Not a Mature Student - Why does CAO want this info? (Special Category)

Tears in Rain

Hi, I'm applying through the CAO to start a college course in Autumn 2010. I've done a course already, but it didn't really suit me, so I'm following my dreams and going back to college to study what I've always wanted to since I was a child

I'll still be 22 this January, so technically, I won't be a mature student, therefore as I understood it, I would be competing for a place in my course the same as school leavers, i.e. on the basis of my Leaving Certificate points alone.

However, the CAO handbook (here) says I must fill in the following information:

E. HIGHER EDUCATION (Attended or attending a 3rd level institution, i.e. Universities, Institutes of Technology, Colleges of Education, etc.):

1. If you have ever attended a higher education institution anywhere, you MUST enter YES on Page 2. This must be done regardless of whether you passed or failed or did not take examinations. Please see the special note on Page 3 of the Form about failure to disclose this information.

2. If you have completed a course, you should include a copy of an academic transcript.

3. If you have withdrawn from a course before completing it, you should enclose a certificate of attendance showing the relevant dates of entry and withdrawal.

4. If you are still attending an institution of higher education give full details on Page 4 of the Form stating institution(s) attended, course(s) taken, dates of attendance, current status and results obtained. You do not need to supply the documentation mentioned in 3 above.

The Application Form itself has this rather threatening comment to make too:

Tick whichever one or more of the following applies in your case.

You must consult pages 12, 13 & 14 of the CAO Handbook 2010 before completing this section

In the case of Category E, failure to disclose the appropriate information may result in the
cancellation of the application. Checks are made to ensure that this information has not
been omitted.

(Category E refers to the same as E. above)

So on the one hand I thought I would be competing for a college place solely on the basis of Leaving Cert points, but on the other hand, they've made it VERY clear that they NEED to know that I've completed a college course (as I have). Will this put me at any sort of a disadvantage, or change the rules for me in any way?

I'm very worried about this as I until I read this I was reasonably certain my entry into college was fairly secure since I probably have enough points to get in.

Thanks in advance for any guidance, and sorry if I've put this in the wrong forum!

debella52

hey i'm i the same boat as you:D i'll be 23 in february and have already done 2 years engineering but ended up so stressed i left. anyway so now i'm gonna wait till i'm a mature student and reapply for primary teaching. so because i did 2 years and dropped out i'd get loaded with fees for the two years i did already:mad: thats why they want to know even if you didn't complete your course. did you know you can get a back to education allowance as a mature student if you've been on social welfare for over 9 or 12 months... check out citizens information... best o luck:)

Tears in Rain

Oh cool, that makes perfect sense! I was wondering why they sounded so aggressive in the form, and it's because they want my money! Thanks a lot for clearing that up

I called a friend just before checking boards and she said the same thing, it's to see if you have to pay fees (Fees are nothing to be happy about but at least I don't need to worry that past experiences will count against me somehow!)

I'll check out citizens info to see if I'm eligible for anything...good luck with your Primary Teaching application!

debella52

thanks and same to you too, hope it all works out:)