What if you don’t get the course you want

The sun rises, the sun sets and, every year, Leaving Cert students hear the same well-meaning advice.
It goes something like this: “I got terrible Leaving Cert results and didn’t get to college, but now I’m a millionaire!”
In and of itself, it can seem a little dismissive. And, perhaps even five or 10 years ago, it might indeed have been somewhat tone-deaf: a good Leaving Cert score was, indeed, the route to college which, in turn, was the route to a successful career and higher earning potential.
These days, however, it really is true that the Leaving Cert isn’t the be-all-and-end-all.
(Why didn’t they tell us that when we were slogging away and beside ourselves with the stress of the State exams, you might reasonably ask).
Róisín O’Donohoe is a guidance counsellor. Every year, she and her colleagues help support students who didn’t get their first choice or missed out on an offer.
“For so many students, who don’t get their preferred first-round offer, it can seem like the end of the world,” she says.
“I have worked with so many who were really devastated that day, but ultimately were glad that they didn’t get their first choice.
“It’s hard to say that ‘it really does all work out in the end’, without sounding trite, or that you’re just trying to appease students. But that scenic route really can be valuable, even if it’s not what they want to hear. There are always other ways and means of getting to your destination.”
Before 1998, your Leaving Cert grades were final. There was no appeals process.
That year, however, students from across Ireland had, for the first time, the chance to look at their exam scripts after their grade.
Last year, just over 6,1000 candidates appealed almost 11,650 individual results. Of these, almost one in four students were upgraded.
The highest number of upgrades were given for higher-level maths (296), followed by higher-level English (287) and biology (282).
A fee of €40 per subject is refunded in full if the mark is ultimately upgraded.
So, when should a student appeal a result?
“If you didn’t get the grade you felt you deserved, or you felt you were on track to do better, that’s when it may be worth applying to view your papers,” O’Donohoe advises.
“You can view these for free, and then decide on whether to submit an appeal.
“Ask a teacher to come in with you and look through the paper; most will be happy to do this.
“If having viewed the paper, you come to the consensus that there’s a valid chance you could have been awarded a higher grade, it’s worth the recheck.
“If you have enough points for your first choice, it may not be worth it. But, if you are holding for more points, perhaps in CAO round two, it is worth a recheck.
“When you view the paper, you can see the percentage you were awarded. If this is, for instance, a H2 at 81 or 82 per cent, there’s a slimmer likelihood that you’ll be upgraded to a H1. But if you secured 88 or 89 per cent, you’re close to that H1, and that’s where it may be worth the recheck.”
The review will be carried out by a different examiner to the one who originally marked your work, O’Donohoe says.
But, a word of warning: it happens rarely, but there is a chance that a new examiner could mark your work down, further reducing your points score. With this in mind, it is worth listening to your teachers as to whether you have a realistic chance of being marked up.
CAO round one might feel like the endpoint in a gruelling marathon. But, for good or ill, it’s just another point along the route. There are at least two more CAO rounds to go, and it’s not uncommon for students to start their seventh-choice course in one university in September, only to move to a new college in October or early November when they get their first preference.
If you are one of these students, and you’re holding out for a results upgrade or an offer in a later CAO round, however, it is absolutely crucial that you accept the level six, level seven or level eight course that you were offered, even if you don’t want it. Otherwise, you are considered to have opted out of the CAO process — and you won’t receive a later offer.
Accepting this offer does not prevent you from pursuing other options, whether that’s accepting a place abroad, opting for a further education course or repeating sixth year.
Ireland tends to have higher entry requirements than most other EU countries. Fees abroad can be lower, and accommodation is — depending on the country in question — less challenging to secure.
In recent years, veterinary and medicine students have been among those opting to study in EU universities, where courses are often taught through English. Poland and the Netherlands are among the most popular locations.
Although the deadline for many of these courses has passed, there are still many spaces available. You can find more details on Eunicas.ie or Erudera.com, while Ucas.co.uk is your main stop for information about studying in UK universities.
“There is a large community of Irish students in many of these locations,” says O’Donohoe.
“It’s also beneficial to have the experience of living abroad and taking in a new culture — and it can look favourable when you later apply for jobs, as it demonstrates adaptability.”
“If you filled out both sides of your CAO form, and have enough points, you will be offered a level six/level seven and a level eight course,” says O’Donohoe.
“In the past, level sevens were only really offered in institutes of technology. But now, most of these are technological universities, which tend to be more regional, and thus more affordable for accommodation. Level six and seven courses are not only useful qualifications in their own right but can be a stepping stone to level eight courses.”
Every year, some courses don’t get filled, and these are published on the CAO website at the end of each CAO round.
“There are loads of reasons why they might not fill up,” says O’Donohoe.
“It could be because of the labour market, or the popularity or location of the course — sometimes, for instance, the regional courses don’t fill up as fast.
“It’s all about supply and demand: a course might be completely full, or it might have vacant places, but either way it is not an indicator of quality or the difficulty of the course.
“Sometimes, students do associate higher points with better quality or perceived prestige, but the best course for you is the one that you are most interested in.”
These options have grown in popularity over the past decade.
Post-Leaving Cert courses were once considered a fallback option, but they are now often a first choice for students looking to bridge the gap between secondary school and third level. Students can learn specific, vocationally oriented skills to help them move into the workplace, or the PLC can be a bridge to level six, seven and eight courses. Many third-levels now reserve a limited number of places for PLC students, particularly in courses such as pre-university science, pre-university engineering, pre-university law and pre-university nursing. See FetchCourses.ie.
Apprenticeships, meanwhile, have progressed beyond the more familiar and traditional areas like carpentry, plumbing, and motor mechanics, into areas such as auctioneering, accounting, biopharma, cybersecurity, insurance, ICT, logistics, recruitment and sales. Apprentices can expect to learn through a mix of on-the-job training and classroom learning, and may even spend a day or two on a university campus every week. Crucially, apprentices are paid as they learn, so they’re earning money while many of their peers are struggling with the costs of third-level. See Apprenticeship.ie for more information.
Finally, traineeships are short, structured programmes aimed at providing specific skills for work in high-demand roles. Taking on a traineeship and working for a few years does not preclude doing an apprenticeship or third-level degree in later years.
National Tertiary Office (NTO) courses are relatively new — and a bold departure. These begin in an education and training board, with students undertaking a year of a PLC. Then, they transfer to a higher education institution, with students ultimately awarded a college degree.
Places are awarded through an interview and a personal statement, rather than by CAO points. There are no fees in the first year, but normal registration fees apply in subsequent years. You can find a full list of these courses at nto.hea.ie.
This was once a much more popular option, says O’Donohoe.
“Now, however, the numbers repeating the exams are minimal, because they are aware of so many other options.”
Can it still be a good idea?
“Perhaps if you felt a paper didn’t go your way, or you really could do better if you had a second chance.”
If you missed out on a course by just a few points, particularly in a course like medicine, where those margins are so fine, it’s a huge gamble to go through sixth year a second time — there is no guarantee that, even if your grades improve, the points won’t slip out of your grasp again.
“This is where it is really important to have a good conversation with your guidance counsellor,” O’Donohoe advises.
Taking a “gap year” between school and college is more of a UK tradition than an Irish one, but it is becoming more popular here.
If the idea sounds appealing, O’Donohoe urges students to plan their year out and ensure that they set themselves goals for the year, whether that’s to work, travel, focus on personal development (such as, for instance, improving your grade in piano), develop a portfolio or get your driver’s license. Otherwise, the time can fly by and you may regret having nothing to show for it.