From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

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From Leaving Certificate to Leaving School
Some students spoke about doing work experience or summer work with
an employer who they hoped would take them on when they finished
school:
I was working the last couple of years, kind of, I like working, doing
a trade like.
… I did carpentry as work experience but during the summer then
I’d be working with other people. (Lang Street, boys’ school, working-class
intake)
5.3.5 Getting Enough Points
For students wishing to continue to third-level education, the type of college
course chosen was heavily influenced by their ability to get certain
grades in the Leaving Certificate exam and therefore enough CAO points
to access the course. Many students were acutely aware of the CAO
points system and the possibility of missing out on their first or second
choice. The majority of students chose courses with points that they felt
they could realistically attain but many suggested that they had put down
first choices that they were unlikely to get:
Well I’d like to do physio but the points are quite high so I’ve just
put lots of different choices on my CAO.
…Teaching, primary teaching, but I’m not sure, the points are too
high. (Harris Street, girls’ school, middle-class intake)
Some students chose certain universities as they offered bonus points for
certain subjects such as higher level Maths:
Interviewer: And how did you decide on [name of university]?
Pick up bonus points for honours maths so I thought it was the easiest
one to get into. (Argyle Street, coed school, mixed intake)
In some cases the high points associated with certain courses discouraged
students from applying.
She wants to be a nurse.
You need points for a nurse.