I hate to bring us all back down to earth with a bang, but the 2018 Leaving Cert & CAO timeline is revving up again.  Summer 2018 seems to be lasting forever! Unlike most years where we wish our summer away, waiting for some fine weather to appear, those long hazy summer days immortalised in the Beach Boys songs are a reality this year.

There isn’t a whole lot of time available for students between the day of the Leaving Cert results and the CAO deadlines, so it is important to be aware of them. Get a big red biro and mark everything on your calendar, in your diary & and put reminders into your phone. Leave nothing to chance. It is good to celebrate your achievements, but it is also vital to keep an eye on the calendar too.

Leaving Cert Timeline

The Leaving Cert results will be available in schools on Wednesday, August 15^th and from 12 noon online at www.examinations.ie.  If you want to view any of your scripts/papers then you must return a completed request form to your school by Tuesday, August 21^st. The viewing of marked papers will be in your school on August 31^st and September 1^st. Viewing the papers is free but there is a fee per subject of €40 for Leaving Cert or €15.50 for Leaving Cert Applied if you appeal the result.

In the meantime, the first round of college places will be issued by the CAO on Monday, August 20^th. The CAO offers and points requirements will be available online at www.cao.ie from 6am. You have until 5.15pm on Friday, August 24^th to accept your place.

Round 2 CAO offers will be made on Wednesday, August 29^th with the cut-off date for acceptance of these being 5.15pm on Friday, August 31^st. From then on, offers will be more ad-hoc, with places being offered on courses as they arise, usually up until mid-October.

After all of your hard work, it is really important to make sure that you easily meet all of the deadlines and read carefully all of the correspondence that you receive. Check and double check everything.

Remember

It’s going to be an exciting time. A milestone in your life. So it is worth remembering a few things:

• Your exams results do not define you.
• Enjoy your success but be mindful that others may not be as happy as you are with their results – treat them as you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes.
• Random selection at the cut off point for courses is both fair and unfair at the same time
• Spare a thought for your parents – they are probably more anxious than you are
• Remember to thank your teachers
• If things didn’t go according to plan, consider all of your options

Here’s to the next chapter of your life – may it be absolutely wonderful.