It’s CAO Round One offers day.
Another sigh of relief, or perhaps the beginning of a whole new wave of nerves.
Either way, the moment that has been weighing on your mind throughout the summer has finally arrived.
Whether you get the course you’re hoping for or not, try not to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to your friends. I remember my CAO offers day, my offer came in a couple of hours later than everyone else for some reason, and I tortured myself by sifting through group chats of my friends exclaiming that they had gotten their offer. For about two hours, I had concluded to myself that, despite getting the points I needed, I simply wasn’t getting into any of the courses I had applied for.
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Thankfully, that wasn’t true. My offer came while I was sitting in the back of my family’s car, and I screamed so loud that I almost caused a collision.
It’s even harder now, when we’ve become increasingly more comfortable with sharing things on social media. But remember that, whatever you see on your feed or read in a group chat, is just a snapshot of how someone’s feeling, not their full story. Even though I had gotten the offer I wanted, a new sense of anxiety kicked in. What if I don’t like the course? What if it’s too difficult? What if nobody in the course likes me?
The truth is, whether you’re happy with your offer today or not, the road ahead might still feel uncertain. Maybe you’re now figuring out you have to pack your bags and move to another county, find accommodation, or think about how you’ll make new friends in an entirely unfamiliar place. Or maybe you didn’t get the offer today, and you’re figuring out how to deal with the disappointment. If that’s the case, don’t panic. We’re here to help!
As we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, there’s still plenty of great options available. In fact, we’ve outlined them in a short explainer video over on The Irish Times’ Instagram and TikTok, if you want to check them out.
If you want to explore these options further, our online articles have even more guidance. Colin Gleeson has written about the thousands of students who take the plunge every year and head abroad for college, while Brian Mooney offers advice on applying for one of the many tertiary degrees still available in Ireland.
Don’t forget: Round One is not the end of the road. If you didn’t get your first choice, you might still receive a Round Two offer on September 8th. There’s also the Available Places facility, which opens tomorrow at noon, which highlights places that are still available on certain courses.
Plus, our expert guidance counsellors Brian and Deirdre are back on hand today, tomorrow and Friday to answer all your questions and offer advice when figuring out your next steps.
Also, make sure you pick up a copy of First Round Offers 2025 with The Irish Times tomorrow. It is eight pages of information, news, features, expert opinion and stats, as students prepare for the next chapter.
Whether or not you received the offer you wanted today, well done. Sixth year is not an easy year, there’s a reason why a lot of people still get Leaving Cert nightmares!
Be proud of yourself for making it this far.
