COLLEGE CHOICE:THE INITIAL closing date for all those interested in applying to the Central Applications Office (CAO) for undergraduate admission in one of the 46 colleges who offer places through the CAO, is eight days away.
Until January 20th, all online applicants will pay a fee of €35. Those applying after that date face a further €10 fee.
There are a number of restrictions on the application process affecting particular courses and categories of applicants.
HPAT
Those wishing to secure a place in one of the five undergraduate medical schools have until Monday, January 18th, to register with HPAT-Ireland to sit the HPAT assessment test. The test takes place on Saturday, February 27th, in a number of centres throughout the country.
To complete your HPAT application, which will cost you €95, you must have a CAO application number, which can only be secured by completing an online CAO application by that date.
RESTRICTED APPLICATIONS
If you are interested in applying for any course that is classified in the CAO handbook as restricted, you must complete an application by February 1st and list these courses among your choices by that date. Because all restricted courses involve some sort of individual interview or portfolio presentation, no college will entertain applications for any of these programmes after this deadline.
MATURE STUDENTS
The Government has set colleges a target of 15 per cent for the participation of mature students, who are defined as being aged over 23 on January 1st last.
Although colleges have sought to fill these places from among their mature applicants, many of these places have continued
to be offered to current year Leaving Certificate students due to a shortage of suitable applicants.
The economic crisis of the past 18 months has changed radically the application pattern of adults over 23 for college places.
In 2009 more than 12,000 adults sought places and the indications to date this year are that this number will increase considerably.
If you are over 23 and believe securing a third-level qualification would enhance your career prospects, you have until February 1st to submit your application to most colleges.
The majority of colleges do not accept applications from mature students after that date, but a call to the colleges you may be interested in attending will clarify for you their regulations.
USING THE CHANGE-OF-MIND OPTION
Those of you who are under 23 years of age, who will be seeking a college place based on your points score in this or a recent years Leaving Certificate and are not interested in either a medical place or those designated as “restricted application”, have until the July 1st “change of mind” deadline to decide on your list of course choices.
You should apply now, paying the lowest possible application fee of €35, and leave the final decision of your course choices until you have completed your Leaving Certificate in mid-June.
Figures released by the CAO indicate that the vast majority of this year’s Leaving Certificate students change their course choices in late June each year.
Therefore, if you have not as yet decided on what and where you want to study next year, you should not worry unduly. You will probably find that your mind will be far clearer once you have completed your Leaving Certificate and all of the stresses associated with the exam are behind you.
If, on the other hand, you are already clear about your course choices, you should list them and put the CAO application process behind you – so that you can concentrate on securing the maximum points score in your examinations, which after all will determine whether you will be offered one of your top choices.
College choice column
Beginning today, Brian Mooney’s daily column will examine your CAO options. The column will continue until January 20th , the deadline for “early bird” online applications.
Listen to Brian Mooney’s podcast for both Leaving Certificate and mature students at irishtimes.com/education
TOMORROW: restricted application courses
