Discover your path to success and register now for Mary Immaculate College’s (MIC) information session on the pathways and supports available to mature students at the College. The event takes place on 18 April (11am-12.30pm) at MIC Limerick.
The benefits of returning to education as a mature learner are many and varied. With life experience comes a better focus and motivation to study, you are better placed to apply what you learn to practical as well as academic scenarios, and employers like to hire mature graduates due to their mix of experience and academic know-how.
According to Rob O’Halloran, PATH 3 Project Officer Student Life; “If you are at least 23 years old on the 1 January of the year of entry to college, you are considered a mature applicant and can apply for MIC’s Level 8 undergraduate programmes or alternatively one of the College’s part-time programmes to get a taste of, or prepare for, a course of study. MIC offers opportunities to mature learners within a friendly, relaxed environment with specialist supports to help them on what can be a transformational journey. We want to help you choose the right learning pathway, and attending the information session is the first step in the process.”
At the event, you’ll learn about MIC’s specific programmes for mature learners including the Teacher Education Access Programme (TEAP), designed for applicants who are interested in applying to the Bachelor of Education (Primary-level) but do not meet the minimum entry requirements, and the Pre-University Programme for Mature Learners, which is aimed at adult learners from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds who wish to continue their education and whose educational experiences and opportunities in their earlier years may have been limited.
A number of MIC’s Level 8 programmes are currently accepting late applications via the CAO from mature learners, including the Bachelor of Arts (BA), B Sc in Psychology, BA in Drama and English, BA in English Language and Literature, BA in Early Childhood Care and Education and the College’s range of post-primary teacher degrees offered on MIC’s Thurles campus. The session will cover these programmes as well as detail resources - academic, financial, and other - that are available to mature students at MIC. There will also be an opportunity to speak with current mature students.
According to MIC Limerick BA student (Psychology & History) David Moloney; “I’m so happy I came back to education. The journey has been phenomenal. Coming back as a mature student was a great idea for me. Between school and coming back, I developed a lot of maturity, and that really stood to me and my progress here at MIC. The opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone has been so, so rewarding. If anyone out there is considering coming back to education definitely, definitely go for it.”
BA graduate Fran Shortall, who had worked in the catering sector for over 30 years when she decided to return to education, says “It’s challenging as a mature student and as a parent, but it’s worth it. The College really supports mature learners.”
No matter what your age, there are plenty of extracurricular activities to get involved in at MIC and services designed to help learners in their individual college journey such as the Student Parent Support Service and the Academic Learning Centre.
Shane Griffin, second year BA in Education, Gaeilge and Business Studies student at MIC Thurles, says “The mature student experience is quite good here at MIC Thurles. We have a lot of matures on campus. We try and arrange coffee mornings. We try and gather together every now and again. The College does provide quite a lot of supports here in terms of academic writing, reading and all that so anyone who may be nervous about coming back and taking on the extra work there are supports here for you at MIC Thurles.”
Closing date for applications to the CAO is 1 May 2023. Mature applicants who have applied initially through the CAO by 1 February and wish to change their mind, can do so from 5 May when the change of mind facility opens, until 12 May only. For more information, click here.
