Your education questions answered
When does the whole CAO process for college applications begin?
The application process for those seeking college places in 2003 has already started. Any student wishing to apply for a place at a college within the CAO system can currently acquire an application pack from his/her guidance counsellor, if he/she is currently attending a school or college.
Prospective applicants from outside the education system can receive a pack by contacting the CAO directly at Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway. (Tel: 091 509800).
Having studied the information in the pack, and read all the relevant details of the college courses you are considering, you can apply, using the application form in the pack.
It is also possible to apply online to the CAO at www.cao.ie. The cost of application online is €25 as opposed to €35 for a written application.
Non-EU nationals have until December 15th to submit their application. EU residents have until February 1st.
All applicants may submit a late application up to May 1st. Late applications for restricted applications courses will not be considered. These courses are ones where a portfolio presentation or interview process forms part of the application process.
My son is finishing Transition Year and has expressed an interest in engineering. I am concerned that he will not get enough points for an engineering degree course. Are there any alternative routes, and are there subjects which he needs to study in his Leaving Cert?
Studying maths and the science subjects at Leaving Cert is of utmost importance when one is considering studying engineering at third level. Generally speaking, to gain entry into an engineering degree course at university, and the majority of Institutes of Technology, one must have gained at least a C grade in Higher-Level maths and the same grade in at least one science subject. After all, the basic ingredients in an engineering degree are mathematics and physics.
However, if these grades were not achieved in the Higher-Level papers, there is another avenue open. This alternative route is also accessible to those who studied Ordinary-Level maths and to those who did not study any science subject.
ITs offer a wide range of engineering certificate and diploma courses. Such courses give students a solid foundation in the basic principles of engineering. After successfully completing the certificate (usually after one year), a student can continue their education and study for the next level, the diploma, a further year.
On graduating with a certificate or a diploma one can gain employment in numerous engineering firms as an engineering technician. A large number of graduates with a diploma in engineering also gain entry into an engineering degree course at the same IT or transfer to another IT or university here or in Britain.
Students who choose the progression route are very employable, as they have shown dedication and ambition by furthering their education until they graduate with a degree.
Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. You can e-mail him your questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie
