Do you reckon the CAO will change my top choice?

fizzyorange

Hey everyone.
Has anyone ever heard of someone getting their CAO changed this late into the month? I know change of mind ended on the first but since then my family situation has changed dramatically. My first choice is Galway, second is Maynooth. After much debating I've decided I'd prefer to stay at home and go to Maynooth.

I'm going to ring the CAO tomorrow, but does anyone reckon I'll have a chance considering my situation is so unusual?

Sunny!!

I dont see you being allowed, but there is no harm and ringing them up and giving it a try!

Coeurdepirate

Would you mind posting here letting us know how you got on/if they let you? A friend of mine also wants to change her top course!

fizzyorange

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

Would you mind posting here letting us know how you got on/if they let you? A friend of mine also wants to change her top course!

Yeah no bother, I'll be ringing in the morning so I'll let you know then.

PictureFrame

fizzyorange wrote: »

Hey everyone.
Has anyone ever heard of someone getting their CAO changed this late into the month? I know change of mind ended on the first but since then my family situation has changed dramatically. My first choice is Galway, second is Maynooth. After much debating I've decided I'd prefer to stay at home and go to Maynooth.

I'm going to ring the CAO tomorrow, but does anyone reckon I'll have a chance considering my situation is so unusual?

They could! It never hurts to try! Best of luck fizzyorange, with everything you've gone through in the last while you truly deserve it!

** BTW: Random story but anywho, I know of a girl who went to college with my cousin, missed Arts in NUIM by 10 points and didn't get offered in the 2nd round. She went up to the college and stayed there for days, I mean days and begged to be let in as she couldn't face repeating, and low and behold, after sometime, I don't know what happened, but they let her in!

Persistency is key! good luck!

fizzyorange

PictureFrame wrote: »

They could! It never hurts to try! Best of luck fizzyorange, with everything you've gone through in the last while you truly deserve it!

** BTW: Random story but anywho, I know of a girl who went to college with my cousin, missed Arts in NUIM by 10 points and didn't get offered in the 2nd round. She went up to the college and stayed there for days, I mean days and begged to be let in as she couldn't face repeating, and low and behold, after sometime, I don't know what happened, but they let her in!

Persistency is key! good luck!

Oh god, I'm going to be so upset if they don't change my CAO. I cannot go to NUIG, I simply can't afford it/am not in the right state for so much drastic change.

And oh my, that is perfect. :L I would actually I consider that, that's how desperate I am.

fizzyorange

The CAO say no. Not like I wanted to go to college anyway.

Togepi

fizzyorange wrote: »

The CAO say no. Not like I wanted to go to college anyway.

Around the time of offers in August there are plenty of courses which still have spaces that need filling, and people can apply for and get accepted to those. The chances of arts being on the list are extremely low as far as I know, but they do have a decent range of courses. You could also ring NUIM and explain your situation to see if there's anything they can do about it.

Edit: If you managed to get a course in NUIM by applying for the vacant spaces courses, you may be able to transfer course within the college. Some people have done stuff like that anyway, might get you into arts.

fizzyorange

Togepi wrote: »

Around the time of offers in August there are plenty of courses which still have spaces that need filling, and people can apply for and get accepted to those. The chances of arts being on the list are extremely low as far as I know, but they do have a decent range of courses. You could also ring NUIM and explain your situation to see if there's anything they can do about it.

Edit: If you managed to get a course in NUIM by applying for the vacant spaces courses, you may be able to transfer course within the college. Some people have done stuff like that anyway, might get you into arts.

I know about the vacant spaces, unfortunately the chances of getting into one in NUIM and then transferring to arts is very slim. I wouldn't chance it either, because if that didn't work out and I was stuck in the course I didn't really want then it would really be a waste of money.

I'm currently fighting the system and praying that I am accepted into the Trinity Access Programme. Worst case scenario, I'll have to wait a year and then reapply.

Feeling slightly more positive about the whole situation that I was this morning!

Avox

fizzyorange wrote: »

I know about the vacant spaces, unfortunately the chances of getting into one in NUIM and then transferring to arts is very slim. I wouldn't chance it either, because if that didn't work out and I was stuck in the course I didn't really want then it would really be a waste of money.

I'm currently fighting the system and praying that I am accepted into the Trinity Access Programme. Worst case scenario, I'll have to wait a year and then reapply.

Feeling slightly more positive about the whole situation that I was this morning!

If you call up NUIM's admissions office directly and explain your situation to them, they might offer a direct entry plan if you meet all the entry requirements.

It's worth a try

fizzyorange

Avox wrote: »

If you call up NUIM's admissions office directly and explain your situation to them, they might offer a direct entry plan if you meet all the entry requirements.

It's worth a try

That's my plan for results day. I'm going to head in, grab my results, head down to Maynooth and cry and sob and plea. :')

(I wish I was joking I probably will cry if they say no)

Avox

fizzyorange wrote: »

That's my plan for results day. I'm going to head in, grab my results, head down to Maynooth and cry and sob and plea. :')

(I wish I was joking I probably will cry if they say no)

You should try it before results day! Odds are results day they'll be inundated with calls from people in a similar position! If you get in now with proof of why you need to stay at home, a prediction of your results, etc, then they'll keep you in mind before the hoard of calls!

Their contact details are:

Tel: +353 1 7083822
E-mail: admissions@nuim.ie

fizzyorange

Avox wrote: »

You should try it before results day! Odds are results day they'll be inundated with calls from people in a similar position! If you get in now with proof of why you need to stay at home, a prediction of your results, etc, then they'll keep you in mind before the hoard of calls!

Their contact details are:

Tel: +353 1 7083822
E-mail: admissions@nuim.ie

Good point. I'll give them a call tomorrow. Thanks for the advice.

randylonghorn

fizzyorange wrote: »

The CAO say no. Not like I wanted to go to college anyway.

In fairness, fizzy, while I'm sympathetic, if they change it for you, how could they refuse to change it for everyone else who wanted to change? ... and you would probably find that was a quarter of this year's LC cohort.

And at what point would they draw the line and say "after this date, no more!"

LC results day? ... Round 1 offers day? ... 1st of October?

How would they ever make offers to anyone under that system?

And what if people who finalised their choices before the official date got bumped out of places by someone who changed their list afterwards?

I suspect that would end up in court tbh.

There has to be a final date, and it has to be the same for everybody.

That's the only way it's fair.

fizzyorange

randylonghorn wrote: »

fizzyorange wrote: »

The CAO say no. Not like I wanted to go to college anyway.

In fairness, fizzy, while I'm sympathetic, if they change it for you, how could they refuse to change it for everyone else who wanted to change? ... and you would probably find that was a quarter of this year's LC cohort.

And at what point would they draw the line and say "after this date, no more!"

LC results day? ... Round 1 offers day? ... 1st of October?

How would they ever make offers to anyone under that system?

And what if people who finalised their choices before the official date got bumped out of places by someone who changed their list afterwards?

I suspect that would end up in court tbh.

There has to be a final date, and it has to be the same for everybody.

That's the only way it's fair.

I don't if it was changed for me they could change it for everyone. The only reason I'm asking is because I was orphaned literally the day after change of mind closed. I had no idea that was going to happen, and now financing for my first choice is impossible.

I have a few people fighting for me, to try get the CAO changed, but if that doesn't work I'll just have to wait another year.

skanger

fizzyorange wrote: »

I don't if it was changed for me they could change it for everyone. The only reason I'm asking is because I was orphaned literally the day after change of mind closed. I had no idea that was going to happen, and now financing for my first choice is impossible.

I have a few people fighting for me, to try get the CAO changed, but if that doesn't work I'll just have to wait another year.

It's an absolute farce of a system, I hope someone sees the light and takes the time to consider your circumstances, make sure you contact the colleges too.

randylonghorn

skanger wrote: »

It's an absolute farce of a system, I hope someone sees the light and takes the time to consider your circumstances, make sure you contact the colleges too.

Why is it an absolute farce?

And how would you change it?

What other system would you put in place that would process 71,648 applicants this year, all of whom *could* have up to 20 course choices selected (though not all of them will) between their Level 8 and Level 6/7 lists?

And have the first round of offers out a few days after the LC results, and those processed and next offers out shortly afterwards?

I'm not suggesting the CAO system is perfect, no system is; but most people at LC age (who have absolutely no experience of trying to organise an operation of that magnitude) see it solely as "me and the CAO" and forget the scale of the whole thing and that it has to be equally fair to every one of those 71,648 applicants and cannot be seen to advantage one over another in any way.

randylonghorn

fizzyorange wrote: »

The only reason I'm asking is because I was orphaned literally the day after change of mind closed.

That is absolutely terrible, fizzy, and my sincere sympathies.

And I genuinely do hope you find a way round it; those are very exceptional circumstances indeed.

My point above is simply that the CAO gets lambasted by everybody, but really most people complaining about them have no real sense of the scale of the operation involved or of how much their hands are tied by both the scale of it and the fact that there are lots of people out there who would be very happy to sue them at even a hint of any discrimination or inequality in how they do their business.

biohaiid

Hope things work out for you, and really sorry to hear about your circumstances.

fizzyorange

I personally think the system is decent enough, but I do wish it some how catered for exceptional circumstances because in the past few weeks I've had an awful lot of bad luck, and I will be upset if I'm unable to go to college for a year as well.

On a positive note however I am trying to gather ideas of things to do in case I have to take a year out. I've decided that after all it is only one year. Thanks to everyone for your help.

skanger

randylonghorn wrote: »

Why is it an absolute farce?

And how would you change it?

What other system would you put in place that would process 71,648 applicants this year, all of whom *could* have up to 20 course choices selected (though not all of them will) between their Level 8 and Level 6/7 lists?

And have the first round of offers out a few days after the LC results, and those processed and next offers out shortly afterwards?

I'm not suggesting the CAO system is perfect, no system is; but most people at LC age (who have absolutely no experience of trying to organise an operation of that magnitude) see it solely as "me and the CAO" and forget the scale of the whole thing and that it has to be equally fair to every one of those 71,648 applicants and cannot be seen to advantage one over another in any way.

I don't see any reason we can't have a system that allows people to pick their course after results

Results come out in August, you have one week to pick your course.

Colleges are not affected because they have set course numbers anyway, there's no major increase in man hours because it's just a computer programme that matches the people with the highest points to the course.

There's a high chance I've overlooked something or oversimplified things but there's an equally high chance the CAO overcomplicates things

Darksider

skanger wrote: »

I don't see any reason we can't have a system that allows people to pick their course after results

Results come out in August, you have one week to pick your course.

Colleges are not affected because they have set course numbers anyway, there's no major increase in man hours because it's just a computer programme that matches the people with the highest points to the course.

There's a high chance I've overlooked something or oversimplified things but there's an equally high chance the CAO overcomplicates things

As it stands, it takes the CAO a whole week (maybe longer depending on how early they themselves recieve the results) to sort out course placements. Imagine how much longer that would take with 70,000 people constantly changing around their courses.


Another thing to note: I imagine there would be a lot of people choosing courses they didn't originally want to do purely because they got more/less points than they expected. Eg. someone who wanted to do engineering in trinity (expecting points in the 400s) gets 585 so they change their top course choice to something like dentistry just because they can. That would take away a dentistry spot from someone who genuinely wanted to study it from the beginning.
I think the cao really wants to discourage that kind of impulse decision making. That would most likely increase dropout rates which is something universities really want to avoid.

The way its set up now is that you choose the courses you want to study before the results, in order of preference, and completely regardless of points, which is as fair as they could possibly make it. Although I still feel they should make exceptions for people with outstanding circumstances like OP (my condolences) that still brings us to another problem. Where do we draw the line between 'outstanding circumstances' and 'ordinary circumstances'? When dealing with a system which affects people's entire lives the cao has to tread very carefully to avoid being sued.

DylanII

Contact the ACCESS office at Maynooth., they might be able to help.