This article is from page 3 of the 2006-08-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE study is over, the exams completed and the points counted for more than 1,300 leaving cert students across Clare and the Class of 2006 is celebrating.
Almost 50,000 teens were logging on yesterday morning to see if they had the all important college offer.
Education experts were hailing the end of the points race as the CAO offered as many places as there were leaving cert students this year.
As a result points have dropped in major areas of interest.
There were however a small number of exceptions where courses such as medicine and architecture retaining their high access points.
Among the Clare students celebrating their successes yesterday was Maeve O’Dwyer from Doora. The 18-year-old St Flannan’s student was preparing for her first year in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick where she is to study primary school teaching.
While the course has come down five points in the previous year, the teenager had more points than were required last year for the course and was quietly confident of success.
She began looking for accommodation on campus after the leaving cert results were announced last week and by yesterday all her planning had come together as she secured her first choice course and accommodation within hours.
With their close access to Clare, Limerick and Galway have proved popular choices for many Clare students.
Ballyea’s Don Flannery is delighted to be heading to Galway to begin his course in environmental science. The 18-year-old former St Flannan’s student said a lot of his friends were moving to Galway and he had also secured accommodation.
Aidan Kelly from Ballybeg told The Clare People that Galway colleges were very popular among his friends.
The former Christian Brothers student was delighted when he received an offer of his first choice Arts course at NUIG.
Those who did not receive their first preference offer this time round are reminded that second round offers will be made on September 1.
Students are also asked not to panic if they think they will not get their preferred course as there are many other options other than the CAO process.
Meanwhile students have until today to complete an application form if they wish to see any of their exam scripts, which they can then view in their schools on September 1 and 2.
The result of any appeals will be issued by early October.