The CAO February deadline is fast approaching, and with so many colleges and programmes to choose from, it can be a confusing time.
We recently spoke with MIC’s Student Recruitment Officer, Dr Patrick Cosgrove, who shared several valuable tips for students to consider before completing their CAO form: “Making your CAO application can be daunting, but the following tips will hopefully make the process a little bit easier. Firstly, take the time to explore college websites and particularly their undergraduate prospectus so that you can make an informed decision. Secondly, don’t fixate on particular colleges or on points, which can go down as well as up, and choose programmes that you have a genuine interest in, regardless of what college it is, or what you think the points might be. Finally, choose your programmes in order of genuine preference when filling out your form. Remember that the CAO works by a system where once you are offered a programme, anything below that on your list becomes redundant. Don’t forget that the free CAO Change of Mind facility will open on 5 May so you will still have an opportunity to make any programme changes before the 1 July deadline.”
MIC has made a special effort to ensure that prospective students have all the information that they require on the MIC CAO Hub so that they can make informed decisions about their programme choices. The site is packed full of information and you can find lots of information about MIC’s undergraduate degrees in Psychology, Liberal Arts, Primary Teaching, Post-Primary Teaching and Early Childhood Education, and the BA in Drama and English. You will also find details about our suite of undergraduate entrance scholarships and sports scholarships, which are all now open for application.
In advance of the deadline, MIC’s Admissions Office Manager, Anne-Marie Hannon, has this advice for students: “I would encourage applicants to take all the practical steps to ensure that they are well-informed before filling in their CAO form, and I would advise that they visit the CAO website. There is lots of information there that will assist applicants with their decision-making process, such as the Important Dates section, which offers a comprehensive list of the key dates in the CAO application process, and the Course Finder, which lists all programmes in Irish third-level institutions, and it can be searched by institution or by programme keyword. I would also advise applicants to visit the websites of Colleges they are particularly interested in and look at such things as minimum entry requirements and fees, as this information will help them when making their CAO application."
Finally, if you are a mature student thinking about returning to education or if you intend to apply to either the HEAR or the DARE schemes, you must apply to CAO before 1 February and indicate on your application that you intend to apply.
For further information about our programmes and college life at MIC, visit mic.ie/CAO.
