As the CAO closing date looms we have decided to publish an article each day relating to applying for the CAO as a mature student.
Today we are looking at what you should do BEFORE you start to fill in the form.
The most important thing is RESEARCH.
Find out what courses are available in the area you are interested in.
http://www.qualifax.ie/ is a great tool in this search, click on the Higher Education CAO link on the left hand side of the page when in course search. You can narrow fields by County and/or province, by qualification level (eg Level 7 or Level 8 degree) and so on if you wish. Think abou the location of the college, look at the actual subjects taught within the course, take a look at the progression options after you complete the course, the supports that are available for mature students, these are all elements that will help you decide which course is for you.
As a 'mature applicant' you will need to fill in a section of the CAO form which is on page 4 of the paper form, and is called the Mature Section on the online form. We will be publishing another article specifically related to filling in this section but it is enough to know here that you must research your selected courses to give the details that colleges want to hear in this section. Contact the mature student officer in the institution(s) you are applying to, contact the course directors or co-ordinators of your chosen courses. Suggestions of questions to ask include, what proportion of places are available to mature students, do they get many mature applicants, what areas do students struggle most with, what kind of things do they look for from a mature applicant, what would they advise you to do to prepare for their course? These kind of questions will also help you to prepare for the interview stage of applying for college.
This research process should also help you in choosing which of the courses you are looking at would be your preferred option and what areas you feel you may have to work on to prepare for college.
Next blog will be on Filling in the CAO Form - The form itself
Today we are looking at what you should do BEFORE you start to fill in the form.
The most important thing is RESEARCH.
Find out what courses are available in the area you are interested in.
http://www.qualifax.ie/ is a great tool in this search, click on the Higher Education CAO link on the left hand side of the page when in course search. You can narrow fields by County and/or province, by qualification level (eg Level 7 or Level 8 degree) and so on if you wish. Think abou the location of the college, look at the actual subjects taught within the course, take a look at the progression options after you complete the course, the supports that are available for mature students, these are all elements that will help you decide which course is for you.
As a 'mature applicant' you will need to fill in a section of the CAO form which is on page 4 of the paper form, and is called the Mature Section on the online form. We will be publishing another article specifically related to filling in this section but it is enough to know here that you must research your selected courses to give the details that colleges want to hear in this section. Contact the mature student officer in the institution(s) you are applying to, contact the course directors or co-ordinators of your chosen courses. Suggestions of questions to ask include, what proportion of places are available to mature students, do they get many mature applicants, what areas do students struggle most with, what kind of things do they look for from a mature applicant, what would they advise you to do to prepare for their course? These kind of questions will also help you to prepare for the interview stage of applying for college.
This research process should also help you in choosing which of the courses you are looking at would be your preferred option and what areas you feel you may have to work on to prepare for college.
Next blog will be on Filling in the CAO Form - The form itself
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