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Personal Statement CAO

I am a full-time student on the Access Foundation Programme at TU Dublin. I am currently studying social science and Irish history as my optional modules. Two years ago I completed the Leaving Certificate and applied to do a Bachelor of Education in a number of colleges. I was not offered my first choice so I decided to apply for this programme as I feel it would be a great stepping stone in my journey to become a teacher.

For the past two years I have volunteered in my local youth club each week and at a Summer camp. This experience helped me to gain insight on what it is like working with children which reinforces my aspiration to teach. I believe that this year has helped me to mature and gain more knowledge through my modules. I would consider myself as empathetic, hard-working and patient.  I hope to  carry my experience into the programme next year to build on my skills.

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‘The factors I need to consider when making decisions in the future.’

As the CAO is opening soon I need to think about my options for the future and make wise choices that will lead me to where I want to be. I didn’t put enough thought into my choices on the CAO last year, which explains why I am currently on this programme. To get it right this time I need to fully explore my options instead of picking one and banking on it. I have a better knowledge now of the different routes I can take to get to the course I want. The factors I need to consider are location, choice of college and the length of the different routes. I could do any level eight undergraduate degree and continue on to Hibernia which is an additional two years, or I could do a bachelor of education for four years. As I am not a mature student I can only gain entry to Maynooth or TU Dublin courses through this course which is something else I need to take into consideration. I want to have back up courses on my CAO that I would enjoy studying so I need to research more courses that I could potentially be interested in.

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                     ‘The best ways for me to deal with conflict in the future’ 

I realised this week that I had a lot of misconceptions surrounding the word conflict. I try to avoid conflict at all costs because I have perceived it to be something negative and aggressive, but I know now it is necessary in a lot of situations. My strongest trait in the DISC test was steadiness which says something about the way I deal with conflict. I like instruction and order in group situations so I typically wouldn’t try to override someone else’s opinion, out of fear of causing conflict. I have the knowledge to address the situation in an effective way so it doesn’t lead to aggressive behaviour. I think I need to be more assertive within groups to get my point across because I usually let people more outspoken than me do all the talking. Moving forward, I won’t shy away from being more vocal with people. In relation to inter-personal conflict I think that could also be worked on. I tend to overthink situations which results in stress which causes that inner conflict. I need to be more confident in my thoughts so I am on the same page as myself about what I want. 

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‘What I have learned about myself in group work.’ 

I have experienced group work in different scenarios in my life but I have never fully contemplated the role I play in the group, aside from my task on the given project. After taking the DISC test my results did not come as a shock to me. My strongest asset in a group is steadiness-38%, apparently I am ‘tenacious and determined to follow a course of action-to achieve objectives’. I think that fits my character, in order to carry out a task I need to fully understand what is being asked of me and once I know I like to set goals to get it done. Compliance was second-31%, followed by influence-20% and dominance-11%. I have learned that I have a good mix of these and my role in a group varies depending on the situation, as I’m sure is true for most people. I like direction in areas I’m unsure of but if I am confident about something I like to contribute my thoughts and ideas. My weakest score was dominance which didn’t surprise me, I don’t see myself as assertive and I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving orders to people. I am passive in most group situations, I like listening to other people’s opinions and combining them with my own. 

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What I have learned from Gardner’s Theory of Intelligence 

This week we looked at a theory that includes eight different types of intelligences. I was aware that there were multiple ways to learn but I didn’t know the exact categories you could fall into. After taking the quiz I found my strengths lie in the following intelligences: verbal-linguistic, intrapersonal and interpersonal. I had anticipated the first one as languages were always my stronger subjects throughout school and I have enjoyed literature from a young age. I feel as though I am strengthening this intelligence this year absorbing new information in my lectures as well as reading about material that is foreign to me. I recently became aware of the difference between intra vs inter personal from this lecture so I am unsure what it means to be both. I hope to improve on my interpersonal skills through group work and presentations this year because the career path I am considering at the moment is teaching. My optional modules encourage me to view the world in a different way which in turn sets me thinking about the role I play in the world. This aids my intrapersonal intelligence. It makes sense that we factor these into our career choice because people enjoy doing things they are good at.

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What are the connections between diet, sleep, stress, learning and memory formation? 

One aspect of my life that I could greatly improve on is sleep. Despite the recommended hours of sleep being ten for someone my age, I am hitting closer to seven on a good night. This is most likely due to exposure to light on my phone which I stay on longer than I should. My first step to a better sleeping schedule will be cutting down my screen time. I realized this was a problem when I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open on the Luas the other morning. The morning should be my most productive time of the day so I am putting myself at a disadvantage by missing out on sleep. My diet is typically balanced but I think I should increase my iron intake to help this fatigue. I tend to skip breakfast in the morning when I have an early start which is another habit I need to break. I know I could concentrate better with a good night sleep and a fulfilling breakfast. If I improve on these issues I will retain more information in my lectures and perform better in my exams.