Deciding on courses in Ireland during your CAO application that you should apply for is often pretty overwhelming for some students. For others, it’s a simple exercise because they’ve already made their minds up (lucky them) that they would like to pursue a certain career path like engineering, medicine or legal careers.
In many cases, students are ending up choosing courses that were not meant for them. Unfortunately they find this out when it’s too late… So, what are some essential tips to help choose the right courses? Check out our tips below before you begin filling in your CAO application forms!
- What are Your Interests?
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The first thing to do is stay focused on attaining some level of self-awareness. To answer this question, you need to first understand your personality. Ask yourself the question: What interests do I have? The objective is to establish an overlap between your personal interests and the area of study. When you pursue a course that’s aligned with your personality, your skills and your interests, you’ll excel in your career!
- Research the Courses Offered at the University or College.
You’ve now got some understanding of what interests you most, so the next step is finding out the courses that are being offered at your college of choice. Ideally, here it is all about matching your interests by finding an appropriate course that will help you realize your interests. You should be asking yourself if this course is relevant to the career area that you are interested in.
- Get Help From a Career Counselor
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So, you feel that one or more courses will match your professional and personal interests? You aren’t done yet! How about talking to a career advisor? The importance of this is that you’ll get some helpful unbiased advice. You’ll also be able to work out whether it is time to change from your initial choice or stick with it. You can find a career counsellor via your university or even a private one.
- Visit the Campus and Dig deep into Details of the Course
You might have attended the college open day, but it’s still important you visit the college at this level to find the finer details about the course you want to apply for. Of course, this is best done within the CAO change of mind deadline. The importance of the visit is finding out more about the place you will spend your next few years at. Plus you want to find out more about the facilities that the college has. Dig into the modular assessments and coursework details. Do the courses and the delivery give you an opportunity to learn something extra?
- Final Decision
After these exercises, you will be at the final stage – reaching your final decision. Before you do this, make sure the your findings are very clear. Don’t leave any stone unturned. Once everything seems to tick your boxes, it’s time to apply for the course. Read the rules and regulations and apply before the CAO deadline. It’s worth noting that no changes will be accepted after the CAO Change of Mind deadline has passed.
Key Take Away
If you are considering studying in Ireland, you must keep in mind the application deadlines and ensure you have met all their expectations. Choosing the right course is super important as it will have a massive impact on your future.
During your studies, we highly recommend Studyclix.ie to help you study more efficiently and get better results on exams. There are some excellent resources on their website.
We also recommend Dragonfly Coaching to help you in this area and reduce overwhelm. Of course we’d be remiss not to mention that your accommodation costs are worth considering too, and with Switching Rooms you are saving thousands of Euros a year with a free room, so please register today.
We wish you all the very best in your journey!
