Your education questions answered.

My daughter has already applied to the CAO but is unsure if she has found the course that best suits her interests. She is very interested in studying psychology but is also very excited by computers. Are there any courses that combine these?

I am aware of only one degree programme that specifically combines computers and psychology. It is the BSc in psychology applied to information technology (DL141) at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology. It is probably a common misconception that the computer industries are not very social, with employees who spend little time with other people. The reality is quite the reverse, of course.

DL141 prepares its students to help society integrate the world of IT into our lifestyles by teaching the material in the particular context of how people work with computers. Designing computer systems that are easier to use or can be used by the elderly or people with disabilities, for example, are typical issues that the students address.

The course was recently recognised by the Psychological Society of Ireland to cover the undergraduate curriculum in psychology, an accreditation that is likely to lead to an increase in applications and, therefore, to an increase in the points requirement for entry, if not this year then certainly next. If your daughter wishes to include DL141 in her application record she can wait until the change-of-mind option becomes available, in May, and include it at that stage.

I am sitting my Leaving Certificate in June. Recently we were asked to fill in a form in school, specifying the subjects we wish to take and the levels at which we wish to sit them. The form was then sent to the Department of Education and Science. Our teacher said it was to ensure the correct number of exam papers arrived in June. I am now very worried, as having sat my mock Irish exam I feel I am no longer qualified to sit it at higher level, which is what I put down on the form. Is this decision now set in stone or is it only a guide for the Department when it sends out the papers, allowing me to choose my level on the day?

You have nothing to fear. All Leaving Certificate candidates can select the level at which they wish to answer the paper on the day of the examination. One must, of course, take account of subjects with prior components, such as aural and oral aspects, or portfolio requirements. If you have taken components at one level you are committed, in the vast majority of cases, to following through at the level already taken. Other than in those circumstances, you can exercise your choice on the day. I would advise most students not to lose their nerve and change levels at the last minute. Your teacher has prepared you for a particular level; my advice is to

follow your teacher's direction in the matter.

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie