Some of the rest . . . open days in other colleges around the country

There are more than 40 publicly funded and fee-paying colleges in Ireland, and this number is growing.

As well as the seven universities, there are over a dozen institutes of technology, five teacher training colleges, a dedicated medical college, an art college and several other institutions including the National College of Ireland and the Shannon College of Hotel Management.

All host open days. There are also open days run by the various colleges of further education around Ireland, which offer alternative third-level entry routes as well as valuable career-focused qualifications.

There’s a guide to open day dates on the excellent student resource qualifax.ie (under the heading of “Career Events” in the student section – downloadable as a pdf file) and on careerportal.ie.

Here’s a taste of others to look out for:

National College of Art and Design

The place to study fine art, design and visual culture in Ireland, based on Thomas Street in Dublin – and arguably, it’s the art students who have made such an impact on the young and creative area that is Dublin 8. Undergraduates start with a common entry first year before going on to specialise. Fine art degree courses include painting, sculpture, fine print and media. Design options include jewellery, metalwork, fashion, ceramics and glass, textiles, visual communication and product design. There are events open to the public and a series of portfolio brief information sessions through this month, and an open day on November 26th.

Institute of Art, Design and Technology Dun Laoghaire (IADT) The college has carved out an excellent reputation for animation, film and television production, design, model-making and visual communication, and also offers humanities options including psychology and English, media and cultural studies. The new National Film School opened on the campus last year. There’s a creative and enterprising feel that permeates the entire college. Its open day is on November 21st.

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

Right in the heart of Dublin city centre, RCSI’s courses are held in high regard internationally, and the student body is one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan in Ireland. The open day for school leavers is on January 6th, 2015, 10am-4.30pm. RCSI will also run open days for graduate entry and mature students this month. Capacity is limited so registration is essential. For queries, email events@rcsi.ie

St Patrick’s Drumcondra

The largest of Ireland’s teacher training colleges has a great reputation. Based in Drumcondra in north Dublin, there’s great craic to be had in surrounding pubs. The college punches well above its weight in sport, with strong teams in Gaelic football, hurling and soccer. As with all primary teacher training colleges, there’s a big gender gap, with girls easily outnumbering boys.

In the coming years, teacher training is set to be radically restructured, with St Patrick’s, the Church of Ireland College of Education and the Mater Dei Institute of Education all coming together in a new Institute of Education under the control of Dublin City University. From September 2015, all students at Mater Dei and St Patrick’s will be registered as DCU students. Their open days are on November 14th and 15th.

Hibernia College

There’s no doubt that Hibernia College has not only earned its stripes, but that it has become a serious challenger to the established, State-funded teacher education colleges. School principals have major respect for the quality of primary and post-primary teachers emerging from this Government and Teaching Council of Ireland-accredited e-learning college. All teacher education programmes are delivered online and anyone with a level 8 degree enters a master’s level programme. The college is also carving out specialist expertise in education research. The open days take place on November 6th (5pm-7.30pm) and November 8th (11.30-2pm) at Hibernia College on Fenian Street. Registration required.

National College of Ireland

Based in the IFSC in Dublin, NCI has a strong focus on business and computing courses. Class sizes are small, there are strong student supports, and the college works closely with industry and professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. The open days will be held on November 26th, 2014 (10am-3pm) and January 24th, 2015 (10am-1pm). Alternative campus visits can be organised for schools, groups and individuals who can’t make the main open day.

The IoTs

Institutes of technology offer focused level 6, level 7 and level 8 degree courses with specialised and technical focuses, and many have carved out their own niches (such as Athlone Institute of Technology’s polymer qualifications). Aside from the big four IoTs (DIT, CIT, WIT and GMIT), local institutes are a good option for students who wish to study locally though there’s a sense that there may be too many of them in Ireland.

Dublin Business School, Griffith College, Independent Colleges

Three fee-paying colleges with excellent Dublin city centre locations. DBS is the largest, offering courses in business, accounting, IT, arts, psychology, law, journalism, marketing, digital media and film studies. Griffith, the oldest and most established of the three, includes law, business, accounting and finance, hospitality management, computer science, applied digital media, journalism and media, music and drama, and training and education. All three have small class sizes, lecturers and services that are responsive to the needs of their students, and relatively low CAO points offering entry to otherwise high-points courses including journalism, law and psychology.

Royal Irish Academy of Music

Those considering studying music at third level can explore the options on its open afternoon on December 2nd, with information on diploma, bachelor, master and doctor in music performance and composition courses. There are vocal, string, keyboard, composition and wind/brass/percussion workshops, Q&As, and tours of the college. See riam.ie/open-day

Alliance Francaise

Although it’s not a college course, the Alliance Francaise in Dublin is offering free French assessments for Leaving Cert students on November 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th and 12th, from 5pm-7pm – a good way of checking how you’re progressing with your language skills. The centre runs general French courses, conversation classes, cultural workshops, and exam preparation. No booking is required and enrolment can be made online. For more information, see alliance-francaise.ie