Leaving Cert students applying to third-level colleges are generally consistent in their choice of courses, a new study has found. They do not put prestige courses like medicine and law first and only then list the subjects which they are really interested in.
The study, carried out by Dr David Tuohy of UCD's education department for the Points Commission, was published yesterday. Dr Tuohy found that when a large number of courses was available within broad subject groups - like engineering, the sciences, humanities and business and law - most applicants stayed within those groupings when they filled out their Central Applications Office form.
Some 30 per cent changed groups in their second option on the CAO degree list but returned to their first choice group further down the list. This was indicative of the strength and flexibility of the broad-based, Irish second-level system.
However, Dr Tuohy did identify a problem with medicine. He found that a "disproportionate amount (22 per cent) of the highest scoring applicants (505-600 points) have medicine as their first option, indicating that maybe they see their course choice as a vindication of their points rating". He suggests that medicine at university should have a different entry system from other courses. At least one submission to the commission proposed it should become a postgraduate subject.
Dr Tuohy also found that for many students the practice of repeating the Leaving Cert to obtain higher points was aimed less at trying to get onto prestige courses than to rectify a lack of basic entry requirements. Thus, they might repeat higher maths in order to qualify for engineering.
The statistics show that there is a high level of non-fulfilment of basic requirements in some subjects. This is particularly true of engineering, although the figures may be skewed by those with a technical bent who also fill in the degree list on the CAO form while really intending to take a certificate or diploma.