There are so many important dates and deadlines upcoming.  So, Donnchadh and guidance counsellor Joe Farrelly, chat you through the most important ones got to do with the CAO, UCAS, HPAT, Tertiary degrees and PLC courses. Make sure to follow @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok

Donnchadh is flying solo this week in the podcast as he gives his top tips for preparation for the mocks.  Donnchadh talks about Study schedulesTopics to learnActive study vs passive studyUsing nerves to your benefitElite preparationUsing the mocks as a positiveAssessing post mocksMocks vs HPATThe very best of luck to all in their preparations for the mocks and dont forget to follow our socials in the lead up to a very important month for applications. Follow us @leavingcertguidance on...

Guidance counsellor Deborah Galbraith joined Donnchadh this week to discuss how students can make the most of their Christmas break.  How can students use the break in terms of relaxation, academic preparation and college research? Deborah outlines to students the type of studying they should be doing over the break and the self care practices they should be doing.   Follow @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok.

If you are a HEAR/DARE applicant for the CAO 2024 applications or you just want to find out more about these access programmes then this episode is a must.  Colm Downes who is the Access Programme Manager for the Irish University Association joins Donnchadh to tell us what these programmes are, how CAO points work for them, what and application involves, important dates and lots more. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok on @leavingcertguidance

On today's episode, Dr Fiona Maloney, the Director of the National Tertiary Office, joins Donnchadh to discuss the new Tertiary degrees. Fiona talks about the new tertiary degrees that are being launched on Wednesday. Find out the entry requirements, how to apply for these degrees, getting a preliminary offer before your LC, how you can use your SUSI grant for the degrees, how to apply, locations and lots more. This episode is a must for students, parents and guidance counsellors. Follow...

Guidance counsellor, Brian Comerford from classroomguidance.ie joins me this week to discuss what careers will be popular in the future.  How can students future proof themselves from AI? How can students contribute to climate change, in what careers and courses? What skills can students learn that will be invaluable? What courses should students be looking at. Follow us @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok

Donnchadh takes a deep dive into how to pick your college course with guidance counsellor Aoife McArdle from the Institute of Education. Where can a student start? What resources are there? What role to a guidance counsellor or parent play in the process plus lots more. Follow @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok

Clinical Psychologist, Dr Laura Buckley, joins Donnchadh to discuss dealing with exam stress and anxiety.  Laura discusses the importance of stress to humans, why it is so common among teenagers, how students can deal with stress using the TIPP method and physical soothing.  Dr. Buckley also gives tips to parents on how they can help their children deal with stress as best they can using the 'Bigger, stronger, kinder, wiser' approach. Follow us on @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok.

On this episode Donnchadh is joined by Eileen Keleghan from the CAO.  This episode is a must from CAO 2024 applicants because Eileen outlines what applicants can expect from the CAO application, important dates, top tips for applicants, using the CAO handbook, the personalised CAO handbook. Follow @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok to stay up to date.

Did you know that 55,330 CAO applicants had an arts degree on their CAO list last year? Dr John McGinnity, Guidance Counsellor at the Institute if Education, joins me this week to discuss the importance of an arts degree, the different types of arts degrees, what students can do when they graduate with an arts degree, Erasmus and Study Abroad opportunities and much more. This week's podcast episode is brought to you my Maynooth University.  Check out mu.ie/opendays for information on...

@the_LC_team Leaving Cert Business expert and secondary school Business teacher, Ciara Long joins Donnchadh on the podcast to chat about her experience studying Business at third level, her unique route to Business, and tips and advice for LC Business students. This episode of the @leavingcertguidance podcast is brought to you by The University of Galway. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok on @leavingcertguidance

This episode of The Leaving Cert Guidance podcast is brought to you by The University of Galway. On today's show I am joined by Emma Ronan (@leavingcertbiology.ie) and Lena Kadri (@chemistryschoolofgrowth).  Both are part of The LC Team on Instagram as the Biology and Chemistry experts respectively. Emma and Lena chat to Donnchadh about their experiences studying science in third level and what advice they would give to students studying Biology and Chemistry for the LC. Follow us...

What is an Open Day and how can students make the most of their experience? Guidance Counsellor from the Institute of Education, Aoife McArdle, joins me for tips and advice for students embarking on their first open days. This episode is brought to you by the University of Galway.  Their Open Day in the 5th and 6th October. Follow us on @leavingcertguidance

Muireann Carey is a medicine undergraduate in Trinity College.  She scored over 200 in her HPAT. Muireann talks about her preparation for the HPAT, how she juggled it the LC and the mocks while doing her prep.  She talks about when is a good time to start prepping and what the exam itself is like.  Finally, Muireann tells us why she chose Trinity and what her degree is like. Follow us @leavingcertguidance

You might know Danielle McFadden from Instagram or Tiktok, but Danielle is a very accomplished student having gotten 613 points in her LC.  Danielle talks about her approach to the exams, the study methods she used, how she set goals, the CAO process and her transition into college. Dont forget to follow us on @leavingcertguidance. You can follow Danielle on @daniellemcfaddenn

Did you know that almost 5,000 Irish students apply to UCAS every year? Holly Smith from The University Guys outlines the difference between the CAO and UCAS, key dates to know, how to write a personal statement, how the reference has changed this year and much more. Don't forget to follow @leavingcertguidance on Instagram and TikTok.

The Leaving Cert results are out so students are now turning their attention to the CAO offers out Wednesday 30th August at 2pm. Donnchadh is joined by Aoife McArdle, guidance counsellor at the Institute of Education as they discuss how offers work, how the different rounds work, available places, private college and direct entry courses, what if you don't get an offer, what can you do? This podcast episode is brought to you by DBS.

Friday 25th August at 10am. Aoife McArdle, Guidance Counsellor at the Institute of Education joins Donnchadh for this episode to chat about the upcoming results.  What will students expect on the day? When do students get a chance to see their marks? How can students view scripts?  What does the appeals process look like? What can I do if the results did not go well. The National Parents and Leaving Cert Helpline will open to students on Friday at 10am on 1800 265 165. This episode is...

One the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships to receive at Irish 3rd Level in the Quercus Talented Students Programme in UCC. Michele Power, Programme Manager and Elaine O'Mahony, Admistrator on the programme join the podcast today to outline the different categories for the programme, how to apply to the programme, tips for a successful applications, the AMAZING benefits of the scholarships and examples of past scholarship recipients. There is a 2nd February deadline for the...

Colette O Beirne from DCU tells us about the upcoming CAO Online Information Evening happening on Tuesday 17th January.  Students can register at dcu.ie Colette also gives advice to CAO applicants. Dr Ciaran Dunne is the Transversal Skills Director at DCU.  He talks about skills necessary for undergraduates to incorporate in order to make themselves more employable for the future.  Learning 'human skills' that AI cannot replicate. Check out the DCU instagram page @team.dcu Follow us on...

What are the most common mistakes on the CAO application that can prohibit applicants from an offer? Where should applicants be at this stage in the CAO journey? What is Genuine Order of Preference and how significant is it? Eileen Keleghan from the CAO answers these questions and lots more on this week's podcast. This podcast is a must for anyone who is applying to the CAO. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @leavingcertguidance

This week's episode is a jam packed show with guests from the University of Limerick. Firstly Stephen Ryan gives on updates on changes to courses at UL.  Dr Patrick Healy from the AI and Machine learning department chats about this course and the benefits of students graduating with this degree. Jan McCarthy, Course Director for Midwifery also joins on to discuss this course in UL and what type of students they are looking for.  Jan also chats about alternative entry routes to this...

This week UCAS expert, David Hawkins from the University Guys,  joins me on the podcast to discuss what Irish students need to know about the UCAS applications, writing a personal statement,  understanding entry requirements, how to pick a university and a course, and tips for teachers and guidance counsellors on how to write references and give predicted grades, plus lots more. Follow David on @theuniversityguys Follow Donnchadh on @leavingcertguidance

Happy College Awareness Week.  On this week's episode I am joined by John McGinnity, Admissions Officer at MU.  John and I talk about the upcoming open day, developments at MU in the last number of years, new courses starting in 2023, Arts in MU plus lots more. The MU open day takes place on 25th and 26th November.  See mu.ie/opendays for more details. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @leavingcertguidance