COLLEGE 2002: Tomorrow at 5.15 p.m. the endless discussions between parents and students must draw to a close. It is make-up-your-mind time. Are you taking that place or not?
About 22,000 students have already decided that they are. The majority have done this via the CAO website (www.cao.ie), while others have put their acceptances in the post.
Whatever method you select, it is time to get organised, because the clock is seriously ticking.
As ever, some candidates have run into problems. Some students did not inform the CAO earlier this year they were repeating the exam, and now the CAO is hastily trying to update their application. Others have made the common mistake of sending the CAO two acceptances, even though you are only allowed send back one.
The key point to remember about accepting online is to print out a receipt when you are finished, because things can go wrong.
For example, if there is a problem with your Internet service-provider you may believe your acceptance has been logged, but the CAO may never have received it.
The receipt is like a certificate of posting, and the CAO regards it as cast-iron proof that you accepted your offer in the normal way.
Many students and parents who have contacted this column have wondered about accepting this initial offer. One of the most common questions is: will I lose out on another offer if I accept this one?
The answer is No. If you accept this offer it has no bearing on whether you get another offer or not. If the points drop in the second round and you find yourself offered something higher up your list, you can accept that new place or stick with the one you accepted in the first round.
So unless you are deeply disenchanted with the offers you have been made at this stage, you should accept one of them.
At least then you have something in your back pocket and some clarity about what you will be doing for the year ahead.
Second round
The chances of a second-round offer, while relatively small, are high on some courses and in some colleges. A parent contacted this column last week to say we had adopted too pessimistic a tone when discussing the second-round offers.
After that I contacted the CAO and asked for the number of students who received a second-round offer. It alters slightly over the years, said the spokesman, but generally remains below 5 per cent of the total CAO application pool.
The parent said she accepted that, but last year in some colleges the drop in points in the second round was considerable, she claimed.
She was right. In UCC last year, for example, points for a whole range of courses tumbled. But the key thing to remember is that, while points for certain courses may drop, the number of students actually benefiting from the drop, i.e. getting a place, is often very small.
The advice remains the same in relation to the second round. If it happens, it happens.
It is not something you can really plan on. If you get a second-round offer, treat it as an unexpected bonus.
In the absence of good news from the second round, you should concentrate on the place you have been offered and other pressing problems like where to live for the next year.
Department of Education
rechecks
Judging by calls to this column and discussions with teachers, many students are pinning their hopes on the recheck system this year.
The viewing of scripts takes place this Friday and Saturday at hundreds of schools around the State. Go in and take a look at the papers and decide whether you have a case or not.
There is no point in appealing the papers purely out of frustration, because there is a chance - albeit very small - of being downgraded and last year 15 candidates suffered that cruel fate.
If you are not interested in viewing the scripts and simply want to appeal your marks, this can be done easily enough.
It will cost you €33 per subject, although this will be refunded if you are upgraded in an individual subject.
Appeal applications must be with the Department on Wednesday, September 4th. This means schools must post applications on Tuesday, September 3rd.
According to the Department, if you viewed your scripts before finally deciding, you will need to arrange to pay the fee and return the form to the school on Monday, September 2nd or early on Tuesday 3rd.
They recognise this is quite "a confined time interval" but is necessary if the Department is to have the outcome of the appeal process available by early October.
One point worth repeating is this: If you are upgraded during this process and consequently become eligible for a place higher up your list, you are entitled to that place, and the colleges legally have to give it to you.
The chances of being upgraded are also relatively encouraging. In some subjects last year almost a third of candidates were upgraded. So all this trouble and hassle at the tail-end of the exam season could be worth it in October.