CAO Round A

Macca3000

Snow-Monkey wrote: »

I shall see you there are you doing, the same course as bonker monkey pointed out.,...

cant wait to get stuck in tho excuse me on the first day, il be dieing as il just of got back from electric picnic

Coolage, I won't be the only one slightly older than everyone else looking round me and thinking "what the hell have I just done" :eek:

W86indow wrote: »

ha ha ha we will all be dieing the first week of college thanks to electric picnic wayhey!

Wish I was going now. Bloody overdraft.

W86indow

i hear its easy to sneak in

probly easier to get in to college tho hahah

Macca3000

Might give it a try haha. Got into Slane once using the over-the-wall-and-run-for-your-life-and-mix-in-the-crowd-before-you-get-caught-method:D

W86indow

we better stop talking about fun stuff before we get kicked out of the college thread before we've even got in

but ya aload of my friends got into oxygen last year through fields ... i hated myself for buying a ticket for ages afterwards ....if only i was braver

what college course did you end up on anyways macca

Macca3000

Ah yes, the important bit ahem...

Creative Digital Media in Blanchardstown. Really can't wait for September now.

Nervous excitement as I've never been to college before but really enjoyed the place when I went to the open day last April.

Lots of decisions to make now. Big one is to drive up and down everyday, live in Oldcastle so with the M3 it's only about 40 minutes away. But with diesel costs and the tolls I might be better staying up nearer and putting that money towards rent. Also would help to indulge in a bit of the college social life.

Ahhhh decisions:D, for once I'm glad I have so many.

lilylarkin

Congrats Everyone, best of luck to those waiting on offers. Got my 1st choice, Engineering in UCD. Soo excited. Sent in BTEA application straight after. Fingers crossed:eek:

Macca3000

lilylarkin wrote: »

Congrats Everyone, best of luck to those waiting on offers. Got my 1st choice, Engineering in UCD. Soo excited. Sent in BTEA application straight after. Fingers crossed:eek:

Oh yeah, I must remember the BTEA form. In a part time job now but got statutory redundancy from my last one so I'm entitled to claim BTEA. Another thing to add to the list.

W86indow

40 mins is a fare ol drive ... i have roughly the same but am going to live at home for the first year to get settled into the college might move out after christmas if i find its too much treking

i got business computing in LIT , i havent read anyone on this getting a place in LIT today .. really nervous about it

W86indow

lilylarkin - did they say anything to you in the social about applying for btea

like he gave me the application forms last week , but i just accepted the course through thE CAO today .. so i think the Social welfare want to see that you have registerd with the college first ??
i haven't a clue like ....

Macca3000

Get the application in so it will be pending on the system. Then when you get a letter from the college on the day you register, you drop that into Social and your BTEA is activated. It will take a few weeks for the €500 costs allowance to come through but your first payment should be with you within the week as it's done electronically into your bank account.

Also, even though you can't get a grant if you are getting BTEA, apply to your VEC or local authority as you may be entitled to have your registration fee (€1500) paid.

W86indow

oh wow macca thanks for that never knew that about the reg fee
but i have it covered .

i also got statutory .and the btea sounded great like its really going to give me an advantage to get the first year down and not be dependant on anyone
i read your post there .. will you still be entitled even though your working part time .. although the guy in citizens advice said that to me
does that mean you can work 20 hours a week get paid and get your full btea

lilylarkin

I just sent in the copy of the offer with my BTEA application. As I noted to the SW in my application I would have to pay €500 to register and I cant take up the place unless I get financial assistance. I am hoping that they will let me know soon if I have qualified for the BTEA and that registering will just be a matter of form once the time comes. Also the VEC told me that I shouldnt apply for the Maintenance Grant until I know if I have qualified for BTEA, otherwise they would be assessing me for the full maintenance grant.

Fingers crossed I get the BTEA and just need to apply to VEC for Student Registration fee. Its all a bit chicken and egg isnt it?

Macca3000

W86indow wrote: »

oh wow macca thanks for that never knew that about the reg fee
but i have it covered .

i also got statutory .and the btea sounded great like its really going to give me an advantage to get the first year down and not be dependant on anyone
i read your post there .. will you still be entitled even though your working part time .. although the guy in citizens advice said that to me
does that mean you can work 20 hours a week get paid and get your full btea

Yep, once you get statutory you are entitled to BTEA once you start college in the same year, regardless of getting a job in between or not.
I know what you mean about being independent. It really is a kick in the nuts when you have to go back to the parents. Was for me at 27 years anyway. But I am really grateful (and lucky) for everything they've done but I'm very independent minded and can't wait to get out there on my own again.
I think I'll be able to keep the part time job(petrol pumps:o) and work late Fridays and then a few hours Saturday. It will help a lot when I start college.

W86indow

cool i will keep that in mind ...
what about if you do a J1 Next summer , are you entitled to BTEA when you get back ??

Macca3000

Yes absolutly, same process when you register for 2nd year get the the letter and drop it into social. You can do whatever takes your fancy during summer. And a J1 is suddenly an interesting thought mate, Cheers.

By the way, we're dominating this thread tonight lol. I guess it's the excitement of going to college.

W86indow

you sure they wouldnt make me sign on during the summer ...
thats my goal is to get this year down and get across the water for next summer , so i am going to work extra hard .. eek can't wait

browne111

Macca3000 wrote: »

Yes absolutly, same process when you register for 2nd year get the the letter and drop it into social. You can do whatever takes your fancy during summer. And a J1 is suddenly an interesting thought mate, Cheers.

By the way, we're dominating this thread tonight lol. I guess it's the excitement of going to college.

J1? What age are ye?

fionav3

I'm a tad confused by all this CAO stuff...do all mature students have to apply through the CAO or just certain courses and colleges. The reason I ask is because I applied for Psychology to UL, directly to the admissions office (no mention of the CAO), had a great interview and was offered a place which I accepted. Again, no mention of the CAO. Was I supposed to do anything with the CAO?

Sorry for hijacking, totally confused. But congrats to everyone who got a place.

the keen edge

I got my first choice, Marine Science.

It's something I would really like to do, however committing myself to 4 years(at the very least) study is daunting.

The prospect of coming out of Uni at 36 years of age and probably financially broke, is scaring the sh!t outta me.

Arrrgh! What to do!!!

-Trek-

the keen edge wrote: »

I got my first choice, Marine Science.

It's something I would really like to do, however committing myself to 4 years(at the very least) study is daunting.

The prospect of coming out of Uni at 36 years of age and probably financially broke, is scaring the sh!t outta me.

Arrrgh! What to do!!!

Relax, enjoy (plus a small bit of study;)) and it will all work out in the end. Your not the only one here who is bricking it but I for one am planning on enjoying my second chance as much as I can regardless of age or financial implications.

GSOIRL

the keen edge wrote: »

I got my first choice, Marine Science.

It's something I would really like to do, however committing myself to 4 years(at the very least) study is daunting.

The prospect of coming out of Uni at 36 years of age and probably financially broke, is scaring the sh!t outta me.

Arrrgh! What to do!!!

I'm in the exact same boat(excuse the Marine pun) I'm looking at a 4 year course that means I'll be finished at 36. I've been on the CAO site about 15 times i the last two days about to press the except button and them log out again. What happens if I except and then chicken out or don't get my grant and don't go?

the keen edge

GSOIRL wrote: »

I'm in the exact same boat(excuse the Marine pun) I'm looking at a 4 year course that means I'll be finished at 36. I've been on the CAO site about 15 times i the last two days about to press the except button and them log out again. What happens if I except and then chicken out or don't get my grant and don't go?

Chirst don't ask me, can you not see I'am confused enough myself without having to figure out your concerns!

The only way, that I can seem to get someway, to deciding on what to do is by this;

• Take a minute for yourself and sit down in a quite space
• If you are 'mature' in years, by now you will know how the years fly by. So;
• In 4 years time it will be 2014, and it will be 2014 regardless of whether or not you deciede to go to college.
• Imagine yourself in 4 years time,2014, sitting in the same quite space as you are now. Ask yourself how you would like to see yourself, and feel about yourself here in 2014.

Hopefully by doing this it is possible to understand your needs better, and find out what makes you happy.

sassypsych

GSOIRL wrote: »

I'm in the exact same boat(excuse the Marine pun) I'm looking at a 4 year course that means I'll be finished at 36. I've been on the CAO site about 15 times i the last two days about to press the except button and them log out again. What happens if I except and then chicken out or don't get my grant and don't go?

Nothing happens so don't worry and accept!!! If you change your mind that will be fine because yoy aren't committed to anything until you register which won't happen till September. All you would have to do is ring the Uni and let them know you have to withdraw and that will be that.

I am 31, with a family and going onto a course that is hard work and will require 90% of my waking hours (and sleeping hours I imagine:D).

It is 4.5 years of not seeing my family, using up a lot of our resources and having to put my all into it....am I scared Hell YES!! But it is an opportunity too good to miss for me and the rewards at the end of it will mean a qualification I can actually use and pride in myself of being able to do this.

GSOIRL

Cheers Sassy

Done it, clicked that except button

W86indow

fionav3 wrote: »

I'm a tad confused by all this CAO stuff...do all mature students have to apply through the CAO or just certain courses and colleges. The reason I ask is because I applied for Psychology to UL, directly to the admissions office (no mention of the CAO), had a great interview and was offered a place which I accepted. Again, no mention of the CAO. Was I supposed to do anything with the CAO?

Sorry for hijacking, totally confused. But congrats to everyone who got a place.

I Don't think so hun ... the mature application to UL is an interview and mabe a test ... you dont have to apply to the cao ... you just had to write a letter to the college before the 1st of april ... so i reckon you got it well done

And come on the J1 im still 23 ...cannot wait ... may aswell avail of everything you possibly can

2mature

GSOIRL wrote: »

Hi 2Mature

I got offered my 1st choice of Sports studies in UCC. Are you from Cork? I'm not but gonna be moving down there now. How mature are you? What other subject you gonna choose?

Hi Yes I,m from Cork so its not 2 bad..Il be 34 if and when I finish the course...I was delighted and nervous when I got the offer but I accepted straight away as otherwise I would have let doubt creep in..I gather theres ten Places for matures me u and Nokia15 makes 3 I guess

2mature

nokia 15 wrote: »

I got offered sports studies and physical eduaction today in ucc. Im both delighted and very nervous at the same time as im giving up a job in the middle of a recession to go back and try to make a better quality of life for my family. The thought of 4 years is filling me with dread ,but i know long term its my only option . Does anyone know what time of timetable/hours a first year on this course has as i need to make plans for work ,kids etc..

Thanks

Hi Nokia 15...I'm also going to be attending ck116..absolutely delighted but also a bit nervous..I think if you email the head of course she will email you a timetable of this year...You must be nervous of giving up job ...but just think whats best in the long term..

Chorcai

I heard nothing at all, even thou DIT offered me a place, CAO have no offers for me ! Should I ring ? Seems every mature student has been offered a place !

racersedge

Honestly, it's a bit annoying not to hear anything back from a college. Be it positive or negative. Just flicking through the thread here and see I'm not the only one who has heard nothing from a college since either applying or the interview.

Even worse is when they send an e-mail or post letter regarding the whole 'late changes' date stuff - but can't be bothered to send any other correspondence.

I applied in two places myself for Early Childhood Education- DIT and Carlow IT. Only thing I ever got out of DIT was a letter detailing how the process would work. Never got a call nor an interview. Eventually e-mailed them and after two weeks, someone got back to me more or less confirming what I was thinking. That if I hadn't heard anything by now, I probably wasn't considered.

With Carlow, I actually got the interview.. and while I didn't think it went well.. I figured at least the effort I had put into this current year would get me something (just completed the FETAC Level 5 in Childcare, earning the Major Award and did extensive work experience throughout the year).

So it feels like a right kick in the stones to be honest. Admittedly, I never asked in the interview when I would hear for sure. I figured that might seem a bit presumptuous. But I know a colleague from the crèche I did work experience at that she said she heard in the July window when she took a similar path three or four years ago.

So that's why I was all geared up for hearing something now. But as some people have said in this thread, it is a bit odd not to at least get a letter saying 'Thanks, but no thanks.' Its the least they could actually do, right? I suppose the smart thing to ask now is there anyone here who has actually gotten into the Early Childhood Education course via the mature student route at this point?

I suppose it does mean maybe there is a faint hope for a months time - but I don't think I can really wait around that long. Already been sitting on my hands for the last few weeks anticipating this. Giving my live-at-home condition, I don't think my folks are that keen to see me sitting about for another month as I play the 'wait and see' card. I don't think I could do it myself even.

So - I suppose I could sum this all up into bullet points for people who don't want to read my mini-novel! :P

• Did anyone receive offers for Early Childhood Education from DIT or Carlow IT?
• Do colleges actually send out rejection letters? Or do we just take the no offers from the CAO as a rejection letter?

Right - think that's all for my mini-rant done! :cool:

W86indow

i wouldnt loose hope just yet .... it seems to me like no one got offers from DIT yesterday and that i also read some where here that they were late processing their applications ...
i would ring them if i was you .. id say they are closed now usually only open 9am-12am in summer

and im nearly positive a college would send out a rejection letter if you had already went for the interview , because they are playing with peoples lives im nearly sure they would,
like i applied for LIT but i didnt have to do an interview and i applied as a mature applicant through the cao . and i got a letter from the college saying they would have a place for me and that letter was dated the 6th of may

so i feel genuinely sorry for anyone that hasnt heard anything it's severely cruel is what it is... but defo dont loose hope because
as i said i havent heard anyone geting anything in DIT