CAO 10 choices from level 8 courses and 10 from of

level 6 and 7 courses Each list of 10 choices are treated independently In August Students will hopefully get 2 offers 1 offer from level 8 choice and 1 offer from level 6

choice


Importance of Career Planning

Student may get 2 offers from CAO Important that you make your choices carefully E.g you could be offered your 5th Choice from

your level 8 choices or your 1st choice from your level 6/7 choice

What do you choose?


HPAT test for medicine

Medicine in Ireland is now a restricted course Students cannot apply for medicine unless

they have sat the HPAT Register to sit HPAT 4th November to 20th

January you must have applied to CAO first as need a CAO number

Exam is on 1st March only at number of locations (2.5 hours multiple choice)

Results are out in 23rd June


CAO Application

1. Online application is very straight forward2. Students have all done draft on online3. Personal information4. Educational Information 5. Choices6. Any other relevant information7. Payment visa ,laser or bank8. HEAR and DARE sections9. Access Routes: by colleges not in HEAR/DARE 10. NB everything required is filled in properly as you could lose

your place in college in August.11. NB: check statement of record is correct in May


CAO application

Remember 20 choices, 10 choices level 8 list and 10 choices level 6/7list

Your choices on one list do not affect the other. Treated as two independent separate lists Don’t lose your CAO number or forget your

password. Keep it safe


NB: May Statement of Application Record

This notifies you the candidate of what information CAO has about you on file eg courses applied for etc. If you have not heard from them by 1 June contact them immediately.

This is totally your responsibility and this is where mistakes are made


Order of Preference

Most important thing to be learnt tonight is: ORDER OF PREFERENCE Place your course choice in genuine order of

preference! To do otherwise would be a grave mistake NB nobody knows what the points are for any

course it solely depends on the demand for the course


Genuine Preference

Course that are popular will generally have high points .

Points have no bearing on the difficulty or the value of any course .

Do not make choices based on predictions of next years cut off points or their own point scores.

Put down what you genuinely want not what you think you will get.


The Offer Process:

Your offer notice may contain an offer for a Level 8 course or a Level 7/6 course or both

If you receive two offers at the same time you may only accept one of them.

If you wish to accept an offer of a place you must carry out the instructions on the offer notice before 5.15pm on the closing date for acceptance printed on the offer notice.

Deferral Procedure


How Places are Allocated We will look just at Level 8 courses, but

exactly the same process will take place with Level 7/6 courses, and at the same time.

The importance of you, the applicant, placing courses in genuine order of preference will become apparent in the following slides.


These are the applicants for CK101 Arts in UCC. The examination results have not yet been released, so these applicants are in no particular order.We are going to trace the progress of the applicant marked in red.


Applicants are placed in a queue for each course they applied for, their position in the queue is determined by their points. The applicant with the highest points is placed at the top of the queue. The points achieved by the applicant in red determines his position in the queue for each course he applied to.


The applicants marked in green have enough points to be offered places. The applicant marked in red has enough points for his second preference.


The applicant in red is offered his second preference, the highest preference course that he has enough points for, and he will now disappear from the queue in all his lower choices. Placing DN201 as his second preference meant that he would prefer to receive an offer on DN201 than on any other course except CK101 - which is his first preference.


Having been offered his second preference he must now decide to accept it or to do nothing. If he does not accept the offer the place will be offered to another applicant in the next round of offers.

Regardless of whether he accepts or not he will still be considered for an offer on his first preference if a place becomes available. In the second round, one more offer was made on CK101 and our applicant is now at the top of the queue.


Genuine Order of Preference• You do not need to guess what the points are going to

be for the courses you are interested in.

• Simply list your courses in genuine order of preference from the highest preference 1, to the lowest preference 10.

• If you are entitled to an offer, you will be offered the highest preference that you are entitled to.


Places Allocation

Notes of Importance: The position of a course in a student’s preference order does

not in any way affect their chance of getting a place on that course.

The exact same procedure takes place for both lists on the form, hence students may get 2 offers in August – one from each list, may accept only one.

Students should think carefully about not accepting one of these offers, as they may not receive any further offers.

Regardless of whether or not they accept a course in round 1, they will still be offered a higher preference course in subsequent rounds if they become entitled one.


Alternative Entry to College

A new awards system for further education and training at levels 1-6 was introduced in 2012

The new awards system will be known as CAS Common Awards System fully integrated by Jan 2014

A new scoring system (on higher Education Links Scheme)

NB 20% of all all CAO applicants have level5 or 6 fetac award


Examples of popular PLC colleges:

Ennis Community College

Limerick College of Futher Education

Galway Technical Institute

Cork College of Commerce

Students apply directly to the COLLEGES for these places not the CAO


Examples of popular PLC courses:

Beauty and Alternative Therapies Accounting Technician Nursing Studies Social Studies Sports and Recreation Car Maintenance


Higher Education Link Scheme ( CAS/FETAC)

Universities only offer places from a reserved quota

IT’s generally accept applications based on any CAS or FETAC award in open competition with Leaving Cert Candidates.

Can get up to 400 points!! There are 38 higher Institutions involved

Information on CAO website


NOTE:

Not all courses in the universities accept a CAS/FETAC qualification as an entry requirement eg. No FETAC entry for Medicine

It is listed clearly listed now whether a CAS/FETAC entry route is available or not.


Example of Pathway 2: Another difference is that theCAS/ FETAC course

does not necessarily HAVE to be linked in content to the HEI course they are applying to HOWEVER some do require specific FETAC courses.

Example: Early Childhood Care and Education in ITT (Level 8) requires a specific FETAC award in Childcare HOWEVER the level 7 entry to the same course will accept ANY FETAC award.


Other Alternatives: Apprenticeships and trade Difficult to get an apprenticeship at the moment Construction Practice Course lead apprentice or

Technician Agricultural Colleges The Gardai ,keep an eye on Publicjobs.ie for advice

recruitment Cadets : 3HD + 3ODs UCAS: English System, academic ,personal statement,reference and

interview


Postgraduate Entry:

Postgraduate study is a Level 9 qualification and can only be done once a student has a Level 8 Honours Degree.

The postgraduate route is an opportunity to allow students specialise in an area eg.Clinical Psychology.


Postgraduate Entries:

However, Postgraduate Entry can also allow access to courses that students may not have been able to get because points were so high.

Example: The 18 month Grad Dip in Primary Teaching is available for graduates of all disciplines but students must still have their HC3 in Irish. This is also available in the UK.


Worth Noting!

Some Postgrad Entry to courses require SPECIFIC undergrad degrees therefore the undergrad you choose now is important.

Example: Grad Entry to OT and Speech and Language (2yrs in UL) require graduates from psychology, health sciences, sociology etc.


Many students also avail of Postgrad Opportunities in the UK:

Example: A popular route for many Irish students who are interested in Pharmacy has been to go to the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen for 4yrs after they have completed a degree in Science

Example 2: Graduates from a discipline like Sports Science or a Health Science could do a postgrad in the UK in Physiotherapy (2 yrs).


UK Option!

There are a number of accelerated degrees in the Health Sciences available in the UK in courses such as:

Nursing OT Speech and Language Therapy Physiotherapy Radiography Medicine Dentistry If interested in any of these RESEARCH NOW so you do the right

undergrad!!


Specific learning Difficulties

Students with a disability or a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia can indicate this on their CAO form

Once students tick this box on their CAO form they are asked to fill in a Supplementary Information Form which involves details about what kind of help they received in school and how the disability or learning difficulty has effected their learning


DARE Application Students with a learning difficulty or a disability are

also given the opportunity to apply through the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE)

This is a new procedure on the CAO that may allow a student with a SLD or a disability entry to a course even if they are short some of the points

Not everybody that has a SLD is guaranteed entry through DARE


DARE

Only a certain number of colleges are part of the DARE scheme

Students must have a psychological report or medical report in order to qualify for the DARE scheme

If students are not accepted for the DARE scheme they will compete with all other CAO applicants. Their application to DARE will not affect their CAO application in any way.


HEAR

The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a third level admissions scheme for school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

It is NOT a maintanence grant – it is an admissions scheme to help students who might not traditionally go to third level.


The HEAR Application School leavers who present satisfactory evidence

relating to their socio-economic circumstances and satisfy matriculation/minimum entry and subject requirements are eligible to compete for a quota of places allocated to applicants on a reduced points basis across these HEIs


Applications for HEAR

School leavers who wish to be considered for the HEAR scheme must indicate this in the appropriate section in Part A of the application form before March 1st

You will then be asked to complete a number of additional questions relating to your family’s financial situation; employment status of parents; and school(s) attended


Applications for HEAR and DARE:

All applicants for HEAR must complete this part of the application online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application process. Applications for HEAR consideration can only be made online

Applications for both HEAR and DARE must be made by the 1st March


Grants 3rd level grants are means accessed

Students who want to go to university can apply for a grant , contact www.studentfinance.ie

More information can be got at www.studentfinance.ie

SUSSI new more efficient system !


Remember! You need to be around for the time immediately

after the Leaving Certificate results in order to take care of the following:

accepting your offer If you want to view a script If you want to get any paper rechecked To sort out your accommodation!


Scholarships:

Academic Schlorships based on academic preformance and awarded by college.

Sports Scholarships apply to individual college eg hurling, rowing, basketball etc

Other Scholarships : Intel engineering ,sometimes companies may offer scholarships to colleges

E.g over 40 different scholarships or bursaries in UL alone


Accommodation

Most colleges have officer and can advise on accommodation

On Campus is probably best

Make friends with other 1st years

Utilitiy bills paid to management company

Better chance of settling in to college near activities.

Ucas english System

15Oct 2013- medical and vet sciences Cambridge /Oxford universities

All other courses 15 January 2014 Different system :Register, Personal Statement,

predicted Grades, Reference and sometimes interview

Research Courses thoroughly



Useful Resources College Prospectuses – 2014 Entry Careersportal + Reach Programme CAO Handbook 2014 www.Qualifax.ie www.Careerdirections.ie www.gotocollege.ie

Thank You

Breda Whelan, Guidance Counsellor 201466 77 CAO Information Evening All Information is in CAO...

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