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PAGE ONE is simple. It asks for personal details, such as your name and address. Be careful, as most people put the current date on the forms where it says "Date of Birth". Most of the errors are clearly due to nerves, so take your time, you have plenty of it. Better yet, photocopy the form incase you make a mistake, because if your form is sent back because of an error, you face a £5 fine. Also, ask a friend or relative to check the form.
PAGE TWO is the all-important page (well, they're all important). It contains 2 lists, one for degrees and one for certs and diplomas. The lists operate independently of each other, so pay equal attention to both of them. Many students leave the cert/diploma list blank as they are only interested in degrees. If you do this you are cutting yourself off from many good degree opportunities. There is a well-trodden route from cert to diploma to add-on degree and the number of add-on degrees available is increasing each year. If you fill out both lists, you may well up with offers from two colleges. The form gives you the opportunity to list 20 courses in all and you should try and use this facility to the full.
The vital thing is to LIST IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE. This means that your preferred course should be at the top of the list. This should be your dream choice, of course. DON'T allow last year's points influence this decision. Each year, the CAO reports tearful phone calls from people who had done better in the Leaving Cert than expected and wished to change their preferred course. They were only offered their first choice. IF YOU ARE OFFERED YOUR FIRST CHOICE YOU WON'T BE MADE ANY FURTHER OFFER. All of the courses listed below the choice you are offered are wiped off the CAO computer, so you can move up in the list, but not down.
Once the first two pages are completed, most students can visit the bank to pay the application fee, prior to posting the form to Galway. Before posting off your application form, you should take a photocopy and keep it for reference. Don't forget to get the certificate of posting on the back page of your CAO handbook stamped. And, the bank must stamp your application fee payment form. There is a useful checklist on the back of the CAO envelope.
