Transcript CAO =Central APPLICATIONS OFFICE

www.cao.ie
Information Session for
Parents
Sutton Park School 2009
Dates and fees
January 20th
Online Discount
€35
February 1st
Normal application
€45
May 1
Late online
€70
July 1st
Closing change of mind Free!
Application Form
 Part A (Pages 1 & 2)
Sufficient for most Irish Applicants
 Part B (Pages 3 & 4)
Must be completed by non standard
applicants
 Includes information about any learning
difficulties, other qualifications and for
mature students
Application Form
 Page 1
Personal Data
Signature
Date
 Page 2
Selection of Courses
Qualifications
Three levels of Certification
• Level 6
• Level 7
• Level 8
Higher Certificate
(formerly Cert)
Ordinary Degree
(formerly Dip)
Honours Degree
Students choose courses in order of preference
Maximum of ten courses may be chosen from
each list
Applying on -line
 Follow instructions on screen www.cao.ie
 Choose courses in order of preference
 Choose method of payment
Credit card / Fee Payment Form
 Submit choices
 Always print receipt and note application
number
Restricted Application Courses
 Assessment procedures for
these courses including art,
drama, film and also medicine.
 Clearly identified in the
handbook
 Must be included in CAO Form by
February 1st
Application to Medicine from 2009
Must apply by February 1st on CAO (5:15pm)
2. Using CAO number, then apply to sit HPAT test.
www.hpat-ireland.acer.edu.au. Closing date also
Feb 1st (23:59). Cost €95
3. Test date27th February– venues in Dublin and
elsewhere. Advised to book centre early!
4. Test 2.5 hours long in 3 sections – logical reasoning/
interpersonal understanding and non-verbal
reasoning
1.
Medicine applications
 Results issued late June 2009
 Maximum score 300, students will also be given a percentile
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score to give them an indication of how well they performed
against other candidates.
Must also achieve a minimum of 480 in Leaving Cert exams AND
minimum entry requirements.
Any student achieving over 550 will be awarded 1 point for
every 5 CAO point. i.e. Student achieving 560 will be given
Medicine rating of 552. Max score of 600 points becomes 560.
Results of HPAT and Leaving Cert then added together.
Maximum possible score 860.
Normal allocation of places then takes place, with students
ranked highest being given places.
(top 15 %)
Application Process
 Phase 1 – November until February 1st
Apply and change your mind as often as
you like, free of charge.
 Phase 2 – February 1st – March 1st
You may amend details and course
choices but will pay €10 penalty
 Phase 3 – March 1st – April 30th
Interviews and assessments usually
scheduled
 Phase 4 – May 1st – July 1st
Change of mind, free of charge
Alternative routes
 Medicine / Physiotherapy – Science 325 – 425 points, then post
graduate programme
 Law – variety of degrees for Blackhall place. For kings Inn law is
ideal – or 2 years diploma req. (arts, private colleges)
 Business / marketing – entry at level 6 /7 (330) in DIT and
progress through to level 8 (410*)
 FETAC route – many linked programmes, nursing, art, business,
social science, science
Offer Stage
 Leaving Certificate results –
mid Aug (possibly Wednesday 11th)
 Round One Offers – Monday 16th August
 Each list separate. Can accept on-line.
 Can only move up, never down the list
 Can accept or ignore subsequent offers
Level 8
Pref
Course Code
1
CK101
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
DC201
AL033
DN021
TR084
DC115
DT366
BN101
DT413
PD101
Level 6/7
Pref
Course Code
1
BN003 (business
studies)
2
TA102
3
4
5
TA101
NC101
TA108
6
7
8
9
DT315
DT521
10
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The applicants marked in green have enough
points to be offered places.
The applicant marked in red has enough points for
her second preference.
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.
 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.
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.
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.
Errors made when selecting
courses
 Students list courses in order of points
instead of preference
 Student underestimate / overestimate
Leaving Certificate results
 Poor research into courses
College literature /Open Days
Errors made when selecting
courses
 Some students target low point
courses in hope of getting College
place
 Not considering courses outside
certain geographic area
 Some target Level 8 courses only and
ignore Level 7 & 6 courses
Ladder of Opportunity
Ladder of Opportunity
 Institutes of Technology offer
four year degree programmes
which can be studied in stages
Higher Certificate
Ordinary Degree
Honours Degree
Two years (level 6)
+ One year (level 7)
+ One year (level 8)
Life Outside CAO
 Check for vacant places
www.cao.ie
 Private Colleges
 PLC - Post Leaving Courses
 UK – www.ucas.com
UCAS
 UCAS is the UK equivalent of the CAO
 WWW. UCAS.COM
 All applications must be made online
 All communication is electronic – e.g. via website
and email
DEADLINES
 Applying to Oxford OR Cambridge to study
anything – 15th October
 Applying to study Medicine; Veterinary
Medicine or Dentistry – 15th October
 Everything else – January 15th
Before Applying
 www.ucas.ac.uk
 Pick courses – huge choice
 Be familiar with a longer application system
 Pick a referee
 Prepare a personal statement
 Register – Suttonpark is buzzword
UCAS Points
Honours
Ordinary
A1 – 90
A1 - 39
A2 – 77
A2 - 26
B1 – 71
B1 - 20
B2 – 64
B2 - 14
B3 – 58
B3 - 7
C1 - 52
C2 - 45
C3 - 39
D1 - 33
D2 - 26
D3 - 20
Choices
 Applying for Medicine, Vet Medicine and
Dentistry – 4 choices
 You can apply to Oxford or Cambridge, not both
(plus additional application form)
 Everything else – 6 choices (but remember the
one personal statement has to cover all the
options)
Application contd.
 5 Sections for you to complete:
Courses
About You
Education
Statement
Employment
 2 more sections for school to complete: Reference –
you will not see
Predicted grades – you will not see
Aptitude assessments for UK

BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
For entry to medicine and veterinary schools.
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English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT)
For entry to English courses at the University of Oxford.
Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)
For entry into medicine.
History Aptitude Test (HAT)
For entry to modern history and a joint honours degrees involving modern history at the University of Oxford.
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Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT)
For entry to certain medical courses at the University of Ulster.
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The National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT)
For entry to law.
Modern and Medieval Languages Test (MML)
For entry to modern and medieval languages at the University of Cambridge.
Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP)
For entry to mathematics at the University of Cambridge.
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA Cambridgeor) For entry to computer science, natural sciences, engineering and economics at the
University of Cambridge.
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA Oxford)
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formerly known as the PPE Admissions Test
For entry to the philosophy, politics and economics, and the economics and management courses at the University of Oxford.
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UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)
For entry to medical and dental schools
Offers and Interviews
 After applying you may be called by the college
for an interview (not always)
 Following this you may receive either:
Conditional Offer (i.e. you can have the place if
you achieve certain grades)
Unsuccessful application
Managing your offer
 If you receive more than one conditional offer you will
have to choose which is your most preferred option
 This becomes your “FIRM ACCEPTANCE”
 You may also hold a “INSURANCE ACCEPTANCE” which is
another offer which requires lower grades.
UCAS and CAO
 UCAS and CAO do not communicate to each other
 What you choose to apply to and accept offers from has
no effect on your CAO application
 FIRM or INSURANCE acceptance does not mean that you
have to go to UK – you can always decline the offer at a
later time
Post Leaving Certificate Courses
Large variety of courses
 Business
 Art/Design
 Multimedia
 Beauty Therapy
 Insurance/Banking
 Travel/Tourism
 Social Care
Post Leaving Certificate Courses
 Good, recognised qualification
 Also may allow students to go onto
Degree courses in colleges based on their
performance
 Should apply March/April / May directly
to the PLC
Ideal scenario!
In August 2010 students should have many options –
including;
 Level 8 honours degree
 Level 6 / 7 ordinary degree
 Fetac (back up) course
 UCAS offer
Retention Rate in College
Non Completion of Courses
Universities 17%
Colleges of Technology 37%
Reasons
 Lack of preparation - insufficient research into
course choice
 Poor choice of course - course chosen was
often only course open to student given points
rating
Dos /Don’ts of CAO Applications
 Do choose ten options if at all
possible
 Do not ignore the Level 6/7 route
 Do not target low point courses
in hope of getting to College
Dos / Don’ts contd.
 Do not depend totally on getting your 1st or 2nd choice
- You may be offered your 4th / 5th choice
- Be prepared for this!
 Do make sure you have other options if you do not get
your preferences
 Check Alert Lists on CAO website – 195 courses
cancelled and 95 new courses introduced since
booklet printed.
Significant dates during
Offer Stage
Return form to view scripts –
Wednesday 18th August
Viewing of Scripts
Weekend of 27/28 August
Only the candidate and one
person who accompanies her
can view the script!
Don’t be on holidays!