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CAO applicants have a last chance to register a change of course choices online by 5pm on Friday, July 1, says Guidance Counsellor, Billy Ryle…
CHANGE OF MIND
With the state exams concluding next Tuesday, June 28, the thoughts of exhausted candidates are no doubt turning to holidays, travel or summer jobs. But there is still one very important task to be done.
The 83,785 applications to the Central Applications Office (CAO) must now turn their attention to the CAO course ‘Change of Mind’ facility which gives each applicant a last chance, if s/he wishes, to register a change of course choices online by 5pm on Friday, 1st July.
NOW IS THE TIME
Not all applicants to CAO avail of the change of mind facility. Many applicants are happy with the course choices they submitted by 1st February.
On the other hand, others will have changed their minds about the course they would like to study.
Whatever your reason for submitting a change of mind form, make sure you know exactly what you are applying for. Don’t list any courses which you haven’t researched.
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Don’t apply for any course which you know in your heart and soul that you won’t accept if it’s offered to you.
Most important of all, never apply for a course in which you haven’t the slightest interest simply because your friends are applying for it.
RESEARCH
If you decide to submit a change of mind form, work calmly on your choices before going online.
Start from scratch and write out your new list of courses. Don’t tinker with your original list while online as it’s very easy to make a mistake.
REQUIREMENTS
Check the minimum course requirements and the special requirements for each course you are including on the change of mind form.
Don’t enter a restricted application course for the first time on a change of mind form as it won’t be considered.
Restricted application courses are those for which assessment procedures such as audition, aptitude test or portfolio submission have already taken place.
The one exception to this rule may be a restricted course which shares the exact same assessment procedures as a restricted course you have applied for by 1st February. Consult the relevant college before introducing such a course.
GO TO ‘MY APPLICATION’
When you are happy with your revised choices, open up your CAO account via the “My Application” facility.
You will be brought to a screen containing the details which CAO has on file for you. To make changes to your existing course choices simply click on the ‘Change Level 8 Course Choices’ tab and/or the ‘Change Level 7/6 Course Choices’ tab.
If you haven’t entered any courses on your application up to this point this tab will be called ‘Add Level 8 Course Choices’ and/or ‘Add Level 7/6 Course Choices.’
NEW CHOICES
You will find your current course choices listed to the left and you are given a blank preference list, headed ‘New Choices,’ to the right.’
Enter all the courses that you wish to apply for in your order of preference on this list. Your existing choices are cancelled out.
The same process applies for the Level 7/6 list. Remember that every choice is important and it’s advisable to fill up all ten choices in each category.
After entering your new list click on ‘Continue with Course Changes’ to save the information.
You will then be brought back to the screen containing the updated details. Check that all your course choices are listed in correct order and that all the codes are correct.
STICK or CHANGE
The two course categories – Level 8 (Honours Bachelor Degrees) and Level 7/6 (Ordinary Bachelor Degrees/Higher Certificates) are totally separate from each other for the purpose of submitting a change of mind form.
You may change one category and leave the second category unchanged or you may change both. On the other hand, you may decide to stick with the choices you submitted by 1st February last.
CHECK ONLINE
If you change courses online, the CAO will send an acknowledgement to your email address. You should also check that your courses have been updated by using the ‘My Application’ facility by 5pm on 1st July.
You may change your course choices free of charge as often as you wish up to the closing date.
The final change of mind form that you submit is the one that will count for your CAO offers in August, so be very careful to check online before 1st July to make sure that all is in order.
LAST CHANCE
After the 1st July you can make no further changes to your CAO application form. So, the remaining days provide you with a valuable window of opportunity. Use the time to put some serious thought into your choice of college courses.
When your state exams are done and dusted, you can give your undivided attention to submitting a ‘change of mind’ form that truly contains your course interests. It will be time well spent if you achieve your course of choice when the college offers are issued.
Checklist
• You have until 5pm on 1st July to avail of the CAO “Change of Mind” facility
• Not all applicants to CAO avail of the change of mind facility
• Don’t list any courses which you haven’t researched.
• Don’t apply for any course which you know that you won’t accept
• Never apply for a course in which you haven’t the slightest interest
• Work on your new list of course choices before going online
• Check the requirements for the courses you are including on the change of mind form
• The two course categories are separate from each other on a change of mind form
• The remaining days provide you with a valuable window of opportunity
• After the 1st July you can make no further changes to your CAO application form
• The Leaving Cert (LC) exam concludes on Tuesday, 28th June
• Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the grant authority for further/higher ed.
• Priority closing date for new applications for SUSI grant at www.susi.ie is 7th July
• The SUSI grant for all eligible students is increased by €200 from 2022
• The gross annual income levels for standard grant eligibility increases to €40,875
• The distance to college for the higher grant has been reduced from 45km to 30km
• The higher grant payment increases from €3025 to €3225
• The smaller grant payment increases from €1215 to €1415
Billy Ryle is a Career Guidance Counsellor and Educational Commentator
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