1. Belvedere College SJ CAO Information Evening Wednesday 5th December Cormac O'Brien MA, LLB, BA, HDE,HDSGC

2.  Level 9 /10 Masters/ PhD  Level 8 Honours Degree  Level 7 Ordinary Degree  Level 6 Higher Certificate  Level 5 Leaving Certificate/PLC  Level 3 Junior Certificate National Framework of Qualifications

3. Qualifications PLC Employment Higher Certificate (Level 6) Honors Degree (Level 8) 4/5 Hons Honours Degree ( Level 8) Masters PhD 2/3 Honours Ordinary Degree (Level 7) Ordinary Degree (Level 7) Pass L.C

4. Sources of Information CAO Handbook Guidance Counsellors/Teachers www.cao.ie www.qualifax.ie www.careersportal.ie www.accesscollege.ie www.ucas.com Open days - College visits Current students / graduates

5.  20 th January, 2013 5.15pm  Closing date for receipt of early online application  1 st February, 2013 5.15pm  Closing date for receipt of normal application  1st May, 2013  Closing date for receipt of late applications  From May 5th, 2013  Change of mind facility becomes available.  1st July, 2013  Latest date for receipt of change of mind form in CAO.  Late August (19th), 2013  First round of offers will commence. CAO TIMETABLE 2013 ENTRY

6. Level 8Level 6/7 Pre f Course Code Pr ef Course Code 1CK1011BN003 2DC2012TA102 3AL0333TA101 4DN0214NC101 5TR0845TA108 6DC1156DT315 7DT3667DT521 8BN1018 9DT4139 10PD10110

7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 So – what is the best way to fill in the courses? Dream Courses (genuine order of preference) Safety Net Courses

8. How Places are Allocated  When examination results are released in August they are entered into the CAO computer.  The computer checks each applicant’s results. For each course the applicant has applied for, the computer first determines if the applicant has the minimum entry requirements for the course.

9. How Places are Allocated  If the applicant meets the minimum entry requirements for the course, the applicant’s points are calculated for this course choice.  All eligible applicants are then placed in a list, in order of the points they achieved, for each course that they applied for.

10. How Places are Allocated  The colleges then tell CAO how many places are to be offered on each course  CAO then makes offers to the required number of applicants on each course starting with the applicant with the highest points and working down until enough places have been offered.

11. 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.

12. 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 her position in the queue for each course she applied to.

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

14. The applicant in red is offered her second preference, the highest preference course that she has enough points for, and she will now disappear from the queue in all her lower choices.

15.  Normally given 10 days to accept the offer but very important to check the deadline date given with the offer.  If offered Level 8 and Level 6/7 offer, accepting one automatically rejects the other.  You may never receive another offer from the CAO so think very carefully before rejecting the offer.  Accepting or rejecting an offer will have no effect on your higher course choices.

16. In the Second round of offers three more offers are made on CK101 and our applicant, who was second in line, now receives an offer. She may do nothing and remain in DN201 or she may accept the offer and begin in CK101.

17. 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.

18. 1.Common Errors made when selecting courses 2.Retention Rates in College 3.Dos / ‘Donts’ of CAO Applications 4.PLC/CFE Courses (Post Leaving Certificate Courses)

19. Errors made when selecting courses  Not enough research into courses examples of good research include: cao.ie / college literature / open days / qualifax.ie / guidance counsellor  listing courses in order of points instead of genuine preference  underestimating / overestimating Leaving Certificate results

20. Errors made when selecting courses:  targeting low point courses in hope of getting College place  not considering courses outside certain geographic areas  targeting Level 8 courses only and ignoring Level 7 & 6 courses thereby Ladder of Opportunity

21. Retention Rate in College Non Completion of Courses Statistics: Universities 17% Colleges of Technology 37%

22. Retention Rate in College Reasons for these figures  Lack of preparation - insufficient research into course choice  Hurried choice – leaving CAO to last minute  Poor choice of course

23. Retention Rate in College Challenge of Third Level  Large classes - especially in Universities  No personal contact with lecturers  Lots of ‘free time’ – independent learning  No model answers

24. Dos / ‘Donts’ of CAO Applications  Do choose ten options if at all possible  Do list courses in order of genuine preference  Do make sure to have other options if you do not get your preferences e.g. PLC course  Do check Alert Lists on CAO website – 195 courses cancelled and 95 new courses introduced last year.

25. Dos / ‘Donts’ continued…  Do not depend totally on getting the 1 st, 2 nd or 3 rd choice  You may be offered your 4 th / 5 th / 6 th / 7 th / 8 th / 9 th / 10 th choice  Be prepared for this and choose wisely!  Do not ignore the Level 6/7 route  Do not target only low point courses in hope of getting to College

26. PLC/CFE Courses Post Leaving Certificate Courses  Good, recognised qualification  Also may allow students to go onto Degree courses in colleges based on their performance.  Should apply from January 2013 directly to the PLC

27. Post Leaving Certificate Courses Large variety of courses  Business  Art/Design  Multimedia  Beauty Therapy  Insurance/Banking  Travel/Tourism  Social Care  Science  Law

28. Important Websites www.careersportal.ie www.qualifax.ie www.cao.ie www.studentfinance.ie Hear (Higher Education Access Route) Dare (Disability Access Route to Education)

29. Important Websites 1. www.careersportal.ie Careers Exploration Information on CAO process, new CAO courses 2013, points calculator etc. Info for Parents and Guardians

30. Important Websites 2. www.qualifax.ie Student information Info for Parents/Guardians Interest assessments Search for a course

31. Choosing a career Course finder Dare and Hear

32. Important Websites 3.www.cao.ie

33. CAO handbook NB. Online application fee is €25 if you apply before 20 th January After 17.15 on that date, the fee goes up to €40.

34. Course search on CAO.ie

35. Restricted courses Tests and interviews

36. To Note: My Application Interactive demo facility Alert Lists Proceed with Application

37. 4. www.studentfinance.ie Covers all aspects of 3 rd level finance Course fees Grants Disability funding

38. Equity of Access to the HEIs:  DARE The Disability Access Route to Education is a supplementary admissions scheme for school leavers with disabilities which operates on a reduced points basis.  HEAR The Higher Education Access Route is the third level admissions scheme for school leavers from socio- economically disadvantaged backgrounds which also operates on a reduced points basis.

39. DARE – Who is it for? School leavers’ who have the ability to benefit from and succeed in higher education but who may not be able to meet the points for their preferred course due to the impact of the disability. Applicants who meet the subject and minimum entry requirements of the institutions to which they apply.

40. DARE – eligible disabilities: Asperger’s Syndrome/Autism ADD/ADHD Blind/Vision impaired Deaf/Hearing impaired Dyspraxia Specific Learning Difficulty (incl. Dyslexia) Mental Health Condition Neurological Conditions (incl. Brain injury, speech and language) On-going Medical Condition Physical Disability Other Disabilities

41. DARE – participating HEIs: See www.cao.ie

42. DARE – how to apply: Apply as part of the CAO application – tick the appropriate box on the application form – by 1 February 2012. Applicants will then be directed to a separate online application from which will ask them to provide additional information about their disability or SLD. Applicants must support their application with evidence from an appropriate medical consultant – www.accesscollege.ie - must be submitted by 1 April. A report from an educational psychologist must be less that three years old i.e. must be dated after 1 st February 2009. www.accesscollege.ie

43. Disability: non-DARE Students with a disability and/or Specific Learning Difficulty but who are applying to HEIs other than those participating in the DARE scheme are still encouraged to tick the relevant box on their application form for, although they will not benefit from the reduced points, the HEI they are applying to will be forewarned to put in place any extra supports needed by the student for their disability.

44. HEAR – who is it for? School leavers who have the ability to benefit from and succeed in higher education and who come from socio-economic groups in Irish society that are under-represented in third level. Students who also meet the minimum entry requirements and subject requirements of the HEIs their applying to.

45. HEAR – Post-Entry Support: An orientation programme to introduce students to university/college. Extra tuition if required, study skills, exam preparation. One-to-one meetings with student advisors, social gatherings, mentoring. A bursary when available, advice regarding grants and scholarships.

46. HEAR – participating HEIs See www.cao.ie

47. HEAR – application procedure: Apply online at www.cao.ie as part of the CAO application process by Feb 1st 2013. Indicate their wish to be considered for HEAR in the appropriate section of the application form by Feb 1. Applicant will then be directed to a separate online HEAR application form. Complete a number of additional questions relating to: his/her family’s financial situation; employment status of parents; school(s) attended. Submit supporting documentation (e.g. P21, Notice of Assessment etc.) by 1 April 2013. Applications for HEAR can only be made online.

48. Thank you for your attention