Q My daughter insists she can do an arts degree in history without taking history in the Leaving Cert. Can this be possible? Dublin 6 parent

A There is no problem about doing history in an arts degree without having had history in the Leaving Cert. For the majority of arts degree subjects in fact just about everything except languages it is not necessary to have the subject in the Leaving Cert. And indeed, there are some ab initio language degrees where you can start the language from scratch, too. Thus you can take geography, history or economics in an arts degree without having them in the Leaving, for example.

Indeed, some historians would say that they might prefer to get students who had it not done history at school they're a clean slates with no preconceived notions.

I'm not arguing that this is the ideal situation, simply that people sometimes feel that they are more restricted than they actually are in their college choices. For the majority of arts degree options, all you need are the basic matriculation requirements and the points.

It is also possible to do a business or commerce degree without having any business subject in your Leaving Cert and it is possible to do accountancy without having accountancy or a business subject in the Leaving.

Q I have also applied for a music place in both Trinity and the College of

Music in Cork RTC and have been called for a music test to both on the same day. Last week you advised teachers to lobby, but what can a student do? south Dublin student

A There are more people involved in this than I would have thought. In all, apparently, 114 students have applied for a music place in both Trinity and Cork RTC and they were all summoned for a test to both colleges on Saturday last. On Tuesday of last week the day we first wrote about this

Trinity sent a nice letter to applicants noting the unfortunate clash and asking them to apply in writing if they wanted an alternative date to Saturday. This didn't leave students a lot of time. A copy of the letter posted by Trinity on Tuesday to E&L (which is across the road from the college) did not arrive here until Thursday would it be Friday before it arrived down the country? And students then had to apply in writing for a postponement of their test.

But at least Trinity did make the effort and offered an alternative to everyone. Then we spoke to the Cork School of Music. They operate music classes for everyone as well as third level students and have classes all day Saturday, so cannot re schedule. They swear that they did inform Trinity and all the other colleges in advance. It was their understanding that Trinity did its testing on the last Saturday in March, hence they chose the second last Saturday, they say. Trinity says nobody contacted them.

But Geoffrey Spratt, head of the Cork college, does make the sensible point that he would not normally expect many students to apply for both courses as they are view different, Cork being a mainly performance based course while the Trinity one is more academic.

I suggest you contact whichever college you missed out on and ask for a new date for the test.

Q My daughter is choosing her Leaving Cert subjects at the moment and is not planning to take any science subject. Will this restrict her college choices later on? Dublin father

A To have no science subject at all in the Leaving Cert excludes the student from nearly half of all third level courses. It is a really big risk to take and I would advise any student to think very seriously about the implications of dropping science entirely.

You need a science subject for everything in the medical area nursing, medical laboratory work, radiography, dietitian, occupational therapy, architecture and many more. You need it for all science and science based courses and for many engineering/technological courses.

It is a big risk to write off so many courses and careers so early in her educational development. All business, language and law courses, some computer and arts courses can be accessed without a science subject.

This is the time of year when many students and their parents are wrestling with Leaving Cert subject choices. This column has received many queries on the topic, particularly from parents worried about their children's choice.

Many are trying to work out which subjects are required for which third level courses. This is a hugely complicated way of going about the matter of subject choice most students do not know yet which course/career they wish to follow indeed many would argue that it is too soon to even attempt such decisions.

The best approach, it seems to me, to pick a basket of subjects that keeps the maximum possible options open to the student. Operating on this principle, you would take English and maths because practically all courses require those you'd take Irish to keep the NUI and teacher training options open and a foreign language again for the NUI colleges, UL and quite a few other courses and careers which specify a modern language.

I would add one science subject on to that list, to keep the way open for medical/ science/engineering/technological courses. That's five subjects and most students take seven, so you have two free choices. Only six subjects are counted for points, so at some stage the student will have to decide to concentrate her efforts on six.

This package of subjects will keep most career options open. You do need two science subjects for some courses medicine at Trinity, for example or two languages for some of the highly specialised language courses. But generally speaking with the above five subjects you are covered for most courses. For the sixth or seventh subjects, I'd go for whatever she likes most and is best at if a student likes a subject, she'll work harder at it.

Q I have pre school playgroup, Montessori and social studies qualifications I have experience of remedial work with children. But I have been refused a job in the Early Start programme and cannot get a teaching job. Can you suggest any course I might undertake? frustrated would be teacher

A You are not the only one with good practical experience and qualifications who has been refused a job by Early Start, the new pre-school programme operated by the Department of Education.

People with experience of teaching in Montessori schools, who have trained and worked in pre-school playgroups, like yourself, are not accepted to teach in Early Start, as only trained national teachers are allowed to teach there. This despite the fact that national teachers are not specifically trained for preschool work at all. The Montessori qualification is not recognised for national teaching and consequently is, absurdly, not recognised for Early Start. Years of experience in pre-school playgroups is not accepted either.

Apart from the national teachers, Early Start also employs child care assistants. You don't teach in this role, you assist in the classroom and for this job you need a NCVA (National Council for Vocational Awards) qualification. This is the qualification which is awarded routinely for a one year PLC (Post Leaving Cert) course. So, an 18 year old with one's year's study after the Leaving is eligible, but a middle aged woman with years of experience with pre school children and remedial tutoring is not.

The situation is absurd. Unfortunately, I simply do not know what advice to give you. I could say "do a PLC course", which would probably be the most sensible thing. It is absurd because you'd learn less than you already know, but you'd get the NCVA qualification.

Maybe the best advice would be to write to the Minister for Education and yell and scream at your local TDs complaining at the take over of pre school education by people trained for in school teaching.