COLLEGE CHOICE: Emmet Oliver's guide to the CAO process. Today: As the deadline for CAO appliations approaches, mature applicants have some tough decisions to make. Helpline: 1850 201245 (5-7pm)
There is one week to go before the CAO deadline for applications. For school leavers there are plenty of hard decisions to be made over the next seven days.
But for would-be mature learners, the decisions are even more perplexing and challenging.
While school leavers have to decide what courses to select and in what order, for mature students the question is: should I go to college at all and will I be able to last the pace? The answer for the vast majority is an emphatic "Yes".
For example, it is estimated that almost 10 per cent of mature students achieve 1st class honours at third level, compared with only 2 per cent of school leavers.
Until recently, the philosophy behind education policy was to get as many school leavers as possible into the system. Because our rates of third level participation were so low, policy revolved around packing colleges with Leaving Cert students. But due to falling student numbers at second level this has all changed.
Now some third level colleges are cancelling courses because there are not enough students to make them viable.
Against this background the emphasis has switched to encouraging mature learners. Many third level colleges now have adult education officers and others operate mature student quotas.
So unlike a decade ago, when the mature student often cut an isolated and slightly curious figure, nowadays they are welcomed with open arms.
The Government, meanwhile, is strongly supporting this and hopes 15 per cent of all third-level entrants will be matures within five years.
So on the surface this is probably the best time ever to go back to college (or go for the first time).
However, things are not so encouraging when it comes to getting on your favourite course.
Entry system
While the system for admitting school-leavers is relatively standardised, the colleges have idiosyncratic approaches to selecting mature students.
Some use interviews, some use aptitude tests, some use work experience, while others require all three.
Application requirements often differ too.
Some request that matures apply directly to them such as DCU and the University of Limerick, while others ask you to go through the CAO, for example UCD and NUI Galway.
Three colleges - NUI Maynooth, St Catherine's College of Education and Trinity College - require you to apply to the CAO by February 1st, plus send them a separate application form by the same date. This application form is available from their admissions office.
So, initially at least, the best way to approach adult learning is to contact the institutions directly. Most have adult education offices.
If they do not, the admissions offices are normally happy to deal with your query.
Who qualifies?
Most of the colleges agree on a definition for a mature student. It is somebody who is 23 years of age on or before January 1st of the year of entry to college. For people hoping to start a course this autumn, they need to be 23 (or older) now.
It is important to emphasise your previous education qualifications, but this is not the only method the colleges use to select students.
Relevant work experience or an aptitude in a certain area can be enough.
Mature students come in all shapes and sizes. Among them are people who chose to work in the home rather than go to college after leaving school, people who left school early and people who went to college for a period but dropped out.
Cost of courses
The general rule is: If it is your first time to do a third level course you do not have to pay, but if you previously did a course you must pay.
However, if a person is going to college a second time and taking a course at a higher level they do not have to pay. For example, if you did a certificate several years ago and are now returning to study a degree at university, you do not have to pay.
Post-graduate study is not covered under the free fees schemes, and crucially neither are evening courses, which are taken by a lot of matures.
Like school leavers, a means tested grant is available to matures from their local VEC (for certificates and diplomas) or local authority (for degrees).
Your income up to April 1st of this year will taken into account in deciding whether you qualify or not.
People who have been receiving social welfare can apply for a Back to Education Allowance from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. You need to have been getting social welfare for the last six months to qualify.
The next step
Once you have identified the course or area that interests you, make inquiries at the college you want to attend about their admission policy.
You really should have done this by now because, as outlined above, many colleges are part of the CAO and applications have to be submitted by February 1st.
Some will not accept applications after this, although there are later closing dates at DCU (April 2nd); UL (April 1st) and St Patrick's College, Drumcondra (April 2nd) and several others.
Other colleges give you more time and some do not impose any final closing date, especially private colleges such as Dublin's Portobello College, Griffith College and American College. Page five of the CAO handbook has a list of all deadlines.
While many colleges use the CAO to process mature applications, allocating places remains their prerogative.
Remember if you are applying via the CAO there is a space on the form for matures.
This allows you to give a short curriculum vitae, including details on previous education and relevant work experience.
Selection methods
What tends to dominate the thinking of colleges when selecting mature students is will they be able to cope with the complexity of the course? As anyone who has studied alongside a mature student knows, they are often the most motivated people in the class. But colleges do worry that if a mature student cannot cope they will drop out and this will give the institution a bad name.
So what runs through all the selection methods is a preoccupation with not selecting students who will find themselves out of their depth.
Nevertheless, mechanisms such as aptitude tests can feel demeaning for mature learners who often have more life experience and work experience than any school-leaver.
In the university sector the selection methods vary.
DCU and UCC require interviews for all faculties, and in some cases an aptitude test.
At UCD the approach varies depending on what faculty you want to enter.
For example, in faculties such as agriculture, engineering, law and architecture an interview is normally conducted with most applicants.
But on courses such as social science (DN07), interviews are not staged and relevant work experience is more important.
To do science in UCD as a mature student a 500-word statement outlining the areas of the university's science programme you are interested in is normally required.
NUI Galway has various selection methods. including written assessments for the arts programme.
To do medicine in most of the universities you need to have some kind of healthcare or science-based work experience. Trinity College requires an aptitude test for virtually every faculty.
In the institute of technology sector an interview is the favoured way of screening applicants. Aptitude tests are not generally used.
As a general rule, the ITs tend to be more flexible about admitting mature students than the universities, but it differs from college to college.
Number of places
Several colleges have introduced quotas for matures. This means places are reserved for you and it makes entry a little easier.
The use of quotas is particularly widespread in the ITs. Some of these colleges are looking to recruit almost a third of their student body from the ranks of adult learners, but according to sources it is proving difficult because the labour market is still reducing the pool of available adults.
While it has no specific quota, the Blanchardstown Institute of Technology in west Dublin is hoping "non-standard applicants" (official name for matures and other applicants not coming through thetraditional route) will make up 30 per cent of its annual entrants in the next five years.
The university sector does not generally use quotas, although Trinity College says all faculties can take mature students - up to a limit of 10 per cent of their total intake.
If you are hoping to become a mature medical or dentistry student, do not hold your breath because the colleges are highly reluctant to admit matures into these areas with places scarce.
For example, UCC only holds open one dentistry and one medical place each year for matures.
Although, in fairness to Cork, they give more details than any other institution about their quotas, breaking the numbers down in surprising detail.
Finally, for matures who want to know what colleges require and when applications need to be completed, a copy of Guide For Mature Students 2002, by Ms Helen Keogh of the Department of Education, would be a great start.
Ms Keogh is the national co-ordinator of the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) and has produced this fine guide.
It is available from the Department of Education, Further Education Section, Irish Life Centre, Dublin 2. Telephone: 01-8892009; or the Curriculum Development Unit, Sundrive Road, Dublin 8. Telephone: 01-4535487.