Today is a milestone in the lives of over 50,000 Leaving Cert students as the first round of CAO offers are rolled out. For many, it will be a day of celebration. Years of hard work and effort will be rewarded with offers of places in students’ dream courses. For others, however, it will be a day of sadness and dejection. Missing out on a course that you had your heart set on can certainly be a tough pill to swallow. With many students today having to accept courses that weren’t their first choice, it is important to remember that there are endless numbers of routes to get to where you want to eventually end up.
I, for one, can relate to those feeling despondent today. When I learned of my Leaving Cert results a little over two years ago, disappointment was undoubtedly the overriding emotion. I hoped to study law in either Trinity or UCD, but due to an unexpectedly poor result in one subject, these courses were unattainable. Instead of choosing to study law elsewhere, I decided to put courses down on my CAO form that I knew I’d enjoy and ended up accepting an offer to study History here in Trinity.
Although the CAO simplifies the college application process, it fails to highlight the importance of college choice
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This may seem a strange choice to some. If the course I wanted was offered in another university then why didn’t I go there? What is rarely talked about, but should be a significant determinant when filling out the CAO form, is the third-level institution that you think will suit you best. Although the CAO simplifies the college application process, it fails to highlight the importance of college choice – placing near total focus on course choice.
An article in this newspaper a few weeks ago criticised the prolonged college application process in the US. Without advocating for such a system here in Ireland, the American system admittedly has its benefits. Every college has its own individual history, ethos, and atmosphere. As a result, different colleges will suit different students. The process of writing essays and being interviewed means that third level institutions can decide which applicants will best suit their respective schools, which in turn means that students who are offered places are more likely to thrive within that environment.
Two years into my degree, I can undoubtedly say that I made the right choice. History is a fascinatingly broad subject with a wide range of future career prospects. Trinity history graduates are currently working in sectors such as finance, law, public service, academia, journalism and many others. Despite it not being a direct route into the career I had previously envisaged, it has opened up a huge number of opportunities and experiences that I wouldn’t have received elsewhere.
Making the most of what you’ve been given and enjoying the journey as you get to wherever your final destination may be is now what’s required
Without trying to blow Trinity’s proverbial trumpet, it really is a fascinating place. College is a lot more than just lectures and tutorials. The people you meet through involvement in clubs, societies, or indeed writing for college publications, are what shape your time at university. Trinity was a good choice for me. For others, though, it may not be, and that is why placing significant weight on the college you want to go to as well as the course you want to study is imperative.
In the past, repeating the Leaving Cert has been a popular option for those unhappy with their results. Recent evidence shows, however, that sitting the State exam for a second time is becoming increasingly less frequent. Having had friends who went down this route only to see marginal increases in their results, it is worth noting that repeating does not always lead to a big jump in points. For anyone contemplating such a move, it is important to weigh up all options before making a decision. Studying a new Shakespeare play while your friends are off enjoying themselves in college is not all it’s cracked up to be, I hear.
The Leaving Cert is an important exam in the life of any young Irish person. It is not, however, career (or life) defining. For those disappointed having not received first choice offers from the CAO today, making the most of what you’ve been given and enjoying the journey as you get to wherever your final destination may be is now what’s required. It is not the end. It is rather just the beginning.
