WITH ALL the emphasis on Leaving Cert results and points it is easy to overlook the small but growing band of CAO/CAS applicants who are entering college not on their Leaving results but as mature applicants.
All colleges accept a number of mature students without Leaving Cert points. But exactly how these applications are processed and how the decisions are made is far from clear.
On the Points Race telephone line we have spoken with quite a few mature applicants who have not received an offer and, unlike the school leavers who know the points they must achieve, don't really know why.
A mature applicant who has the necessary points is simply considered together with everyone else; age is no barrier and anyone who has the points gets an offer.
But most mature applicants may not have sat the Leaving at all, or have done so at a time when standards were very different from now and therefore have to be assessed by different criteria. Exactly what criteria is not clear.
Most colleges will examine the mature student's work record and take any previous study or adult education courses into account. What they are really trying to establish is some idea of whether the student is capable of staying with and completing the course. They will usually be interested in extracurricular activities, community involvement etc.
But how do you quantify all of this? Some colleges interview all mature applicants, some interview some of them, and some operate a form of lottery.
Mature applicants find it extremely difficult to establish what their chances are - and what the reason is if they have been rejected. In many eases it is not even clear on which CAO round offers are going to be made to mature applicants.
We checked with a range of RTCs and the DIT this week.
DIT: They take in between 120 and 160 mature students each year spread over 80 courses, which means one or two in each course. But they get a whopping 1,000 applications.
They send the applications around to the different college departments which decide who to call for interview. Most of the selection is done by June and they make offers in CAO Round Zero (which goes out just before the Leaving Cert results come out). They may also interview a small number in early September.
Athlone RTC: "Selected" applicants are interviewed in July. They made 20 offers in Round One.
Carlow RTC: They say they interviewed all mature applicants and made offers in Round One, but they do not know how many.
Cork RTC: The handling of the applications is decentralised here and it is the individual departments which assess the candidates and make the offers.
College policy is to offer on Round Zero, but some departments may be more tardy than others, they concede.
Dundalk RTC: They interviewed all mature applicants in May and, made 50 offers in Round Zero.
Letterkenny RTC: They do not have any set ceiling on mature, offers. "We bend over backwards to give a mature student the benefit of a place provided we are satisfied they have the intellectual ability to complete the course.
They do not interview, but base decisions on the information in the application form. "They made offers to 50 mature applicants on Round One this year.
Limerick RTC: They offer an interview to all mature applicants. They interviewed in May this year and made 44 offers in Round One.
Waterford RTC: All mature applicants offered an interview; interviews held in May this year, 110 offers made in Round Zero - now, that's impressive.
Tralee RTC: They made mature offers in Round One but cannot put a figure on the number yet. "Selected" applicants are called for interview in May and a few are interviewed in September.
Sligo RTC: Here they are very precise about how they handle mature applicants. All are interviewed and scored under a number of headings, including appropriateness of previous qualifications, personal aptitudes, general approach to interview and knowledge of the course (amount of research undertaken).
Five per cent of all places are reserved for mature applicants and that allocation is almost never fully used up; but there is usually competition for places in Art and social studies courses.
They made 67 offers in Round Zero.
Tallaght RTC: No information on numbers but most mature applicants did get an offer on Round One. Last year, they found the take up rate from mature applicants was not great.
They do not usually interview.
Galway RTC: They reserve 10 per cent of places for mature applicants, they say, but can't put a figure on total number of offers. Applicants are contacted on Round Zero and offers made in Round One. They interview everyone.
Universities: Policies on mature applicants vary considerably in the universities. Trinity, for example, interviews all mature applicants; UCG operates a number of systems, some of which involve random selection. The competition for places is much tougher in the universities and large numbers get turned down without any clear reason being given.
POLICY ON MATURE
STUDENTS
There is a great lack of clarity as to how, when and by what criteria mature students are accepted into many colleges. For the adult applicant, who will usually have had to make elaborate adjustments to her or his work, social and financial affairs to prepare for possible college entry, the uncertainty is a huge additional burden.
The effort to bring themselves to the point of applying has been enormous in many cases and rejection, on unknown grounds, can thus be devastating.
One mature applicant who spoke to Points Race did not know whether to give up or try again next year. "Is it worth my while trying next year? Is there anything I could do in the meantime which would improve my chances?"
At least the Leaving Cert student knows the points at which she or he has to aim.
As the number of school leavers falls over the next few years, colleges will come to rely more on mature applicants to fill places, and will need to sharpen up their admissions policies for adult applicants.
Round Two Acceptances: Monday at 5.15 p.m. is the deadline for accepting Round Two offers. There is still time to post the acceptance today, or hop down to Galway on Monday. And do remember that you need to deposit a minimum of £5 with bank to register an acceptance.
We are still encountering individuals who forget to post Round One acceptances; don't make the same mistake on Round Two.
St Kevin's College, Crumlin (01 4536397): This is the college which started the young man quoted in yesterday's column on, the road to the Master's degree for which he is now studying.
"We're delighted for him," said the principal, "but we are not surprised. We've had two students who started here and now have PhDs."
So in case you, too, want to start here, they still have vacancies in media production, applied science (foundation with a link to DIT Kevin St), and in the mechanical engineering technician course.
Sallynoggin Senior College: Once more with feeling, and this time, definitely, but absolutely definitely, the correct telephone number for this PLC college: 01 2852997.
They have vacancies in: one year foundation course in photography; two year City and Guilds course in fashion and design; two year dance course leading to RADA exams; two year child care course leading to NNEB qualification; two year international travel and tourism course; two year fitness and leisure management; one year community/social care course.