Student Concerns

I don’t really know what I should do in College?

You are not alone. The majority of students have no idea what career they wish to pursue. Considering your strengths and personal qualities as well as research into the graduate job market will be time well worth spending.

Quo Vadis Solutions can help you get started by getting you to complete some assessments. These include career interests, personality and if requested general intelligence tests. You will  receive a report that details for you, your personal qualities, suitable career options as well as job profiles, suggested subject options to take in your Leaving cert, information about what graduates do and sector guides.

I have to submit a CAO application now but I still don’t know all the courses I should pick?

The first major application deadline is the 1st of February.You can however change your mind online at no cost between the 1st of May and 1st of July. The only exception to this is restricted application courses. These are courses which offer places on the basis of an interview and or portfolio as well as your Leaving Cert points. For example Architecture, Art, Nursing and Music can be restricted application courses. These courses are clearly marked in the CAO handbook. If you think you might be interested in any of these courses make sure to include them now.

You can’t add these restricted applications to your choices from the 1st of May because interviewing, portfolio review etc takes place from February onwards. You can of course remove these course choices from the 1st of May and add other (non restricted) courses on the 1st of May.

So don’t worry if you’re not sure yet what you would like to do. The key step you need to take is to submit your online application by the deadline (1st of February 2007).

Use the time between now and the 1st of May to do your research on what courses best suit you. We can help you with this.

I can’t get access to the CAO web site or I’m having problems with the CAO web site.

Leaving your application/acceptance to the last few days causes problems as the CAO web site becomes overwhelmed as over 30,000 students try to complete their applications at the same time.  The excellent CAO web site may become slow to respond so have patience. Try to access at a non peak time for example by going online very early in the morning.

It’s preferable to apply/accept online as this ensures any problems in your form are corrected.e.g courses now cancelled

If however this is your last chance to submit then bring your completed application/acceptance form together with one of the certificates of posting from the CAO handbook to your local post office and ask them to stamp your certificate of posting.  Keep this securely as the CAO will accept it as proof that you submitted your details before the deadline.

I don’t like the course I’m doing in college at the moment – what can I do?

If this is the case, there is a range of options open to you:

• Enquire about the flexibility of your current course in relation to subject or module choice
• Ask about the possibility of continuing your study on a part time basis.
• Enquire about transferring to another course at your college
• Take time out and withdraw from your studies
• Leave the course and look for a job

However, before making your decision it is important to consider all your options and think about key issues. Quo Vadis Solutions will be able to help you make an informed decision about what other courses might suit you. We will also be able to support you during your decision making process. The advice will be confidential and impartial.

Advice for Students intending to withdraw from their present course of study, transfer to another course or suspend their studies

University web sites usually provide details of contacts and sources of assistance to help you make the right decision. These include: academic, student finance, careers, counselling and accommodation. They also usually include step by step guidelines on how to withdraw/transfer or suspend studies.

What is the difference between your assessments and the qualifax assessment?

The qualifax website which contains details of all courses is a “must see” for all aspiring college students. It has a free online interest’s assessment which asks you to choose between different occupations e.g.  farmer or mechanic. Based on your answers it then shows which of seven broad categories of occupations are likely to interest you. 

Our assessments do not ask you to choose between careers. They look at what you’re interested in from a hobbies, emotional and lifestyle angle using a Likert (1 to 5) scale. For example do you like being with people all the time? From this we produce job suggestions with full details of what each job involves and related courses. Click here for further details.