First date could be start of beautiful affair

Prospective third-level or further education students will probably have secured a copy of the CAO handbook in the past few weeks, and most likely have been exploring college courses in Ireland for quite some time (see qualifax.ie).

Aside from this, several thousand Irish students may eventually research and apply for courses in Northern Ireland, particularly those living in Border regions, or Scotland, which charges no fees for Irish students, and in some cases England, notwithstanding the £9,000 (€11,400) yearly fees involved (see ucas.com).

A growing number of students may also consider courses taught through English in continental EU universities, which are easier to access due to the low birth rates in mainland Europe (see eunicas.ie). Some may even consider studying further afield, such as in the US or Australia.

When exploring the options, being aware of the content of the course itself is a small part of what you will experience when you arrive on registration day in late August next year to start college life. You will be entering a community that will help shape you for the rest of your life.

In our personal relationships we take our time getting to know another person and every aspect of their personality before we commit to them, and selecting a course that will commit you to living your life within that community for at least three years should be considered just as carefully.

The only way you can evaluate whether a particular college is right for you is to explore all aspects of that college’s life as fully as you can on an open day and see whether it feels right. This is more than an intellectual exercise. As a guidance counsellor, I have dealt with numerous students whose minds were full of facts and figures relating to dozens of courses, but who could not differentiate in any way between the choices. They were lost in a sea of data, with no guiding compass to make the right choice.

Yes, it is important to know all the facts about the person, but would you commit yourself to a relationship with someone based on reading a fact sheet about their life to date? Visiting a college for an open day is like a first date.

The college is dressed up in its finest attire, full of presentations, smiling student ambassadors, friendly lecturers and goodie bags, to present the college in its most favourable light.

It can be hard to see the true nature of a college’s life from such an experience. But, as on a first date, you can see through a certain amount of the perfect presentation every college puts on during such open days to the reality that lies behind it.

If you are particularly impressed with a college or course following an open day visit, you should try to go back on an ordinary day and just wander around the college, to see if its day-to-day normality gels with its open day presentation.

Listen up: The DOs and DON'Ts of college open days

Preparation is half the battle in discovering the true nature of a college or course. Research the courses on offer in the college before your visit or it will be a waste of valuable study time. If you take a day or a half-day away from school or studies for an open day, you are sacrificing time you could spend preparing for the Leaving Cert. Time researching course options on qualifax.ie or the college websites will add to the value of your visit.

Before going to an open day, ensure you are studying the required subjects to the appropriate level to be eligible for a place on the course. You would be amazed how many students list courses on their CAO application for which they can’t be offered a place because they won’t have the minimum entry requirements.

On the other hand, don’t ignore a course or open day because you don’t expect to get enough points. You may do far better than you anticipate. Also, points move up and down as demand fluctuates. The most disappointed students of all every August, when they receive their Leaving Cert results and CAO offers, are those who realise they could have had their dream course, but did not put it at the top of their list of course choices.

Thoroughly explore the college’s website. Yes, its academic programmes are central, and the purpose for its existence, but lectures are just a fraction of the activities. The college you choose to attend for the next few years will have a huge influence on the type of person you later become. Its clubs, societies, student services, community outreach programmes, Erasmus opportunities for a year studying abroad, opportunities in the college city or town, will be as important in shaping you as your lectures or subjects.

In the week before an open day, jot down some questions. This will clarify what you hope to get out of the day. When you arrive you will probably have a formal introduction or presentation and be given a campus map and a schedule of lectures or talks. Before you leave this session, see if your questions are covered by the programme. If they are not, ask the presenter where you should go for information on your questions.

As you move from presentation to presentation, or relax with a coffee, reflect on what it would feel like to live and study in this place for the next few years of your life. Do you feel good about the environment? Do you feel at ease in the atmosphere? Don’t dismiss your gut feeling – it is almost always right.

For many students, the size of the college or class group matters. You may seek a big campus full of bustle and excitement, with thousands of fellow students in each year, or you might find such an environment intimidating and prefer a more intimate college where smaller groups of students get to know every one quickly. I have met many students over the years who have found large colleges intensely lonely. Everyone else seems to be having a great time and making friends easily, while they struggle to find even one good friend. Many colleges are aware of these difficulties and work hard to help students find their feet in first year. On open day, enquire about the support services offered to new students. The answer is often a good guide to the real quality of the overall package offered.

During open day talk to existing students if they are on campus. Colleges that are comfortable allowing you to meet current students usually provide a high quality of service, while colleges that ensure visitors have little access to students may give you cause to question why. Finally, when you get home after an open day, sit down within a few hours and write out, in the quiet of your room, your reflections on the day. You will be amazed at the things that strike you. It will help you to draw together all you have experienced during the visit and give you a rich resource to reread when you have to submit your final list of course choices by the July1st , 2015, deadline.