Get them through the college gates

Ask admissions officers about competition between the universities to attract the best and the brightest and they're likely to tell you that it doesn't exist.

Their job, they'll say, is to provide a service to students to ensure that they make informed college and course choices. If there is any rivalry, it's friendly rivalry. Privately, though, they may be more forthcoming. "The universities are in the fortunate position that they have more applicants than places, so the competition is not about filling places but about attracting the best applicants," says one third-level source.

High-points courses add lustre to an institution and to a faculty. UCD's faculty of medicine is a good example. Last year, UCD medical school decided to go it alone and put on its own open day. The university already offers a general two-day event in March which attracts up to 21,000 students. These open days are aimed largely at Transition Year students, who have yet to decide on their Leaving Cert options. UCD's medical school open day, which targets sixth-years, proved such a success it has decided to repeat the event this December 20th. But why go out of your way to encourage people to do medicine, when demand for places already far outstrips supply? "We want to attract the very best students," replies Dr Geoff Chadwick, UCD's director of medical education.

Surely UCD medicine is already attracting the best - this year's cut-off points were 555? Yes, but UCD medics want to ensure that they maximise the number of first-preferences they get. "If the number of first preferences for UCD medicine goes down, then our intake of maximum-pointers goes down," Chadwick explains. These "maximum-pointers" keep standards high and provide an important lift to the rest of the class, it seems.

Getting more first-preferences than the other medical schools gives a college a particular kudos. Medics, UCD's director of medical education notes, are particularly competitive. "Even in our own affiliated hospitals there is enormous competition between the Mater and St Vincent's at academic level and between departments in the hospitals. Each watches carefully the research activity of the other; the same applies between medical schools."

UCD has a particular problem - if you can call it that. It offers more first-year medical places than TCD (108, against Trinity's 70). Because of this, UCD's cut-off points (550) are lower than TCD's (570). This has resulted in the perception that the medical programme at Trinity is better, when the points simply reflect supply. Last year's medicine open day had a number of benefits. "We hold our open day in December to target students before they fill in their CAO forms," explains Dr John O'Connor, of the department of human anatomy and physiology. The day includes lectures, visits to hospitals and talks by medical students and young doctors.

Other UCD faculties are looking enviously at the medic's targeted open day and are planning to follow suit. Expect to hear about science and engineering open days soon.

It's unlikely, however, that all faculties in all colleges will opt for their own open days. Academics say that focused open days are most useful when you want to bring a particular discipline to the attention of students.

NUI Maynooth, for example, recently held a science open day for local schools. The college's aim was to expose students to the wonders and uses of science - attracting students to Maynooth was a bonus. A number of universities are planning science days to coincide with National Science Week. Meanwhile, Barry Kehoe, director of student services at DCU, takes a different view of the need to capture high-points students. "If our cut-off points fall, should it be a cause of alarm or celebration? I think the latter. It means that more people who really want to do a particular course are getting in. "In an ideal situation, anyone who satisfies the minimum entry requirements should get a place."

Nowadays, attracting good applicants means liaising closely with schools. Many colleges operate schools' liaison teams which visit schools, meet guidance counsellors and organise open days and the like. UCC and NUI Galway have gone a step further and have appointed dedicated schools' liaison officers. "I don't see it as competition," adds Mary Coyle, NUI Galway's schools' liaison officer. "My focus is to get the message out to students about what is available for them at NUI Galway. We want students to come to Galway because they feel the course would be valuable for them."