23yr old applying to uni..

[nicK]

hey all,
after a few years away from the education system i'm considering going back and applying to cao over the coming days..

i'm unsure of a few things though and i'm hoping maybe some of you could offer a little advice..

briefly.. after leaving school i went to uni in belfast and dropped out 2yrs into my civil eng degree to play online poker professionally (maybe i'll leave that bit out of the cao) and basically been playing and travelling since..
however, realising the futility of having very little to offer society with this job i'm hoping a degree will help shape me and perhaps help me contribute to society in other ways.. (i figure i can continue with my "job" anyway at evenings and weekends when not busy with course matters..)

though, i'm worried about the fact that mature students have to fill out what looks like a c.v rather than relying on leaving cert points could be quite the hindrence for someone like me as my relative experience since leaving school has been lacking to say the least..

i've been thinking about applying for a few degree courses in NUI Galway all of which i've scored well over the leaving cert entry requirements but i'm guessing that doesn't matter so much as they don't put as much emphasis on points as they would work experience and other further education certificates?

so..

after all that nonsense, a few questions..

i'm imagining competition for mature students will be greater this year in the current economic climate so i'm wondering am i being too ambitious applying to universities right away?
perhaps i should apply to an access course instead to guarantee entry the following year?
or maybe it's even possible to perhaps not tick the over 23 box and apply as a "normal" student?

ok, i guess it wasn't that brief..

all advice appreciated..
nick

Larianne

Yes you could apply the normal route through the CAO if you feel you've enough points for the course you want.

If you apply as a mature you will have to write a personal statement and submit a CV with relative work experience to the course.

I'd only suggest doing an access course if you feel you're not 100% ready to go back to college and feel you might not be able to cope with the studying and workload. But since you've only been out of college a short while you'll be okay.

If you have the points, go with the usual route of your leaving cert results!

Deadlines Monday!!!;)

[nicK]

well that's definately reassuring if that's infact possible..

do you happen to know for sure that it's an option to tick that over 23yr old box for mature students rather than it being required?

i don't mind about grants etc, just want to give myself the best chance of getting into my chosen courses..

paperclip2

[nicK] wrote: »

well that's definately reassuring if that's infact possible..

do you happen to know for sure that it's an option to tick that over 23yr old box for mature students rather than it being required?

i don't mind about grants etc, just want to give myself the best chance of getting into my chosen courses..

If I'm understanding you right you're asking if ticking the mature student box is optional for those over 23?

Yes it is optional, but by ticking it you aren't opting out of being considered for a place on the basis of your Leaving Cert Points. In other words you will be considered for places both on the strength of your points in the LC and also your mature student application. You are actually giving yourself two bites at the apple if you like.

If you decide to use both options then you will need to put some work into your mature application. The personal statement is the bit that most people can find problematic. The key things to remember in this are to relate any and all previous experience in life, paid work, voulntary work, hobbies, etc to the courses you have chosen. Have a really clear and easily explainable reason as to why this is the subject field you want to study in.



Keep it concise and to the point, try to answer the questions:

• Why do I want to do this / these course(s)?
• What experience (however tenuous) do I have in these areas?
• How has my interest developed and how have I nutured it?
• How do my personal qualities/ attributes/skills make me an ideal candidate for this learning?

Remember that the quality of your writing is also important, how you communicate and express yourself on paper will also give the college an idea of your ability so write a few drafts and have someone else look over it for you.

I've rabbited on overlong again so I'll leave it at that, just to say best of luck with your application.