Filling in the CAO Form - Before you start

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

The CAO - Personal Statement

The Further Details(on the paper version)/Mature Section (on the online version) of the CAO form is often referred to as the Personal Statement. This is your opportunity to show the person behind the application and to 'sell yourself' to the colleges you are applying to. Remember that the CAO form can be seen by all the institutions whose courses you have chosen so be careful not to make the information you include specific to one institution/course.

Colleges will often shortlist on the basis of this personal statement and/or their own application forms so you really need to provide further information about yourself in this section. You need to get it right so practise and rewrite until you feel it is strong enough to get you that place at interview!

In your personal statement you should demonstrate that you have put thought and consideration into your choices. You should also allow the college to gain an understanding of yourself as a 'whole person' - your personality, skills, hobbies, interests and experience. Page 14 of the CAO handbook provides guidelines as to what should be included in this section, some other suggestions are listed below as to what else you might include. It is only a guide giving some ideas of what you might include, remember the personal statement is personal so really has to come from YOU!

Course Choice
You need to show reasoning for the course(s) you have chosen. Examples would include having a personal interest in the area, work experience included, the course having a mixture of theory and practise). If you have a number of courses that are in unrelated areas you need do explain this diversity so that it does not look like you are 'hedging your bets' or are unclear about what you want to do.

Career Goals
If you do have a particular career goal which will be helped by getting the course you are applying for outline this in your application. You may not have a clear career goal as yet and may be applying for courses which open up a number of options to you but it would be beneficial to indicate that you know what career options are open to you after studying the areas you are applying for.

Your own experience
Give a little bit of your 'back-story', indicate why you are returning to education, how you have prepared for attending Third Level, and why you are the person they should interview for their course. Colleges want to see that you are ready, committed and capable of the academic rigours of Third Level. They want to see that you are aware of what is involved in going to Third Level and, in particular, what is involved in the course(s) you are applying for. This is why research BEFORE you apply is so important. We discuss preliminary research in a previous post.

When you have completed your form and are satisfied that you have 'sold' yourself to the best of your ability make sure you take a copy or print out a copy of the form for your own records. This will help to remind you of key points made and areas which may be covered in the interview stage.

Good Luck with your application and if you have any questions you can ask them here (click on the comment button), make an appointment with the form on the right or drop into the office.