Leaving Cert students have one certainty this year – the CAO

YOONI, the Irish designed software platform to help leaving cert students to pick their ideal course, is reminding the class of 2021 of the first major deadline of the new year – the closing date for CAO applications.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the exams, tens of thousands of teenagers will be asked to list their desired courses by Monday, February 1st.

First-year dropouts alone result in losses of €17.2 million to Irish parents each year. On an individual level, the 3rd level student lifecycle will cost parents a minimum of €18,444 with a child living at home for college. Every Irish parent has a 25% chance of losing some, if not all of that €18,444 due to their child dropping out.

YOONI co-founder Nathan Mayes says several vital considerations that students and their parents need to consider. These include;

Course Suitability

Choose courses based on your personality, interests and academic ability – not based on where friends think of attending or geographic location. If you're struggling to decide what courses to apply for, Yooni's assessment technology will analyse these key factors to match you with your best-fit courses and career areas in every Irish college, www.yooni.ie.

Apply

It is vital to apply by February 1st – even with a blank application- to keep your options open. Courses can be entered at a later date (ones that aren't restricted).

Restricted Courses

You must enter restricted courses before the CAO deadline on February 1st. All such courses have been recently highlighted on YOONI Facebook and Instagram pages.

HEAR/DARE Applicants

As a CAO applicant, you must indicate if you are a HEAR/DARE candidate by February 1st. You then have until March 1st to get the relevant paperwork in.

Last but not least, – don't stress!

Remember, you can make as many changes to your application as you want up to July 1st, so don't stress about this upcoming CAO deadline.

Nathan Mayes said, "The class of 2021 needs a break. COVID-19 significantly disrupted Their 5th year, and the start of this term has seen a return to online learning. Uncertainty over the Leaving Cert exams' fate does not change the fact that applications have to be submitted by February 1st. You can always change your course preferences, but the date for first submissions is set in stone. We strongly recommend that students use a service like YOONI to assess best what courses would suit them best, knowing that your preferences can always be amended up until July 1st."

YOONI, a software platform designed to help leaving cert students to pick their ideal course looks to life beyond the leaving cert. YOONI has developed bespoke assessment technology that analyses students' academics, personality and interests to generate personalised course recommendations and insights.

To sign up for free and view other supports available to students, visit www.YOONI.ie.