A report has shown that a significant number of Leaving Certificate students decline the offer of a third-level place because they are uncertain about their career plans.
The report from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) also said many students would like improved information on third-level courses in order to make a more informed choice.
The report found that in 1997 33.1 per cent of applicants to the Central Applications Office (CAO) turned down the offer made to them. This was a similar percentage to previous years.
The report was based on the responses of 11,089 students or 72 per cent of all CAO applicants that year. It was written by Prof Patrick Clancy of the Social Research Centre at UCD.
It found that 23 per cent of those surveyed ended up repeating the Leaving Certificate in the subsequent year. Some 18 per cent took up employment, while 14.8 per cent took up a place on a post-Leaving Certificate course.
The other options chosen by the students were accepting a place in Britain (11.6 per cent), taking a place at a college not linked to the CAO (8.9 per cent) or accepting a place on a nursing training programme (4.1 per cent).
When asked why they turned down the offer, 37 per cent said they were unhappy with the place or places offered. Some 23 per cent said they changed their mind about their career plans, while 12.3 per cent expressed concern about the financial costs of going to college.
Some 1,363 respondents took the opportunity to make comments about the process of securing a college place. Almost 25 per cent made negative comments about the points system, with 13.5 per cent saying there was a need for improved information about courses. In addition, 4 per cent said there was a need for improved career guidance.
Prof Clancy said: "Some comments were critical of the quality of career guidance service available, while others complained of having no access to a career guidance counsellor". He added that a more specific complaint was that many career guidance teachers seemed to be unfamiliar with alternative forms of further education outside the CAO system.
Some 9.2 per cent made positive comments about the CAO, with 8 per cent saying they experienced "problems surrounding the timing of the process". The author said this comment related to the short time students had to make up their mind about courses offered and comments by those who "felt that the deadline for the change-of-mind slip was too early".
Almost 5 per cent of respondents suggested that the admission process should include interviews to establish students' suitability for courses.