HEARTY CONGRATS TO everyone who got their first choice this morning in the CAO offers, and have accepted, and are now out buying lunchboxes and pencil-cases for their first day in college.
But what if you didn’t get what you wanted? Or you’re not sure whether to settle for an offer now, or hold off for your first preference.
Don’t worry – help is available in abundance today. Here’s a rough and ready breakdown of some tricky questions currently tormenting the Class of 2014.
I didn’t get any offers today – what can I do?
Stay calm, and wait until tomorrow. At 12pm on Tuesday, the CAO will open the Available/Vacant Places function on its website, and you can check then if course places have been freed up.
I didn’t get my preferred course today – what happens if I accept another offer?
Accepting another offer today will not stop you being able to choose your preferred course in later rounds, if the points drop.
However, if you don’t accept any offer today, there is a risk that you might not get another offer in subsequent rounds.
When will the second round of offers start?
The second round will open at 6am on 28 August.
Experts are on hand
For any and all your questions and concerns, the best thing to do is to get in touch with CAO itself, by emailing them directly on the Contact CAO page of their website.
Have your CAO Application Number, and all relevant information ready to include in your message.
You can expect an answer within about one working day, but since you might end up obsessively refreshing your email inbox in the meantime, best to get all the details into one, comprehensive question.
The National Parents Council also has an exam helpline, manned by experts from the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and a member of SUSI, the student grant body, from 8am to 7pm today.
The number is 1800 265 165. It is also open tomorrow from 8am to 7pm, and Wednesday from 8am to 1pm.
For a general overview of the CAO offer system, check out this handy video guide:
CAO / Vimeo
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