Be thorough, consider all entry routes that can get you to where you want to go and make sure you give yourself a back-up plan.
Picture the scene: Secondary school is over, you have worked really hard for your Leaving Certificate and completed your CAO application back before the summer. Now it’s August, results and offers time. You, your classmates and students all around the country wait with bated breath as everyone checks where they will be going in September, and then, Horror. You have no offer. At all. You had put a couple of options into your application, but only on the Level 8 list. You can remember your Guidance Counsellor mentioning about putting back up options down but you couldn’t imagine doing anything else other than your Level 8 choices so you didn't put anything down on the Level 6/7 list at all. Now you're thinking you should have, but it's too late.
This scenario can easily be avoided by being more comprehensive with your applications and by exploring the other options available to you.
Getting the most of out of your CAO application.
Your CAO application form contains room for you to add up to 20 course choices. Ten on the Level 8 list and ten on the Level 6 & 7 list. You really should endeavour to complete both lists, even though you may feel that it is only the Level 8 courses that you are interested in. To disregard the Level 6 & 7 pathways is either laziness, foolishness, a misguided ‘educational snobbery’ or a mixture of all of these.
The fact is that the vast majority of Level 6 & Level 7 courses offer progression routes onto Level 8 Honours Degrees. So, by including Level 6 & 7 options on your application you are giving yourself a back-up plan, another route towards where you want to go and very often in the same length of time. After all, you have worked very hard for six years and to leave yourself without an offer is criminal against yourself.
The points targets and entry requirements for most Level 8 courses are considerably higher than those required for the Level 6 & 7 courses. Generally, you will require two H5s and four other passes. Depending on your desired course, there may also be other specific requirements, such as a H4 in Higher Level Maths for many engineering courses. These high points and high grades can be a tall order to achieve in the very challenging Leaving Certificate exams.
Points and entry requirements for Level 6 & 7 courses are generally lower and easier to achieve. The H4 in Higher Level Maths requirement that may prove to be just out of reach for you will not be a barrier for the Level 7 option.
Take Engineering (TU 805) in TU Dublin as an example.
Last year, the requirements for this course were two H5s, a H4 in Maths and 402pts. Some students who were aspiring to this level 8, may well have got enough points but may have failed to get the H4 in Honours Maths and therefore did not get an course offer. TU Dublin along with many 3rd colleges do offer a 2nd chance maths exam, which is a great opportunity for those that do not make the maths grade in the Leaving Cert. However, the ability to enter a level 7 course with an O6/H7 grade in maths is a great back up plan, should the maths exam not go your way.
A sensibly filled in CAO application with Level 7 back-up options which could later gain access into TU 805 could have included one or more of-
- TU 703 Building Engineering (260pts)
- TU 709 General Engineering (370pts)
- TU 717 Mechanical Engineering (300pts)
- TU 710 Engineering Reliability Management (244pts)
Please note none of these courses require Honours Maths and all of them will give you a progression route to level 8 honours engineering degree.
Check out this video from TU Dublin that illustrates this option.
This is by no means an isolated example. A quick glance in your CAO Handbook will show you that the vast majority of Level 6 & Level 7 offerings around the country have progression options within the same institution.
Other benefits of the Level 6 & Level 7 options
There are several other factors that are worthwhile considering in relation to choosing a Level 6/7 option aside from the lower points and entry requirements.
- Exit options after 2 & 3 years with qualifications that can lead directly into employment
- Gain a number of qualifications on route to your Level 8
- Option to change your mind/direction after 2/3 years and (if applicable) keep your SUSI grant when moving into new Level 8 course
- Opportunity to progress into many Level 8 add-on courses in other institutions with established links
Don’t forget the PLC option!