If you're a boy, you're nine times more likely to become an engineer than the girl sitting beside you at school. Equally, if you're a girl you're 9.6 times more likely to work as a nurse than the boy down the road. Gender stereotyping probably begins even further back than Barbie dolls and Meccano sets but by the time students get to Leaving Certificate it becomes quantifiable.
For instance, boys are three times more likely to take physics while girls are twice as likely to study biology. Following this pattern through to their choice of career, boys will become plumbers, electricians, physicists, and engineers while, by and large, girls will become dietitians, medical lab technicians, nurses and physiotherapists. Girls care while boys construct. That's fine if boys and girls give the full range of career and course choices equal attention and then opt for the area that will suit them best.
The points system is an equal opportunities system. The CAO form does inquire about your gender but this is merely a statistical exercise. It cannot be used to augment or detract from your points. Almost all courses are offered on the basis of points accumulated in the Leaving Certificate only.
So, if you're a girl you should not automatically ignore all of the technical-type courses as being better suited to your brother or your boyfriends. If you do, you are cutting yourself off from some of the most exciting and lucrative careers. There is a chronic shortage of engineers, computer scientists and technicians in Ireland at present.
For boys, careers in the so-called "caring professions" should not be seen as the exclusive preserve of those endowed with two X chromosomes. Students who opt for non-traditional courses tend to do very well. So, you hear engineering lecturers say girls tend to be disproportionately represented at the top of the class and you find boys who become nurses or teachers rising swiftly through the ranks. Of course, there is an element of self-selection here, with the more determined and able students braving the non-traditional roles.
When it comes to choosing a course, gender is only one of a complex mixture of factors which comes into play. There's snobbery which will allow you to attend only a university - and, preferably, one of the long-established colleges. Snobbery may also allow you to apply only for courses which lead to traditional professions such as law and medicine. Academic snobbery may mean that students who expect to achieve high points will think of courses only in terms of cut-off points rather than content.
Finance is another major factor when it comes to course selection. It may dictate that you select a two-year certificate rather than a four-year degree.
There are other individual factors such as smaller classes and colleges being more attractive to shyer individuals.
For the more social, choice may be based on gossip, hearsay and even some research about the college's extra-curricular offerings. One Leaving Certificate student recently confided he would be putting UCD at the top of his CAO list as the social life is said to be excellent, with the college attracting large numbers of Dublin girls.
Students may be influenced by more mundane considerations, such as the jobs market. It seems we can't produce enough people to fill the computing, engineering, teleservices, hotel and catering and service industry vacancies. So, if getting a job immediately after college is important, you may veer away from more general courses such as arts where a further top-up qualification may be required before you head for the workplace.
Role models are important factors. If your parents, relatives and friends work in traditional jobs, you may be less likely to explore other options.
There are also certain trends which seem to afflict Leaving Cert students, so arts may be the "in course" for a number of years then business becomes fashionable. At present, science's star seems to be in the descendant but a series of initiatives by the Department of Education and Science may reverse this.
All of these factors contribute to fluctuating points levels. The chances of securing a college place on an individual course vary each year. It is the number and quality of applicants and the number of available places which determine the cut-off points.
There are some perennial favourites - such as law, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, psychology, actuarial studies and physiotherapy - where the points remain high. Other courses fluctuate quite considerably in their cut-off levels.
The number of first-preference applicants gives a good idea of the real demand for a particular course. First-preference applicants are students who listed this course at the top of their CAO list. What they were saying was that they would love a place on this course above all else, so the ratio of first-preference applicants to available places gives a good indication of supply and demand.
Last year, at degree level, there were roughly six first-preference applicants for every place in first-year medicine, while there were some two first-preference applicants for each place in arts/social science and science/applied science. There were about four first-preference applicants for each place in teacher-training colleges, while there were three first-preference applicants for each first-year place in the administration/business area.
At certificate/diploma level, there were a staggering 24 first-preference applicants for each healthcare place. In art and design and in science/applied science, there was a ratio of about three first-preference applicants to each first-year place.
There is no doubt that the more traditional professions continue to exercise a strong fascination for school-leavers. But students willing to experiment and look at newer courses can increase their chances of obtaining a college place.
When you are filling out your CAO form, make sure that the course you put at the top of your list is the one you really want. Forget about points and put down your dream choice. You do not know how well you will perform in the Leaving Certificate or what the cut-off points will be. Each year, College Choice hears of distraught students who were offered their first-preference course but wanted to change as they did better than they expected and they had listed their courses in order of points rather than preference.
It is not possible to reject your first-preference choice and opt for something else further down your list of choices. The way the CAO works is that if you are offered your first preference you will not be offered a further choice from that list. There is nothing unreasonable about this. You have selected this course as your top choice - you should be delighted to hear you have a place.
On the other hand, it is possible to move up your list of choices. So, if you are offered your number three choice in the first round of college offers you are still in the running for your number one and two choices, regardless of whether you accept or reject your third choice. So, make sure your list is in genuine order of preference.
The certificate/diploma and degree lists operate independently so you may receive two offers but, of course, you can accept only one.
Having listed your top nine choices on the certificate/diploma list in order of preference, it is possible virtually to guarantee yourself a college place by choosing a "banker" course - something you are interested in and are confident you can achieve. For instance, last year a number of courses offered places to students with five passes in the Leaving Cert. The advantage of doing this is that when it comes to early autumn you may not want to repeat the Leaving Certificate and this could provide you with an alternative.
While you are researching courses, you should spend a little time studying the common-entry options. The advantage of opting for a general science or arts or business or engineering course is that you can sample various subjects before specialising. This year, for the first time, the CAO handbook lists the subjects offered in the various common-entry programmes. While this is a good starting point, it is essential to consult the college literature and your guidance counsellor.
If you know exactly what you want to do, a direct-entry programme means that you can get to work in that discipline immediately.
When you are filling out your CAO form be aware of why you are listing a particular course. What has informed your attitude? Are you thinking of a "suitable career for a woman (insert man as necessary)?" Impressing your school friends with your choice? Something that your parents approve of? Or something that will interest you over the next few years?
Helpline Students, parent and teachers with queries about colleges, courses and application procedures are invited to call the College Choice helpline between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. today. Tel: (01) 679 2099