This will be good news for those who rushed their initial application and ended up with a bunch of course choices that neither reflected their future educational and career wants, nor made much sense from a practical perspective (putting a general arts degree above medicine, for example).

Impressionable minds can change with the weather, and to force people to abide by their initial selections would not merely be counterproductive, it would also be cruel.

It could also mean that many worthy programmes went unfilled, because many people may simply have been unaware of their existence when they first filled out the form. Sixth Year brings with it an almost constant focus on students' futures, and, every once or twice along the way, they may stumble into the realisation that there is a programme out there that might suit their needs better than any of the 20 on their original application.

While students can change their mind as often as they like (up until 5.25 pm on July 1), there is a point of which they should take some cognisance. It is best made by the CAO itself, which states that "if you submit a Change of Mind, it cancels and supersedes all the previous course choices in any category in which changes are made. However, choices in the two categories ( Level 8 and Level 7/6 ) are considered to be completely separate from each other for this purpose. e. g. a change of Level 8 course choices will not affect Level 7/6 choices."

So, do keep a track on what you are doing . . . lest something gets lost between the various change of mind forms that some people will be wont to send to Galway.

It is natural that every year, there are a number of courses which may fall between the cracks, even if there are more than enough people to fill them . . . usually because they are relatively new. For example, DIT, as Ireland's largest higher education institution, offers 300 different programmes from Accounting to Architecture to Tourism and Telecommunications, and many are unique to DIT - including Optometry, Human Nutrition & Dietetics, Transport Operations & Technology, Environmental Health, and Tourism Marketing.

From September 2007, DIT is introducing new honours degree programmes in Nutraceuticals for Health & Nutrition (DT420) and Manufacturing and Design Engineering (DT023).

These programmes are not in the CAO Handbook 2007 but do appear in the Important Changes section of the CAO website and can be included on a Change-ofMind up to the 1st of July.

DIT's programmes are career-focused and because of their high standard, graduates are highly regarded by employers. Also, DIT's 'ladder system' gives students the opportunity to progress through from higher certificate to degree to postgraduate level. Small group teaching is also an important feature of DIT's educational approach and allows more one-to-one contact between staff and students.

The faculties of the Institute are located in six centres around Dublin city centre, and DIT provides students with world-class learning facilities, including a library collection of more than 200,000 items, classrooms equipped with advanced technology, student counseling and support services.

Staying in Dublin, Griffith College is offering four new degrees from September 2007, in which there are a limited number of spaces still available. These include a BA (Hons) in Interior Architecture; a BA in Photographic Media; and a BA (Hons) and a BA in Fashion Design.

The BA in Photographic Media is part of the faculty of Journalism and Media, and will equip students with up-to-date skills required for professional and creative photography. For the first time in Ireland, students can study either a three year full-time or in a part-time version.

The course is industry linked with the Irish Professional Photographers Association (IPPA), and will further strengthen Griffith College's award winning media faculty. Students at the end of their final year have the option of joining the final year of the BA (Hons) Journalism & Visual Media in order to obtain an honours degree.

Of course, if anyone was looking for an incentive to study at GCD, students on the three year honours degree in Fashion Design have the option to do the third year of their degree in Milan. They will then return to GCD for the final year of their Honours degree, probably more fashion-aware than when they left.