Structure of academic assessment

Some college departments conduct their assessment processes in the form of a single written terminal examination, while others do so twice a year in the same format. Other courses involve a large segment of continuous assessment projects which build up towards your final assessment mark for the year.

In some colleges the grade point average of your final qualification includes the assessments carried out over the entire duration of the course. In other institutions your GPA is calculated only on the basis of the final two years of your degree.

The nature of the assessment process will have a profound effect on your entire college experience and you should always factor it into to your key considerations. Every student has a preferred learning style and the nature of the assessment process should suit yours.

Availability of affordable and easily accessible accommodation

Every year students who secure the perfect course for their academic needs end up dropping out or never even starting because they find it impossible to find suitable accommodation in which to live. Some colleges ensure that their entire student body have access to accommodation either through direct accommodation on campus or through arrangements with those offering accommodation within commuting distance of the college. Other colleges while providing some accommodation directly to first years, leave it to the students themselves to secure accommodation.

Before you finally list your course choices in June 2017, ensure that you will stand a good chance of being able to live close to the colleges you selected. It is incredible to believe but true that many students are commuting for up to six hours daily to attend the college they secured a place in. Such travel robs you totally of the opportunity to derive the full benefits of the college experience.

Opportunities to spend a portion of your studies abroad

International links between colleges are growing the whole time. Many Irish colleges have developed these links with the most sought after and prestigious universities on the planet. Before you decide on your course choices explore the nature of such opportunities provided by the courses you are considering. In this way you may find yourself spending a year at a college such as Harvard or MIT sitting beside students paying $50,000 (€46k) per year for their place, while you have paid a €3,000 registration charge to your Irish college for the privilege of your year abroad.

Work placements

Some colleges and specific departments within third level institutions have superb work placement arrangements with organisations to which graduates will eventually aspire to secure employment within. Many of these work placement arrangement is for a full year of half year and are paid at very attractive levels, which ensures that the experience is very real as the employer will seek to get a commercial return on their investment in the student concerned.

Courses which include such placements as a core element of their programme are hugely attractive to students as a large proportion of employers will offer a high performing student on placement, a contract of employment at the end of their placement, even though they have a full year of their course to complete. Such offers may sometimes involve being on the payroll while they complete their degree. Factor such potential work placement arrangements into the criteria you will consider before finally selecting your course choices.

Clubs and societies

Many of the skills and talents I developed during my college days which have been central to my career journey through life were learned through student politics, journalism and debating, to name but a few. The range of activities which you can potentially involve yourself in, once you secure a place in a specific college are not just interesting from a social perspective but may be central to your overall growth and development. These skills may in fact be the ones which attract the attention of potential employers following your graduation, so explore the range of such activities in any college you are considering seriously in your explorations over the coming months.