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Now that many students have completed the Leaving Cert, it is an ideal time to reflect on their previous CAO choices and avail of the change of mind facility, based on anticipated exam results. The change of mind form is open until July 1 at 5pm and students can change their mind as many times as they like, up until this date, free of charge. No further CAO changes can be made after July 1. Students should avoid last minute changes to reduce any potential errors and complete the form well in advance of the deadline. It is important to note that courses marked as ‘restricted courses’ typically require assessments or interviews and must have been included in the original CAO application before the closing date of February 1, 2025. Students are therefore unable to apply to ‘restricted courses’ with the CAO change of mind facility.

While I would advise all Leaving Cert students to focus on their exams now, it is important that all students who have applied to the CAO before February 1 and are hoping to complete a level 6-9 course this year, are aware of both the CAO statement of application process and the SUSI grant scheme.

With just over five weeks until the start of the Leaving Cert, it is time to make the best use of your time to help alleviate stress, get organised and maximise your study strategies so that you can manage your time effectively for these last few weeks. Here are my top 10 tips to help you prepare in the five weeks leading up to the exams.

Now that you have completed the Leaving Cert, some of you may have had more time to reflect and think further about your CAO choices and you may possibly change your preferences and therefore want to complete the CAO Change of Mind form. The Change of Mind submission closing date is fast approaching and is closing on July 1, 2024 at 17:00. This online Change of Mind form allows those who have originally applied to a college or university through the CAO to alter or change the course preferences they originally submitted. The CAO Change of Mind form does not allow you to submit a new application if you have not previously applied. The Change of Mind form allows you to remove or reorganise your previous choices or add new courses with the exception of ‘restricted application’ courses. There is a list of these available at www.cao.ie.

While many Leaving Cert students have already submitted their CAO, there will still be time to fill out the change of mind form if they want to choose a different CAO course, but it is important to remember that you do not necessarily need to be tied to a career relating to your degree forever. Nowadays there is great flexibility, and opportunities for people to change their careers. Many students do get stressed trying to pick a CAO course or apprenticeship as they feel they will be locked into this job or career for the rest of their life. There are however many ways in which you can change direction, even straight after your degree or apprenticeship.

With more than 100,000 people employed in the Irish tech sector, and with many of the global tech leaders choosing to have their headquarters in this country, the tech industry here is booming. The Central Statistics Office has valued the IT industry in Ireland at over €241 billion. Dublin is home to Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and HubSpot, to name a few. Studying IT or computer science can offer a rewarding and exciting career. Nowadays, almost every company, whether it is an SME or a large multinational, has its own IT department, meaning that IT and computer science graduates can choose to work in a range of industries such as healthcare, banking, insurance and education. University of Galway, ATU, and TUS offer courses in information technology and computer science.

Many universities all over the country have dramatically increased their number of Erasmus and study abroad options for students as many universities have realised the benefits of studying abroad for students, most notably increased ‘employability’.

by Claire Murphy

Springboard courses are part of a fantastic Government initiative which offer free or heavily subsidised courses at certificate, degree and masters level, aimed at graduates, the unemployed, employed or those wanting to start their own business. Most of the Springboard courses are one year or less but there are some two year masters. Springboard courses are aligned with the National Framework Qualifications (NFQ) and are stackable, meaning that you can complete a certificate (Level 6) and or a postgraduate diploma (Level 7) and then progress onto a masters (Level 9). There are more than 250 Springboard courses being offered by universities across the country. These courses were designed to supply industry with specific areas of knowledge and expertise, particularly where there was a skills shortage. These areas include green skills, climate change, digital marketing, manufacturing, engineering and innovation.

There are three general degrees available at university – business, which I covered in my last article, as well as science and arts, which I will cover in this article. General degrees are a great starting point for any student who does not know what they want to do after the Leaving Cert but really enjoyed studying a group of subjects or one subject at Leaving Cert. For example, many students who really enjoyed biology and chemistry go on to do general science. Other students who enjoyed arts subjects such as English, history or languages may opt to study an arts degree.