Choose With Care

Recent figures show that up to one-third of students at third-level institutions in Ireland either fail their first year or drop out of their chosen course. Such a high drop-out rate suggests that Leaving Cert students do not give enough priority to the courses they choose on their CAO forms. Many students think more about the college they want to go to, or the kind of courses they think they will be able to do based on the number of points they need and how many they estimate they will get, rather than putting the emphasis on the areas of study that interest them and which they would like to pursue at third-level.

The latest figures for the non-completion rate of first-year students for some of Ireland’s most popular colleges are listed below:

College	Percentage of Course Non-Completion
University College Dublin	16.3
University College Cork	13
Trinity College Dublin	10
NUI Galway	13
University of Limerick	13
Cork Institute of Technology	25
Waterford Institute of Technology	14
NUI Maynooth	15.7

Such figures indicate the growing need for students to apply a great deal of thought and consideration to the CAO application process and to make sure that they list the courses that they would like to do in order of preference rather than choosing courses that they think they stand a higher chance of being accepted onto. One of the main reasons for this unacceptable level of drop-out rates in third-level institutions in Ireland is due to students’ poor understanding of what the courses involve.

Students should resolve to research the course content very carefully before they list it as one of their preferred choices. It is also crucial that students have an interest in the course subject which they choose otherwise they are more likely to give up on it when the going gets tough. It is therefore a good idea to seek as much advice as possible before choosing your course preferences. Speak to students already on the course, teachers and your school careers advisor for guidance and advice.