CAO Application

CAO Application by Francis O’ Toole
It is not too late to apply to CAO or to change your mind about a course. Indeed you have up to July 1st. How you approach the CAO application process will have serious implications for your future career choice.

As Leaving Cert students are so distracted by the anticipation of the mocks, the orals and practical’s, the CAO process may not get the recommended time and attention to detail that it requires to ensure success.

I recommend that you
Take up the appointment with your Guidance Counsellor in order that he/she may facilitate and enable you to make informed choices that suit your personal needs.
Put the time into researching courses that matches the results given to you by your Guidance Counsellor from aptitude tests, personality tests and interest inventory tests.
Gather information on the course from prospectus, the college website and talks organised by your Guidance Counsellor.
Visit the college campus to see if you make a fit with what it has to offer.
Find out about the nature, working conditions and future prospects of the jobs that interest you.
Familiarise yourself with the different types of courses in a given field. Compare and contrast these courses. Decide on the type of course which suits you best. Spend time on your CAO handbook.
Make sure you are academically prepared for college. Have you the subjects required for entry to the course that you are interest in? Have you checked how many points were required for entry to the course last year? Is the course Level 6, Level 7 or Level 8?
Choose college characteristics that are important to you, for example, location, class size, facilities, learning environment and student life.
If you still feel unsure, don’t ruminate to death, rather do something; seek more help or be one of the statistics who drop out of a course that was not sufficiently researched.
If you are satisfied for the present with your choices, trust and sit with them and time will either reaffirm you or you will feel the need to reconsider.