With a week to go, there is enough time to adopt an approach that keeps the ‘end of the world’ feeling at bayAt a time when random selection for highly sought-after courses appears to only be on the rise, backups have arguably never been more important. Photograph: Getty Images Thu Jun 25 2026 - 06:01 • 2 MIN READMany CAO applicants change their lists of courses at this time of year for various reasons. Most are valid, of course, but Andree Harpur cautions against “the most dangerous one”. Often, an applicant who is dead set on their preferences might receive somewhat “subjective” advice or feedback from someone already established in the career they desire. This advice, perhaps from someone suffering burnout or for whom the career was never suitable in the first place, can be to simply avoid it, resulting in a last-minute panic.Although Harpur, who has worked in career guidance for more than three decades, does not advise ignoring these perspectives outright, she says it is important to take an “objective view”.“It happens in careers like nursing, for example. An adult tells them: ‘Are you crazy? Nursing is so much pressure.’ All of these points are fairly valid, but if you’re a natural nurse, you’ll be able to roll with those.”Perceived poor performance in exams can also lead to applicants rushing to change their lists, but Harpur urges them not to lose confidence after the Leaving Cert.The final arrangement of CAO choices, ranked by preference, can be a “very scary” choice to make for some, Harpur says, resulting in significant stress and pressure at this time of year.With a week to go until the CAO’s change-of-mind facility closes on July 1st at 5pm, there is enough time to consider courses on offer and adopt an approach that keeps the “end of the world” feeling at bay.The most important advice Harpur can give is to adopt a “safety-net approach”, or, in other words, have as many options as possible.At a time when random selection for highly sought-after courses appears to only be on the rise, backups have arguably never been more important. “I find that when a student has a plan that gives them loads of options, they’re not as stressed. They relax a little bit,” she says.Best practice would see an applicant back up their first preference with several safer but suitable courses that demand lower points.Harpur advises not only to make use of every space available for level-eight courses, but also to avail of the second list for level-six and level-seven course choices. Applicants can “never” be too safe, she says, adding that some apply for post-Leaving Certificate courses to bolster their options further.The coming days are a good opportunity to explore options for those who may have inputted a list of placeholder courses earlier this year and who potentially now find themselves more uncertain than ever.Age-old advice would see such applicants consider their favourite or strongest school subjects and work from there.Universities also host an array of information on their courses, including modules and potential career routes. Sometimes it is as simple as finding something that will sustain interest for three or four years.There is also no shortage of online assessments to help narrow down the search.IN THIS SECTION